How to Professionally Introduce Yourself in a Job Interview

The moment of truth is here. You’ve spent long, arduous weeks in relentless preparation. Now? It’s time you got what you’ve been working so hard for. But another hoop arises. And you have to jump through while the hiring manager is watching – in all their stoic and high horse “professionalism” (to be fair, not all hiring managers are uptight, but it’s good for painting the image).

Anyway. You must now introduce yourself and do a darn good job while you’re at it.

(No pressure, lol)

You may have 99 problems, but after reading this quick blog post? Introducing yourself in a job interview ain’t gonna be one of ‘em. Let’s go!

(Feeling stressed after all that time searching for a job? Learn how to keep your stress in check.)

Some preliminary work must already be in order (aka did you do your homework?)

It goes without saying that you’ll need to have done some preparation beforehand (yes, I know, that’s about the last thing you want to hear – especially after all the elbow grease you’ve been through in the last couple of weeks. Alas, it’s what you must do to succeed. Swallow the pill and keep going. You’re not that far from lounging in the security of a new job).

The details of said preparation, however, are beyond the scope of this post. Regardless, if you’re already looking for tips on how to introduce yourself, there’s a good chance there’s not much for you to do here. Onward!

In the interview room

It’s typical that at this point you’ll be seated alone in a room, waiting for your interviewer. Take this time to take a couple of deep breaths and relax. You can have a drink of water or even jot down some notes to help you with your answers.

As you’re greeting the interviewer, you want to shake their hands firmly and look directly into their eyes. There’s a good chance they already know you from your resume, but you’ll want to affirm it by saying something like “It’s a pleasure to meet with you and talk about the XYZ role in the ABC department” – just for good measure.

Depending on the interviewer, you’ll also probably want to take the lead in the conversation. If they’re on the talkative side of things, though, let them do the talking (until they ask you a question. You do not want to remain silent if your interviewer has asked you something. Talk about an awkward moment).

A word of warning: don’t fall into the trap of letting your guard down and treating the interviewer as a friend just because they happen to be casual. I may talk smack about “professionalism,” but it’s a whole other kind of what true professionalism is; the one with air quotes, to me, generally appears ingenuine and inauthentic. That might just be me, though.

(Interested in skipping ahead and learning how to masterfully seal the deal? Check out our blog post on closing an interview here.)

“Give me your 15-second elevator pitch.”

Not that an interviewer would ever ask you that, but essentially, that is what they’re asking – beneath all the masks and wordy questions that masquerade behind a facade of “professionalism.”

(Yes, I just quoted “professionalism” four times.)

I’d suggest giving a brief summary of what you do, and then tying it back to the reason you’re interested in this particular position. (Sometimes, this can be tricky, especially if there are a lot of “moving parts” to your career up until that point. Just focus on the main ideas and leave the details out for later in the interview.)

Here are some examples of a quick introduction I’d make if I were applying to a video game designer, dog trainer, and flight attendant positions – in that order:

• I’m a videogame designer with over three years of experience dedicated to designing interesting, multi-dimensional characters that influence the majority of a video game's success. I look forward to bringing my talents to the table and seeing what more interesting characters I can create at your company.
  
  
• I’m a dog trainer with over a decade of experience raising and training dogs of many different breeds. I mainly work with larger-sized breeds such as German Shepherds, Pitbulls, Gray Mastiffs, and Rottweilers. As you can see in my resume, all my clients have reported that their dogs had never behaved so well before. I look forward to bringing great results for future clients and serving your company.
  
  
• I’m a flight attendant who has been working for 18 months. I’m fluent in four languages – [list them] – and I’m used to staying calm under pressure and working amidst chaos. I have a personable appearance and like talking to people. I’m used to working long hours on my feet and keeping the people I serve happy. I look forward to working at your company and working to make a great name for Emirates.

Some words of encouragement: If you’re already at the interview stage, that generally means the hiring manager has determined that you can do the job based on your resume. An interview is often conducted to get to know you on a personal level, i.e., are you a good fit for the team? Are you someone the hiring manager wants to interact with every day, etc.?

So, just be your authentic, personable self. Don’t overdo it, though. Don’t “try” to be personable – that will only come across as weird and off-putting. Just act normal. And mildly serious. Never forget to smile, though.

For more tips on doing great interviews, check out our blog posts here.