My advice to you is two-fold: Practice, practice, practice, and put your business “hat” back on.
What do I mean?
If you’ve been a SAHM and immersed in mommy life, anything remotely close to “Tell me about yourself” most likely leads to a conversation about your children. Refocus and remember that this is an employment interview. Do not mention or refer to your children, parenting, or family responsibilities. You may read that last statement and think to yourself, “Of course, I won’t. Why would I do that?” This is where the practicing comes in.
For many parents, it becomes second nature to talk about your children or mention your family in conversation. You go out to dinner with other moms and talk about school. You meet a new parent at the park or at karate class and compare notes on extra-curricular activities and camps. You go on a date night with your spouse and end up talking about the kids (hopefully not all night), but when it comes time for a job interview, parenting, family, and children are off-limits. Be on your guard and resist the temptation.
I’ve had clients who are the epitome of professionalism, success, and multi-tasking, but when faced with an early morning interview after a long night awake with a crying baby or a teething toddler, even the best of us can slip and mention what’s (understandably) on the forefront of his/her mind.
The key to success is to prepare and rehearse answers ahead of time and be on your guard for slip-ups. The response to “Tell me about yourself” needs to be a 30-60 second summary of your recent professional life and what you bring to the table in this role. For instance:
“I’ve been in the digital marketing space for the past five years, most recently with a boutique agency where I was requested for two of their largest accounts. My strengths are e-commerce platform design, social media, and search engine marketing.”
Dipping into “I’m a mother of two” or “I had a baby six months ago” is not what the interviewer is looking to learn and can only raise red flags in terms of your concentration, commitment, and readiness to return to the paid employment marketplace. Unfounded concerns with no merit—agreed—but the thought is still out there. You may also risk further stumbles as you maneuver to get the conversation back on track. Discussing your personal life has no place in a job interview.
The key to interviewing success? Preparation, planning, and “righting” your mindset. You can do it!
If you are a stay at home parent preparing to return to the paid workforce, and this post resonates with you, email, call, or tweet me. We can custom design an interview coaching session or package of sessions to prepare you and put you in the proper frame of mind to ace your next interview!