Common Mistakes

 Many candidates sabotage themselves with avoidable mistakes.

Lack of preparation —

• Don’t try to wing it. 
• You should take the time to prepare your 3-4 bullet points and look for opportunities to customize for any new opportunity. 
• Then, you must PRACTICE delivering your sales pitch until it feels comfortable.

Modesty — This is not the time to be modest or self-deprecating.

• You must be ready, willing, and able to talk about what makes you a great hire. This will require some practice if you are naturally a bit modest.
• You don’t have to be super-confident like the candidate in the video example above. 
• You can use your own style. If you’re not comfortable making value statements about yourself (i.e. “I am the perfect candidate.”), you can stick to fact (“I have ten years of experience, got promoted, broke the sales record, won the award, delivered on time and on budget, received kudos from my manager/client, etc.”) 
• Another way to “sell” yourself with facts is to quote other people’s opinions. 
• Quote your manger, “My manager told me that he’s never seen anyone with more advanced Excel skills.” 
• You can also reference your general reputation: “I have a reputation for always closing the deal” or “I have a history of always completing my projects ahead of schedule.”

Being too general

• Do your best to add some personality to your answer. 
• Don’t simply rattle off the bullet points listed in the job description. 
• Really think about what makes you unique and express it in your own voice.

Talking too much 
Remember the law of answering interview questions:

• You should limit each answer to 1-2 minutes in length (not counting any follow-up questions or requests for additional detail).
• If you try to walk through your entire resume when answering this question, the interviewer is likely to tune out.
• Focus on your most compelling selling points. 
• Keep in mind that you’ll be more believable if you focus on a few strengths and don’t try to claim that you are a master of every business skill imaginable.