How Do You Professionally Answer, "Tell Me About Yourself?"
Honestly, I don't think you can, technically, because we all professionally (and of course personally) have a lot to really say if the person asking really wants to know. And time may not always allow. But for an interview, I can now at least group "all about me" in my "Top 5 Themes". I no longer have to go and look at "sample" answers, because "sample" does not mean it is actually me! Learning these also goes beyond the interview....
You come across so many people in your life and if you could gather all of their thoughts and experiences into one document so you could hand it over to a stranger who does not know you at all, would you do it? I surely would! What if I told you there is a system out there that is so accurate, it feels just like the people who know you best, who are closest to you and know your achievements and struggles have all gotten together and wrote all about you for others to really know your true strengths and abilities.
Strengths Finder from Gallup did just that for me. CliftonStrengths Explains How You Are Uniquely Powerful. My emotions were uncontrollable after I read my reports. It was as if I finally found someone (computerized system) who was able to confirm that of which I work so hard to portray. To be honest, I thought the process was a bit long and it did take me several days to complete the questionnaire and read the book (I didn't read from cover to cover either). I just figured "oh, another character exercise"...but I surely was wrong!
Here are my Top 5 Themes:
- Individualization
- Positivity
- Achiever
- Developer
- Responsibility
Below is both my Signature Theme Report and my Strengths Insight Guide. If you are looking to get to know me and my strengths and want to consider if I am fit to be a part of your team, this is a very accurate start! Happy reading :)
P.S. Everybody is not for everybody....I know that. What's important, is that I am very pleased with myself if no one else is!
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YOUR SIGNATURE THEME REPORT (57912337 (Crystal Brown) Copyright ? 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.)
Many years of research conducted by The Gallup Organization suggest that the most effective people are those who understand their strengths and behaviors. These people are best able to develop strategies to meet and exceed the demands of their daily lives, their careers, and their families.
A review of the knowledge and skills you have acquired can provide a basic sense of your abilities, but an awareness and understanding of your natural talents will provide true insight into the core reasons behind your consistent successes.
Your Signature Themes report presents your five most dominant themes of talent, in the rank order revealed by your responses to StrengthsFinder. Of the 34 themes measured, these are your "top five."
Your Signature Themes are very important in maximizing the talents that lead to your successes. By focusing on your Signature Themes, separately and in combination, you can identify your talents, build them into strengths, and enjoy personal and career success through consistent, near-perfect performance.
Individualization
Your Individualization theme leads you to be intrigued by the unique qualities of each person. You are impatient with generalizations or “types” because you don’t want to obscure what is special and distinct about each person. Instead, you focus on the differences between individuals. You instinctively observe each person’s style, each person’s motivation, how each thinks, and how each builds relationships. You hear the one-of-a-kind stories in each person’s life. This theme explains why you pick your friends just the right birthday gift, why you know that one person prefers praise in public and another detests it, and why you tailor your teaching style to accommodate one person’s need to be shown and another’s desire to “figure it out as I go.” Because you are such a keen observer of other people’s strengths, you can draw out the best in each person. This Individualization theme also helps you build productive teams. While some search around for the perfect team “structure” or “process,” you know instinctively that the secret to great teams is casting by individual strengths so that everyone can do a lot of what they do well.
Positivity
You are generous with praise, quick to smile, and always on the lookout for the positive in the situation. Some call you lighthearted. Others just wish that their glass were as full as yours seems to be. But either way, people want to be around you. Their world looks better around you because your enthusiasm is contagious. Lacking your energy and optimism, some find their world drab with repetition or, worse, heavy with pressure. You seem to find a way to lighten their spirit. You inject drama into every project. You celebrate every achievement. You find ways to make everything more exciting and more vital. Some cynics may reject your energy, but you are rarely dragged down. Your Positivity won’t allow it. Somehow you can’t quite escape your conviction that it is good to be alive, that work can be fun, and that no matter what the setbacks, one must never lose one’s sense of humor.
Achiever
Your Achiever theme helps explain your drive. Achiever describes a constant need for achievement. You feel as if every day starts at zero. By the end of the day you must achieve something tangible in order to feel good about yourself. And by “every day” you mean every single day—workdays, weekends, vacations. No matter how much you may feel you deserve a day of rest, if the day passes without some form of achievement, no matter how small, you will feel dissatisfied. You have an internal fire burning inside you. It pushes you to do more, to achieve more. After each accomplishment is reached, the fire dwindles for a moment, but very soon it rekindles itself, forcing you toward the next accomplishment. Your relentless need for achievement might not be logical. It might not even be focused. But it will always be with you. As an Achiever you must learn to live with this whisper of discontent. It does have its benefits. It brings you the energy you need to work long hours without burning out. It is the jolt you can always count on to get you started on new tasks, new challenges. It is the power supply that causes you to set the pace and define the levels of productivity for your work group. It is the theme that keeps you moving.
Developer
You see the potential in others. Very often, in fact, potential is all you see. In your view no individual is fully formed. On the contrary, each individual is a work in progress, alive with possibilities. And you are drawn toward people for this very reason. When you interact with others, your goal is to help them experience success. You look for ways to challenge them. You devise interesting experiences that can stretch them and help them grow. And all the while you are on the lookout for the signs of growth—a new behavior learned or modified, a slight improvement in a skill, a glimpse of excellence or of “flow” where previously there were only halting steps. For you these small increments—invisible to some—are clear signs of potential being realized. These signs of growth in others are your fuel. They bring you strength and satisfaction. Over time many will seek you out for help and encouragement because on some level they know that your helpfulness is both genuine and fulfilling to you.
Responsibility
Your Responsibility theme forces you to take psychological ownership for anything you commit to, and whether large or small, you feel emotionally bound to follow it through to completion. Your good name depends on it. If for some reason you cannot deliver, you automatically start to look for ways to make it up to the other person. Apologies are not enough. Excuses and rationalizations are totally unacceptable. You will not quite be able to live with yourself until you have made restitution. This conscientiousness, this near obsession for doing things right, and your impeccable ethics, combine to create your reputation: utterly dependable. When assigning new responsibilities, people will look to you first because they know it will get done. When people come to you for help—and they soon will—you must be selective. Your willingness to volunteer may sometimes lead you to take on more than you should.
STRENGTHS INSIGHT GUIDE (57912337 (Crystal Brown) Copyright ? 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.)
Individualization
SHARED THEME DESCRIPTION: People who are especially talented in the Individualization theme are intrigued with the unique qualities of each person. They have a gift for figuring out how people who are different can work together productively.
YOUR PERSONALIZED STRENGTHS INSIGHTS: What makes you stand out? Instinctively, you easily identify with what others are thinking and feeling. You intuitively understand their hopes, fears, joys, and sorrows. This helps you consider things from each individual’s perspective. Because of your strengths, you realize how wonderful your life is when you have been able to assist someone in need. By nature, you are hardwired to do exactly what you said you would do. Your word is your bond. You are likely to earn the respect of many people. You even win over those who have a hard time trusting anyone. Why? You rarely disappoint them. It’s very likely that you inspire individuals by telling them what they do well. You intentionally look for the good in people. You make sure they know how much you appreciate their talents and their results. People often thrive when you are part of their lives. Driven by your talents, you frequently examine the factors leading up to an event. Therein you discover the reasons why things happened the way they did. A number of individuals and/or groups probably appreciate your logical thinking style.
Positivity
SHARED THEME DESCRIPTION: People who are especially talented in the Positivity theme have an enthusiasm that is contagious. They are upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do.
YOUR PERSONALIZED STRENGTHS INSIGHTS: What makes you stand out? Because of your strengths, you say, “Life is good” when people understand, value, and accommodate your need to expend physical energy. You are much more content when you are busy and least content when you must sit in one place for an extended period of time. By nature, you are pleasant and amiable — that is, easy to get along with and likeable. You can socialize or work with just about anybody. Your congenial — that is, friendly — manner as well as your interest in people help you identify common ground, offer compliments, ask non-threatening questions, and effortlessly move in and out of conversations. Driven by your talents, you generally feel very good about life once you make sense out of your current situation. You are quite optimistic when you figure out why you were or were not given a particular assignment, why some decisions were made, or why certain people behaved the way they did. Chances are good that you feel all is well with your life when people ask you to be their personal mentor, adviser, or consultant. Instinctively, you inspire your teammates with words that bolster their confidence. You repeatedly remind them they have the abilities needed to attain their goals.
Achiever
SHARED THEME DESCRIPTION: People who are especially talented in the Achiever theme have a great deal of stamina and work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.
YOUR PERSONALIZED STRENGTHS INSIGHTS: What makes you stand out? It’s very likely that you do a fine job of imparting knowledge to individuals. You spend a lot of time preparing appropriate stories, vivid examples, graphic illustrations, or useful materials to enliven your training sessions. Driven by your talents, you are eager to get started on a project once you realize what you can accomplish in the coming weeks, months, or years. You work very hard to breathe life into your big dreams. These often push and pull you into the future. Chances are good that you routinely raise the spirits of people by putting aside what you are doing and giving them your undivided attention. You work diligently to repeat the key ideas or questions they voiced. Instinctively, you channel your energy into your work or studies. You seldom count the hours you work. Feeling fully engaged in what you do is a major source of satisfaction. You believe there is always something more challenging you can pursue. Given your ability to withstand hardship, adversity, and stress, it is no surprise you love what you do. You strive to do more and more of it each day. Because of your strengths, you work industriously to finish all your daily assignments. You derive a great deal of satisfaction from reaching goals others have set for you. Meeting their expectations for the day undoubtedly is one of your top priorities.
Developer
SHARED THEME DESCRIPTION: People who are especially talented in the Developer theme recognize and cultivate the potential in others. They spot the signs of each small improvement and derive satisfaction from these improvements. YOUR PERSONALIZED STRENGTHS INSIGHTS What makes you stand out? Because of your strengths, you encourage individuals by expressing confidence in them. You comment favorably about their knowledge, skills, talents, or successes. You undoubtedly feel life is grand when your words of encouragement and support motivate someone to excel or attempt something for the first time. Instinctively, you sometimes have quick and ready insights into what individuals are sensing. Perhaps your instincts allow you to ask questions in the right way. In your dealings with people, you might know the best time to speak, listen, advise, or praise. Chances are good that you support the people around you by acknowledging their outstanding accomplishments and stellar performances. It’s very likely that you can sometimes place the needs of others ahead of your own. By nature, you may concede that monetary rewards, though important, are not a substitute for feeling content with your life.
Responsibility
SHARED THEME DESCRIPTION: People who are especially talented in the Responsibility theme take psychological ownership of what they say they will do. They are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty.
YOUR PERSONALIZED STRENGTHS INSIGHTS: What makes you stand out? Chances are good that you place a premium on doing everything correctly. Whatever you are involved in or associated with must typify — that is, symbolize — accuracy and precision. Your high standards demand exactness. Instinctively, you may enjoy hearing people describe you as more serious than some of your colleagues, classmates, teammates, friends, or coworkers. It’s very likely that you do much more than just try to live up to your commitments. You persist working until you can deliver on your promises. This certainly enhances your reputation for being trustworthy, reliable, and dependable. Driven by your talents, you may wish to have a broader range of control and accountability on the job or in your personal life. Because of your strengths, you are a person upon whom others can depend. When you make a promise, you keep it. You feel obligated to honor your commitments. You do things correctly, accurately, and properly.