30-Second Commercial

Interviewer: "Tell me a little about yourself"

Interviewee: "uh...uhmm...uhmm..."

Interviewer: "Thank you, for coming...we'll be in touch. NEXT!!!!!"

That, would be my absolute worse nightmare, failing an interview before it even begins. Questions that ask a person to tell something about themselves provide a great opportunity to make a strong and hopefully lasting impression. One tool that business professionals use in order to be prepared for these situations is the development of a "30-second commercial." The idea is to develop a pitch,a script of sorts that provides an outline for answering such questions and allows you to sell yourself. A basic outline to develop one goes as follows:

1. name
2. major
3. work and extra
4. volunteer work
5. skills knowledge
6. personal traits qualities