From the book How to Prepare for an Employment Interview.
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The interview isn't about YOU-it's about the employer. It might seem like your objective at the interview is to talk a lot about yourself and hope that the interviewer likes what he or she hears. This is probably how most people go into an interview -- including the others that will be interviewed by the organization you're meeting with.
I hope you won't be too wounded by this, but the truth is that the interviewer doesn't particularly care about you. Many of them will have to force themselves to send even a poorly-written form letter to the people they interview who aren't given a job offer. Some won't even do that. They aren't really interested in you or in hearing about you.
You may find this hard to believe. It's certainly contrary to the evidence. After all, they're about to sit down and spend a half-hour or more asking questions about you and encouraging you talk about yourself. But, at root, they don't really have any desire to know about you.
Every minute you spend talking only about yourself is a minute you've bored your interviewer with self-centred facts they neither need nor want.
So what do they care about? Themselves. And their problems. And how you might be able to help them solve their problems and achieve their goals.
That's it.
Please understand this point. While you will be spending most of your time during the interview talking about yourself, what the interviewer really wants to hear-and, therefore, what you need to communicate - is what you can do for them or their organization.
How can you help them solve their problems and achieve their goals?
What do you bring that's of value?
Why is this better than what the next person has to offer?...[continued here
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