How to Best Introduce Yourself at a Job Interview

You’re sitting in a reception area, dressed in a carefully chosen outfit. You’re showered and polished. Your hair is perfect. Your hands are manicured. Now, if only your palms would stop sweating!

Few things are quite as unnerving as job interviews. You approach them knowing that unless you match the employer’s expectations you’re not going to land that sweet gig. Fortunately, there are plenty of things you can do to ensure you’ll make a good impression when the stakes are high.

Introduce yourself in a professional way

First impressions start here, so make sure you get it right. Your next career move could well begin with a hello and a handshake. In the reception area, introduce yourself.

Hi, I’m Jill Jackson. I’m here for my 10:30 interview with Jane Smith.

When you meet the person who’ll be interviewing you, extend a hand, say hello, and introduce yourself again.

Hi, Ms. Smith. I’m Jill Jackson. Thanks for inviting me to meet with you today.

Here’s a tip: Keep a folded napkin or handkerchief in your pocket. It’ll be helpful if you need to dry your hands quickly before you meet the interviewer. It’s harder to make a good impression with sweaty palms.

Make sure you’ve done your homework up front

The single best thing you can do to ace an interview is to conduct some research ahead of time. Learn as much as you can about the company you’re interviewing with. Visit their website and look for things like a careers or culture page. Scan their social media accounts to get a feel for their brand voice. Visit Glassdoor to see what employees are saying about them, which might give you more culture clues as well as insight into their strengths and challenges. When you’re armed with information, you’ll feel less vulnerable, and when the time comes, you’ll be able to demonstrate your insight into the company.

I noticed that The ABC Corporation’s blog focuses on content for working professionals. Can you tell me more about how that plays into your branding strategy?

ABC’s website has a great culture page! It gave me a real sense of what drives your team.

Answer the dreaded “Tell me about yourself” with style

There’s no more open-ended question than the one every job seeker loves to hate—“Tell me about yourself.” How do you project an image of confidence without arrogance? Do you mention anything personal or stick to business?

It’s a good idea to prepare your answer to this question ahead of time. It’s often used as an ice-breaker, so go ahead and begin with a few bits of personal information.

I moved cross-country to the west coast two years ago—I love it here! I’ve been spending time adventuring and getting to know the area cuisine. I’m a foodie at heart.

Make sure you avoid politics or anything potentially controversial. Even relating something like your enthusiasm for hunting can go wrong if you come across an interviewer who’s opposed to the practice. By all means, be interesting—if you have an unusual hobby like paragliding or snake charming, make yourself memorable by sharing it. (Well, maybe hold off on sharing the snake charming thing. You don’t want to come off as that much of a risk taker.)

Don’t dwell on the personal for more than a couple of beats. Segue into talking about your professional life.

I ventured out west because marketing is my passion, and I saw so many opportunities in Silicon Valley. I’d love to tell you about some of the strengths I’d bring to this position.

Don’t overdo it. Before the interview, consider three or four personality assets or skills you believe the hiring manager will value. Outline them briefly. (Remember that the interviewer can always ask more questions if one of your points intrigues her.)

I enjoy networking. I attended three professional conferences last year, and not only did I get valuable insights, but I also connected with some solid new leads.

Good communication is important to me, so I’m always sharpening my writing skills. I wrote my company’s top-performing blog article last quarter.

Be concrete. Show how your skills have made a difference in your professional life. But also, be concise. Nattering on about your talents for too long can make you seem arrogant or self-absorbed.

Here’s a tip: You’ll have the advantage if you know what the hiring manager is looking for in advance. If you used a keyword strategy to craft your resume, apply that to your understanding of the topics you should focus on during your interview.

Be prepared to take charge of the interview

Interviewers may be in positions of power, but that doesn’t mean most are good at interviewing. In fact, many interviewers struggle with it. They overestimate their intuitive sense of you and make snap judgments. They may overvalue things like how articulate you are, your assertiveness, and even your technical chops without really asking the questions that will determine how fit you are for the position.

If the interviewer isn’t asking the right questions and assessing you in a way that lets you show your best angles, be prepared to step in and demonstrate your strengths.

Most interviewers ask questions unrelated to real job requirements. As the person being interviewed, you need to take control to ensure you’re being evaluated properly. This starts by asking the person to describe the job in terms of real objectives and challenges. Then you need to describe work you’ve done that’s most related.

—Lou Adler for Inc.

Preparation is the key to knocking your interview out of the park. Take time to rehearse your answers to popular interview questions. Stay positive, smile, and try to relax. You’ve got this!

Persons vs. People vs. Peoples—What’s the Difference?

Most of the time, people is the correct word to choose as a plural for person. Persons is archaic, and it is safe to avoid using it, except in legal writing, which has its own traditional language. Peoples is only necessary when you refer to distinct ethnic groups (for example, within the same region).

“People” vs. “Persons” as Plurals

Person and people both derive from Latin, but from different words. Person came from persona, which first meant “mask,” like that worn by an actor, but eventually came to mean “an individual human.” People, on the other hand, came from populus, which means “the people” in the sense of a group from the same nation, community, or ethnic group.

There was a time in history when it was put forward that grammatically, persons should be the preferred plural any time more than one person was referred to as a countable noun, and people should be preferred for uncountable nouns. That practice did not become standard, and nowadays, the plural persons is only considered correct in legal contexts and, occasionally, when deliberately referring to humans individually rather than collectively.

Eighty people came to my Star Wars costume party on May the fourth.

Six persons came dressed as either Princess Leia or Darth Vader, but the rest of the people were all wookies. (Acceptable because the persons’ individual choices are relevant to the context.)

Six people came dressed as either Princess Leia or Darth Vader, but the rest of the people were all wookies. (Equally acceptable)

More people should recycle their paper to save trees.

Why don’t more people realize that capybaras are rodents?

Sixteen people protested on the White House lawn this Saturday.

”Persons” or “People” in Formal Legal Writing

In the legal world, including law enforcement, persons is used regularly. It is helpful because nothing is collective where the law is concerned; individuals are prosecuted, not groups. Some legal expressions, such as persons of interest and missing persons, reflect this grammatical preference. Some people use persons in writing that is legal-sounding, but not strictly legal by definition, such as rules and public notices.

Any person or persons vandalizing courthouse property will be fined.

There are two persons of interest being questioned for the murder of John Doe.

The Douglas County Police Department has seventeen open missing persons cases.

No more than six persons can occupy the hot tub at any one time.

One political context in which persons is correct is in the expression displaced persons.

Visas will be expedited for refugees and displaced persons.

Using persons outside of legal contexts can sound unnecessarily affected. Avoid it completely in business contexts.

To the persons who stole my muffins from the break room: I will be avenged. (A bit silly, given the offense.)

Persons who retain our services will be charged a monthly fee.

Those who retain our services will be charged a monthly fee.

“People” vs. “Peoples” for Ethnic Groups and Nationalities

When you refer to the people of a single ethnic group or nationality, always use the word people.

The people of China no longer need to abide by the one-child policy.

Emmanuel Macron was elected by the people of France on May 7, 2017.

“We here highly resolve that government of the people, for the people, and by the people will not perish from the earth.” (Abraham Lincoln)

Peoples is only used in cases when it is necessary to distinguish between ethnic groups within the same geographical or cultural context.

The Israeli and Palestinian peoples have long been at war.

The peoples of the world practice a wide variety of religions.

“Persons,” “People,” or “Peoples”?

The plural of person should be people in the vast majority of contexts, although legalese uses the plural persons. Peoples should be reserved for instances where you are referring to more than one distinct ethnic group.

“Make Yourself At Home” with Good Grammar

Believe it or not, the quality of your writing significantly influences some of the most important milestones in your life.

In school, good grammar helps students to achieve higher grades. On the job, professionals with fewer grammar errors tend to achieve higher positions; their writing is demonstrative of the credibility, professionalism, and accuracy observable in their work. And in your personal life, better spelling and grammar can even earn you a date!

In honor of National Grammar Day, the Grammarly team partnered with Redfin, the technology-powered real estate brokerage, to see if good grammar has an impact on other important life milestones – like buying a home. We surveyed nearly 1,300 people on our combined social media platforms, and here’s what we learned:

When researching a home for purchase, buyers prefer a “medium-sized” listing description. Somewhere around 50 words is the sweet spot. Beyond public opinion, Redfin looked deeper into listings across its platform and found that homes with descriptions of around 50 words are, indeed, more likely to sell within 90 days. What’s more, they also tend to sell for higher than list price.

The majority of survey respondents report that misspellings or improper grammar in a home listing matter “a lot.” As a matter of fact, 43.4 percent of survey respondents would be much less inclined to tour a home that features spelling or grammar errors prominently in the listing.

Redfin pointed out some examples of the spelling errors that have been known to haunt home listings in its blog post today, including:

• Low grime area
• This is a real germ!
• Fresh pain and carpet
• Curve appeal

Correctly spelled words used in the wrong context cause embarrassing mistakes. Luckily, Grammarly spots erroneous use of grime/crime, gem/germ, and many more commonly confused words (eg. lose/loose, affect/effect, lie/lay, there/their/they’re).

National Grammar Day is a great time each year to reflect on the ways that grammar truly touches your life and impacts your confidence, credibility, and success. At school, at home, or on the job, make sure that your grammar is something to write home about.

Happy National Grammar Day, friends!

What is the Subjunctive Mood?

In most cases, the subjunctive form of a verb is usually the third-person form of the verb with the ‑s dropped, but the verb to be is a special case. The subjunctive is used after certain expressions that contain an order or a request, a hypothetical, or a wish.

It Is Recommended That…

Here’s an example of the subjunctive mood in action:

It is recommended that she prepare a short speech before the ceremony.

Does this look weird to you? Usually, you would use the verb form prepares with a third-person singular pronoun like she. But it’s very common to use the subjunctive mood with phrases like “It is recommended that…” or “We recommend that…” The subjunctive form of most verbs is simply the base form of the verb (e.g., prepare, walk, eat).

One reason this gets tricky is that it only becomes obvious you’re using the subjunctive mood when you’re using the third-person singular. The rest of the time, the verb form doesn’t change.

It is recommended that you prepare a short speech before the ceremony.

Other phrases that are commonly followed by a verb in the subjunctive mood include ask that, it is important that, and we insist that.

We asked that he listen carefully to the directions before starting the project.

It is important that she agree to these terms.

Maya insisted that the student seek the aid of a tutor.

Using the Verb to Be in the Subjunctive Mood

The subjunctive mood has one other use: to express wishes and hypothetical situations. Typically, this type of statement includes the word if.

If I were a cat, I would lie in the sun all day.

It’s only obvious that you’re using the subjunctive mood when you’re using the verb to be. The form of any other verb will remain unchanged.

When you’re describing a wish or an impossible situation, use were instead of was.

If I were you, I’d be careful.

If he were rich, he’d buy ten yachts.

Sally wishes she were taller.

Limericks: The Lowest Form of Poetry?

There is a well-known line, often attributed to Samuel Johnson, but preceded and followed by myriad others, that the pun is the lowest form of humor. If so, the limerick, a form of verse that depends on clever assonance and double entendre, is certainly the lowest form of poetry. In this post, we will shine a spotlight on the limerick, and see if the cockroaches scurry.

To the best of anyone’s knowledge, the limerick originated in England sometime before the fifteenth century. Early in the life of this form of poetry, limericks were created primarily for children.

Here’s an oldie, but goodie:

Hickory Dickory Dock A mouse ran up the clock The clock struck one And down he run Hickory Dickory Dock

Limericks began to gain widespread popularity in the mid-to-late eighteen-hundreds with the publication of Edward Lear’s Book of Nonsense in 1845 and 1872. Lear’s verses centered on nonsensical themes, and he violated every law in the “poetic rulebook” by using a word to “rhyme” with itself and occasionally destroying the anapestic foot.

For this reader, seven hundred years of poetic tradition has trained my ears to flinch when I hear someone waste words within a rigid form. With the vantage of history, we moderns can rise up in our highfalutin’ indignation at offenses like this one:

There was an old person whose habits

Induced him to feed upon rabits When he’d eaten eighteen he turned perfectly green Upon which he relinquished those habits

Here, Lear rhymed “habits” with “habits,” and actually dropped the doubled “b” in “rabits.” Ouch.

Dictionary.com gives the origin of the term “limerick” as a reference in a popular drinking song, in which the refrain, “Will you come up to Limerick?” follows an extemporized verse. You can imagine the verses of the poem growing increasingly ribald as the beer flowed freely. In fact, given its tame domestic origins, the limerick has gained a unique reputation for bawdy subject matter and salty language.

The science-fiction icon, Isaac Asimov, along with John Ciardi, penned one of the seminal works in the study of the limerick. He captured the essence of the limerick with nuggets like these:

39. Fit for a Marathon

To the ancient Greek writer Herodotus,

Said a pretty young thing, “My, how hard it is!”

Said he, “Do you fear

I will hurt you, my dear?”

And she said, “Are you crazy? Thank God it is!”

Asimov and Ciardi do not source each of the limericks included their book. It is safe to say that many of these little gems had been passed down orally for generations until someone inscribed them for safekeeping. A more contemporary limerick demonstrates how the form is used in a more modern context:

126. Comic Strip

A well-known reporter, Clark Kent

Had a simpering, mild-mannered bent.

But he grabbed Lois Lane,

And he made it quite plain

What his cognomen Superman meant.

Poetic forms closely connected with the limerick can be found as early as fourteenth century England — quite a bit before the town of Limerick staked its claim. And while our language has evolved over the centuries, the English language, with its plethora of conjunctions and articles, provides humorists with a host of tools to fit the rhythm of the form.

Anyone can write a limerick. All you have to do is read some of the examples here, which will refresh your ear to the meter, and then give yourself a character (first line) and a situation (second line). Find a surprise ending, and away you go!

e.g. There once was a (person) from (place),

Who (action) to (something) his face,

When (something) (occurred),

(Inserting a word),

To (person) comes certain disgrace.

In honor of Limerick Day today, surprise us! Are you game? What is your favorite limerick – we’re waiting to smirk, chuckle, or ROFL at your responses.