Did I misunderstand interview question?

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Jole89

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I just completed an interview and I’m freaking out because I just realized that I might have messed it up. So the interviewers introduced themselves, name and field/ courses they teach and then one of them said “okay so now that you know what our role is, please introduce yourself.” I was so caught off guard because I was expecting the “Tell me about yourself” question which is a bit more open ended. Anyway, all I said was “yes well I completed my undergrad at *** where I studied *** and minored in ***. Then, he asked about my minor and I spoke a bit about that but then we moved onto other questions and so I was never able to discuss things like my childhood and hobbies.

IDK I feel like the response to the tell me about yourself question is super important and I’m questioning whether I misunderstood, but to me introduce yourself is asking for something more brief and not as detailed.

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Yes, you misunderstood the question. Now since this is in the past, and you can't do anything about it it's not worth freaking out about it, is it?

Next time, listen better. Take a moment to respond if you need it. That's okay.
 
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I just completed an interview and I’m freaking out because I just realized that I might have messed it up. So the interviewers introduced themselves, name and field/ courses they teach and then one of them said “okay so now that you know what our role is, please introduce yourself.” I was so caught off guard because I was expecting the “Tell me about yourself” question which is a bit more open ended. Anyway, all I said was “yes well I completed my undergrad at *** where I studied *** and minored in ***. Then, he asked about my minor and I spoke a bit about that but then we moved onto other questions and so I was never able to discuss things like my childhood and hobbies.

IDK I feel like the response to the tell me about yourself question is super important and I’m questioning whether I misunderstood, but to me introduce yourself is asking for something more brief and not as detailed.
The question was not tell me about yourself. It was introduce yourself you should have given your name and where you're from.

I found that sone people misunderstand this type of question, when I ask it, and I rank them very poorly on my reviews. You're expected to understand simple questions.
 
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@Goro tagging onto this, one of my interviewers asked: "in 30 seconds tell me who drthedude is", I briefly listed my name, city/undergrad, major and one hobby. was this alright or did I also misunderstand the question?
 
Yes, you misunderstood the question. Now since this is in the past, and you can't do anything about it it's not worth freaking out about it, is it?

Next time, listen better. Take a moment to respond if you need it. That's okay.


Well I should have mentioned: when I joined the zoom meeting I had to show my ID and they saw my out of state CA identification and asked where exactly in the state I was joining them from. I said which city I was in and we briefly discussed the weather before the actual intros began. So when I introduced myself I didn't feel the need to reiterate where I was from.
 
Well I should have mentioned: when I joined the zoom meeting I had to show my ID and they saw my out of state CA identification and asked where exactly in the state I was joining them from. I said which city I was in and we briefly discussed the weather before the actual intros began. So when I introduced myself I didn't feel the need to reiterate where I was from.
Context is everything and I wish that you had included that info in your OP.

It might not be as bad as you made it sound.

Anyone, it's done and over with, and so on to the the next interview!!!
 
OP, you are done; it's all over now. A life of hard labor awaits you. You are going to be breaking rocks with a pick hammer for the rest of your days.
 
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The question was not tell me about yourself. It was introduce yourself you should have given your name and where you're from.

I found that sone people misunderstand this type of question, when I ask it, and I rank them very poorly on my reviews. You're expected to understand simple questions.

So when asked this, you should just say name and where youre from and nothing else?
 
If I'm interviewing you and ask you to introduce yourself, and you respond with a 10-minute backstory, you immediately move to the bottom of my list. Learn to answer the question being asked without being verbose.
 
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For me, context is important. Listen to the request. Good moderators will cut you off. You don't get 10 minutes to introduce yourself; this is not a confessional or a stand-up routine.
 
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well thanks for all the replies.

Anyway, just heard back from this program and I was waitlisted.
 
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minor misunderstanding like this happens irl all the time. if the interviewers can't just clarify it like a normal person it's 100% their fault. you deserve to say your piece.
 
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