How to Introduce Yourself in Job Interview as Fresh Graduate [With Example]

Author

Rani

1. You need to understand the employer's intention

When the employers ask you to introduce yourself, they don't mean you to tell them all the details about your life from age five. They want you to explain yourself and your professional experience that is related to the job you are applying for. Summarizing your resume is also not what they expect you to introduce yourself.

Then what do they actually want to hear? Basically they want to hear you highlighting your professional experiences and achievements that make you an ideal fit for the job.

2. The approaches to answer the question

You can be creative with your answer and enhance your charisma in front of the employer by giving a personal answer. Personal answer is the answer that is not commonly used by other candidates. As this probably isn't your first job interview, you learn how to captivate the employer with your answer from the first question.

If this is your first job interview, it's okay to go with what you already know. Keep your answer genuine and honest as long as you give the expected answer. Since the employers have interviewed many candidates, they can read the candidates personality. They also can sense when you're too nervous.

For example, if you are applying for a job in the engineering field, you better give a background about how you first found your passion for engineering, and any work experience that is related to this field. By doing so, the employers can learn that you meet the expectation, straight-forward with your answer, and get to the point right away.

3. Explain your interests or hobbies

Previously, you were asked to give answers related to your professional works, experience, and achievements. However, you may talk about your interests and hobbies outside of work. Something that you usually enjoy doing outside of work. But still make it relevant to the job you are applying for.

Continuing from the previous example, you can mention your interests or hobbies and elaborate how it's relevant to the job. For example, you have interests in volunteering and environmental activism. You can elaborate by saying that you're motivated to implement sustainable programs at your job to sustain the environment.

4. Maintain eye contact

When you are doing a job interview, make sure to maintain eye contact with the employers. It's important to show the employers that you are serious and focused. They tend to think that you are prepared, communicative, assertive, and it's appealing to them.

5. Show confidence and enthusiasm

Generally, a smile can break the initially stiff atmosphere to be more relaxed. When the atmosphere becomes more relaxed, everyone will be more comfortable at their place. This is also relevant for job interviews.

In fact, job interviews can be nerve-wrecking to candidates. On the other hand, the employers have been used to facing such situations and it resulted in them being more relaxed dealing with this situation compared to the candidates. Even though they know if you're nervous, it doesn't mean you can show them even if your intention is to be purely honest to them.

Reducing nervousness may be hard for everyone but it's manageable. You can handle it by managing and changing your negative emotion to positive emotion by smiling. When you smile, your mind transforms those inner negative emotions to positive emotions slowly. The result will be shown through your energy that will be caught by the employers.

Give the employers your friendly smile as soon as you meet them. Then combine it with maintaining eye contact, a friendly eye contact as well. Shake their hands firmly, a friendly one. Do them altogether well. By doing so, it indicates how confident you are for this interview.

6. Control your body language

Non-verbal communication is as important as verbal communication. Body language is a non-verbal communication that you must pay attention to when you are at a job interview. Anyone can read body language, and employers are no exception. With the length of their experience in interviewing candidates, they can read when the candidates are nervous, not confident, looking unsure, and so on.

There are several things you can do to indicate you are confident, prepared, and confident and give the most positive outlook to the employers through body language.

Pull your shoulders and make your posture good
Raise and straighten your chin so you face the employers eye-to-eye
Maintain friendly eye contact, not too shy, not intimidating
Smile and make yourself friendly to the employers

7. Practice

For some people, introducing themselves for a job interview can be hard. People rarely do that in real life except for professional matters and they surely want to get it right at once. It's normal, it's right, and it is something that you can learn by practicing.

Even if it's hard, you still have to do it. Take it as this is one of those hard steps that you have to go through first in order you can continue to the next step. One of the ways to tackle this challenge is by practicing before your interview day comes.

You can practice alone or ask your friends to help you. By asking your friends, they can role play as the employers and you can practice your speech or introduction in front of them. Then ask them for insights, suggestions, what you need to improve and what's already enough.

However, if you want to practice alone, you can do it by recording your introduction with a camera, phone camera, or any gadget that can record your performance. After each take, check and evaluate yourself. Whether you think your introduction is already good enough or need improvement, evaluate yourself and do better in the next take.

Lastly, check the duration. Make sure you don't waste the time to introduce yourself by humming too much or too long. Also make sure you don't over explain, not enough explanation, just make the right amount of duration and introduction. And this is what exactly makes practice important. By practicing, you actively learn to improve yourself. When your performance is improving, you will also gain confidence. It's like doing one thing diligently and you benefit several things at once.

Due to current trends where job interviews are done online since the pandemic started, practice by recording yourself will also be beneficial. If you are perfectionist, you will also care about the angle and lighting. To practice by recording, you can adjust to your best angle and lighting to show up at a job interview at your best.

Both of these methods, asking your friend's help and recording yourself will help you to improve your performance in introducing yourself at a job interview. Whichever method you choose, make sure to practice well and be serious about it.

Now, to help you understand more about how to introduce yourself at a job interview, here are five examples of scenarios that you can use as a reference. So you can customize it to your needs that suit the job field that you are applying for.

Scenario 1 - Example of How to Introduce Yourself in Job Interview

Good morning Mr. Jack Nicholson (the employer's name). I am Winona Reader (your full name) and you may call me Nona (your nickname). I am a fresh graduate of S University (name of your university) with cum laude title and majoring in Computer Science for a bachelor degree. During the study, I have worked on projects based on hardware and big data analysis. That experience leads me to hopefully work and build a career in fields related to both technology and information in general.

When I was working for that project, my role was a team leader and team player. I have to ensure the proper completion of work by team members. I took that project seriously and at that time, our team went back home with a full smile because we succeeded.

Finally, I think I am the ideal candidate for this job as my resume meets the qualifications you have stated in the job advertisement. And hopefully my experience in this field interests you and makes you sure that I am the right candidate for this job.

Scenario 2 - Example of How to Introduce Yourself in Job Interview

My name is Tony Junior (your name) and you can call me Tony (your nickname). I have just graduated from S University (name of your university) as a bachelor degree in English Literature. I am blessed that I can study for a major that I have always loved and interested in since I was younger.

I have challenged myself to build both my skills and interests in literature during my study period. For me, it's a golden chance to broaden my knowledge and develop my skills in this field. So I always have an enormous energy of learning in order to build my skills.

I have joined a student journalism organization in university. Through my experience, I have grown my passion working in the journalism field. So, I did an internship in a media company for a month when I was still a student. After that opportunity, I think to myself that I want to work as a journalist when I have graduated.

And then I found R Media's (name of the company) job advertisement and I applied for this job right away hoping I will be hired as a journalist.

Scenario 3 - Example of How to Introduce Yourself in Job Interview

I am Susi Sukmawati (your name) from Indonesia. I have been living in this city since four years ago when I was accepted into the National University of Singapore (name of your university). I studied Chemical Engineering for a bachelor's degree and graduated a month ago with cum laude.

I was an intern in KBC for two months as a chemical engineer. During my internship, I have several responsibilities. First, calculate the mass and energy balances for the customer facility. Second, build a simulation model based on project requirements. Third, support compilation of EEOA reports to NEA. Fourth, conduct market research regarding national energy policy or grants in the APAC region. I was also responsible for research and development to support improvement to existing processes.

With specific responsibilities as an intern, I have enough experience to work professionally as a chemical engineer. Hopefully, my experience can convince you that I am the right candidate for this job.

Scenario 4 - Example of How to Introduce Yourself in Job Interview

Good Morning. My name is Julia Stilles (your full name) and you can call me Julia (your nickname). I graduated from S University (name of your university) majoring in Accounting a month ago. I am interested in the Store Manager role that was posted on your website. I have experience in working part-time as a convenience store manager for a year during my college years. My role is running stores between three and six thousand SKUs, mostly in central business district locations. I have worked on a number of new store opening projects for two retailers and I feel that the role with this new market entrant would be an ideal fit.

Scenario 5 - Example of How to Introduce Yourself in Job Interview

Thank you for the opportunity to be invited for this job interview. My name is Lucas (your name). I am a fresh graduate from S university (name of your university). I am a classic car-obsessed mechanic with a knack of prolonging the lives of the most battered of rare models. I have a particular interest in sports cars. I have fixed five cares throughout my college year.

Introducing yourself in a job interview is one of the vital questions that every job recruiter asks the candidates. Now that you know this question will be asked, you also need to know about how to give the right answer so you have a higher chance to get hired and actually get hired. Hopefully this article can help you well.

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How to Introduce Yourself in Job Interview as Fresh Graduate [With Example]