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Sometimes in interviews for IT jobs, you’ll be asked to describe yourself.  Even if you don’t prepare for this question with your IT recruiters and IT staffing companies, you can have a basic idea of how to respond.  Here are some guidelines for how to formulate this answer so that you do you technical recruiters and IT recruiting firms proud.

1. Don’t use words to describe yourself that are very obviously matters of opinion.  For instance, don’t call yourself bright, smart, well-liked, likable, successful, etc.  This only tells your interviewer that you think you’re smart.  Since most IT professionals probably believe this about themselves, that doesn’t really set you apart.  Use this question to give concrete achievements, anecdotes, or to demonstrate that you’ve got a great process for problem-solving, troubleshooting, etc.  This is the kind of thing that impresses hiring managers and IT staffing agencies.

2. Don’t call yourself obsessive, a perfectionist, or some other false “flaw”. Now is the time to be honest and straightforward.  Coyly praising yourself will just waste time and frustrate the interviewer. It’s also a much overused strategy, which will just feel meaningless to a hiring manager. Use your interview time wisely and IT recruiting companies will be happy to set you up for interviews.

3. Do try to incorporate a quality or two that you know the interviewing company values.  If you know a company values efficiency and you can legitimately say that you’re great at getting things done quickly, it will help to note that.  Try to have a quick story or two to back up these statements, too!