Tell me about yourself. How many times have you been asked this question during a job interview? And how many times have you patched together half-sentences on your past career experiences, your dream job, and your love for cats?
Knowing your professional strengths and weaknesses, the untapped talents, and overlooked blind spots—is possibly the hardest thing a candidate has to figure out, especially right after university.
Sure, they can Google it. Of the over 2 million results, and the innumerable motivational videos available online, job seekers might find an answer that is close to what they are. But how close to the truth would this answer be?
(Image above. © PM Germany & Austria)
The Philip Morris Germany and Austria Talent and Acquisition team reverse-engineered the Tell-me-about-yourself question. Instead of being part of the “problem,” they want to help candidates in discovering what makes who they are.
Introducing The Switch: Our new self-assessment tool
The self-assessment tool called The Switch enables candidates, through a series of 20 questions, to better understand what their strengths are, and how they need to turbocharge their career.
“We’ve all been there, when a prospective employer asks you: “Tell me about yourself.” You fumble, trying to portray yourself in an employable manner, but not really knowing your true potential,” says Florian Wurzer, the head of Talent and Acquisition for PM Germany and Austria.
More on how to turbo-charge your career
(above: Florian Wurzer, Head of T&A for PM Germany and Austria)
Florian continues: “That’s when ‘The Switch’ comes in handy. This is not only a self-assessment tool that highlights the strengths of a potential employee, but also a device for Talent Acquisition managers to immediately find candidates with a desired sets of skills, even if they’re straight out of university.”
As Philip Morris International is transforming and moving away from traditional cigarettes and towards a smoke-free future, its hiring tools are changing, too.
“This is a real innovation for the recruiting market. This is our way of creating an innovative opportunity for candidates and first-time job seekers to learn more about themselves,” Florian explains.
Image above © Getty Images
Understand strengths and identify skills for job interviews
The 20 questions a prospective candidate answers while using the tool evolve around everyday problem-solving, real-life situations, or even a simple question, such as, “who do you prefer to have breakfast with?”
“This is a game-changing tool. It also allows us—especially in the post-Covid-19 world—to organize eco-friendly virtual assessment events.” Florian explains. “We can do the whole rating exercise of candidates inside this platform for a fast, qualitative, modern, and error-reducing assessment and candidate calibration at the end.”
The Switch has been trialed for the German and Austrian markets, and it will soon become available to other PMI affiliates around the world. You can get your self-assessment by visiting The Switch website here.
Philip Morris International is changing. To help us shape our future, we need the best talent to join us. See what job opportunities are available in your region.
