2/16    What's  good non-BS-sounding response to an employer's "tell me
        about yourself" type question?
        \- I have a gun.
        \_ uh, telling him about yourself?  -tom
        \_ It's not a trick question.  Just give a quick, non-boring
           bio of yourself, and if you can, make it relevant to the job you
           are applying for.  -ax
        \_ I was on campus on friday recruiting and interviewing.  My
           suggestion for you is to have a better attitude about the process.
           It's not a B.S. question.  It's a way of figuring out if a
           candidate can speak fluent english and communicate.  I would care
           less if you kicked ass in all of hilfinger's projects or that
           you can code 5000 lines a day.  If you have no social skills,
           cannot work in a team, cannot communicate your ideas, cannot speak
           fluent english, I will not hire you.  Period.  It's that simple.
           I don't hire assholes with high IQs.  You would drag the whole
           team down with your attitude.  I would rather hire somebody who
           is not as smart but works hard and is a team player.  Not afraid to
           seek help and not snobbish about offering help.
           \_ Darn, then you would really heir me. what's the job description?
           \_ From my experience, this is pretty much true. The interviews
              I've gone through where you go through 4-5 people, at least
              one person does almost exclusively non-technical stuff, such
              as your hobbies, how you handle conflict, and finding out
              your demeanor.
              \_ can you retype this last sentance so that the first bit
                 actually merges into the last bit and makes sense?
           \_ IMHO:  That's a really poor question to ask in terms of
              provoking answers that will realistically determine
              interpersonal/cultural fit at an organization.  "Tell me about
              yourself" is just about the most general, vague question to ask,
              and any effective interviewer will know that vague questions
              you resolved it" or "Give me an example of..."  I think the issue
              at hand is more that the question itself is generic rather than
              about the candidate being a "non-team player."  And you should
              sign your name. --chris
              generate vague answers.  Better than that is to ask something
              behavior-based or like "Tell me about a time when...and how
              you resolved it" or "Give me an example of..."  The question
              _is_ a BS question...and the issue is not about the candidate
              not being a team player, which you have just naturally assumed
              as a recruiter.  And you should sign your name.  --chris
              \_ Am I the only one on the fucking motd that is getting a little
                 tired of chris's "How to be a corporate stooge" lectures.
                 Well, that's MYHO, anyway.
                \_ Pretty much.  I like the how-to-stooge lessons.