"Tell me about yourself?" The question - one of the most common interview questions - can strike fear into the bravest of people. Why? Simple - many people aren't prepared for the interview and just don't know what to say. They hear the question and their mind goes blank. They start to sweat and look around nervously. After what seems like a lifetime, they manage to blurt out something like "Uh, well, I'm from ................" and it goes downhill from there.
It turns out that wasn't the intention of the question at all. It was just a simple question the interviewer asked to get you to relax. It was also a great opportunity to begin to present your VALUE STATEMENT, and possibly lead the interviewer to begin to say "Tell me more about that".
Here's where your 90 second intro can be a powerful tool. A well designed introduction that showcases your past experience, traits, skills, accomplishments and ends with "Why you should hire me" can set the stage for you to say "This is how I can benefit your company" and ADD VALUE.