What If You Are Asked "Tell Me Something That Is NOT In Your Resume"-Learn How To Answer It

There will be several types of job interviews that you will face in your entire career. An interview keeps on going pretty well until the recruiter asks ‘tell me something that is not in your resume.’ And at that stage, the interview becomes very critical for you because you try to think out of the box to answer the question. All you want to do is streamline your hiring process but instead, an impromptu question is being asked. 

You think of improvising something but how many times does that work out? You think of an extraordinary answer. But, the key is working towards it to make it extraordinary without making it sound like one. This is one of the reasons why a job applicant should be prepared and be a confident job seeker. 

Do not worry because, in this blog, we are going to teach you exactly what should be your answer when a hiring manager asks you ‘tell me something that is not in your resume’, so without further adieu let us go through it. 

In this blog we are going to go through the following tricks:

1. Why do recruiters ask ‘tell me something that is not in your resume’?
2. What to answer when the recruiter asks ‘tell me something that is not there in your resume/CV.’
3. What not to say in an interview? / Mistakes not to make in an interview.

Reasons for a Recruiter to Ask ‘Tell Me Something That is Not in Your Resume’

According to the hiring manager, the question ‘tell me something that is not there in your resume’ is a series of combined questions of ‘describe yourself’, ‘introduce yourself, and ‘explain your weakness and strengths.’ The recruiter sees the potential and your skills for the job. They check if you are right for the position or not. Loads of recruiters look at the resume as a formality because what they look for is an in-person interview so that they can clarify your improvised behavior.

They ensure that you turn out the way they expect you to. The basic thoughts like if you will be a load and liability to them or not, will you give inappropriate excuses, or will you be unable to finish tasks compensate with your best level of answer. Now that you know why hiring managers ask job applicants ‘tell me something that is not in your resume’, let us go through the procedure and tricks for you to construct a better answer.

Constructing the Best Answer to the Question

There are so many things going in your mind to include in the answer but let’s go through steps to make it easy. It is neither easy nor difficult to make an answer to tell me something that is not in your resume. 

Firstly, you have to mention external strengths. Your resume already has all the skills you possess. But, make this strength intangible. Tell the recruiter about a heroic incident that took place in your previous workplace. It will boost your morale and the recruiter’s impression of you. 

Secondly, you can mention something personal. This section should include your passions and your constant engagement in your career. The struggle you have been through to reach this stage. But, while talking about struggles, you must not sound cocky and corny. You can keep it to a basic level. If you had chosen a different career option during college but changed it back to another position, tell him/her about the interesting reason behind it. 

Last but not least, you must mention why you have chosen their company to apply to. For this part, you need to do full-fledged research about their company. Recruiters look for potential, courage, and motivation. Give them a reason by constructing a few simple yet intellectual sentences about it. You need to have a strong format to tell something that is not there on your resume.

Things that You are Not Supposed to Do in an Interview

Here are some points which will help you to pass your interview

You Cannot use Curse Words in an Interview

You are supposed to be on your best behavior and it includes professionalism as well as positivism. Do not crack any kinds of jokes. The jokes just make it worse. It does not matter how casual your hiring manager and the workspace are, you must stick to your professional comfort zone by maintaining the etiquette.  

You Must be Confident But Not Overconfident

Be comfortable with your space and sound calm. You cannot tell the recruiter that you are nervous. Show your calmness and not your nervousness. This will not only discourage you from within but will also create an uptight impression of you in front of them.

Don’t Talk Money Directly With the Recruiter

This will make you sound greedy. Once you mention money, there is no going back to the road of professionalism. This step will make you look like you are applying for the job just for the money. Usually, there are 2-3 levels of interviews and once you are done with the major one, you can talk about numbers.

Do Not Interrupt the Hiring Manager

It is a bad manner to interrupt anyone. When you sense that you need to say something while the recruiter is speaking, calm down and wait for them to finish their statement and then talk. Apart from these points, there are several other mistakes at an interview, a job applicant must avoid.

Partly Example of an Answer

“I focused on my time-management skills while growing up because I had to help my younger sisters in their studies and focused on mine as well. In my previous job, I had a list of priorities to reach my commercial targets which I did, and got several appreciation for being a quick learner. In the first place, I chose law but I always had an attachment to electronics so I changed back to Electronics and Telecommunications and as a result, it brought success in my career.

I have done a few types of research and courses on graphic designing and computer languages for external knowledge and curiosity to learn which would conclude that I am highly proficient in computer skills.”