2 Tough Questions {in an interview}

One week from today I'll be in Hartford networking and {hopefully} be discussing job openings. 

At least that is what I thought was going to happen on the trip.

Then my phone rang yesterday.

***

About 2 months ago I found a position that I felt I would do great in and most of all, really enjoy doing.

I applied.

I did a bit of internet stalking investigating and found the office manager's name, etc.

I called the next day.  Got the voicemail. Left a message.

Nothing.

I guess I either gave up or after applying for so many jobs it was lost in my memory.

Anyhow.

Yesterday morning as I was setting up for Field Day I see I had a missed call from an (860) number. 

It was such a hectic day I had to wait all day to call. 

I called the number and the woman answered with the name of the business and I about fell down.

I couldn't believe they were calling me!

I left a voice mail with the hiring staff member and hoped they wouldn't take too long to call back.

A few hours later the phone rang and it was him.

We spoke for quite awhile and from what I could tell the conversation went well.

I'm assuming it did.

Because he wants to have a face to face interview while I'm in Hartford. 

Let's just say when I pulled into the park to drop the kids off for ball practice and I saw a friend, I didn't wait for her to get close to me to tell her.  I yelled it out the window. 

I'm that excited.

***
Here is where you come in.

I need help with the dreaded questions they will be sure to give you first thing in the interview:

"Tell me a little about yourself"
"What are some of your weaknesses"

The first one sounds really easy.  But it is the hardest.  How do you tell someone about yourself that has the power to hire you or reject you?

Especially when you are supposed to come across as having an armload of self-confidence and you don't even have a handful of self-esteem?

I know we all criticize ourselves in the harshest way.  At least I do.

So I need help in how to describe myself.  I know I'm high-strung, intense, has a great sarcastic dry sense of humor, dedicated, loyal, hard working, and possibly~slightly~a little bit CDO ( OCD only alphabetized/oddly organized) {or is that just the Swiss/German mix that I am???}. 

Oh. Yeah. And I can bake cookies.

But none of that description doesn't sound professional.  Or even halfway attractive.

***

I did a bit of Google-ing  "how to answer that question" and the most profound answer I read was "It's not so much what you say its how memorable you make it." 

I'm going to assume that means interesting  memorable and not horrifically embarrassing memorable.

One suggestion was "When I Googled myself this morning I found..."

Another was "My friends say I'm..."

I like that one. 

It doesn't sound prideful and arrogant when you are describing yourself.  It shows you have friends (capable of having relationships) and it represents how you come across to others.

If you could leave a message of how you would describe me to a hiring manager if you were in the interview with me. (If you don't want your comment published, just say so and I won't publish it).

And feel free to leave a list of my weaknesses.

I have a long list already, but there might be something I'm not aware of :-) 

Or maybe be extra kind and tell me a weakness that I can twist into a strength.