You're in your judges' interview and they ask you one of the most common questions.

"Tell us about yourself."

And you answer the question by telling them your whole life story.

Your answer is filled with small and insignificant details.

You can see the judges losing interesting in your long and drawn out story but you can't stop yourself.

Your heart sinks because you know that the interview isn't going well.

This is an awful feeling to have during your interview.

But what if I told you there was a way you could nail your interview by controlling the narrative?

It all starts with building your personal brand.

Define Your Personal Brand

Your time with the judges is precious so don't waste it.

Having a personal brand will help guide you in your interview.

A personal brand is an intentional effort to influence the way an individual is perceived by an audience.

So why create a personal brand?

Simply put it helps set you apart from the other contestants in the pageant.

The best way to do that is to use your personal brand to paint the judges a picture of who you are, what you stand for and why you are the best choice for this title.

Below are some of the components that make up a personal brand.

Take your time to do some soul searching as you answer the questions.

Goals

What's the one thing you can envision yourself doing for the rest of your life?

That is what are your career ambitions?

Why does this particular career excite you?

How do you plan to get there?

Or maybe you're already living this dream

In that case, tell the judges all about the journey.

Interests/Hobbies

Your interests and hobbies can tell the judges a lot about you.

It's important to note that there is a difference between interests and hobbies.

Hobbies are activities you regularly participate in while an interest stems from a desire to learn more about a topic.

The interests and hobbies you chose to share should be unique and something you love to do that you are working to excel at.

When talking about interests and hobbies be open about how you got into the specific activity or topic.

Platform

If you really want to stand out don't fall into the trap of only talking about the pageant's platform.

Have your own platform.

Whatever platform you choose it should be something that you are passionate about.

Don't just pick something because it's trendy.

Pick a platform that you can relate to, something that you feel connected to.

Be sure that you can share real volunteer experiences with the judges.

Include specifics like how did to help?

And what did it mean for you to volunteer with this cause?

Why is this cause important to promote?

Your Why?

What do you hope to accomplish if you are crowned?

And How can winning the pageant title help you get closer to your goals?

Answering these questions will help you figure out what you will bring to the title and what you will take from the title.

Often times contestants have no problem talking about the things they will do as a titleholder.

And they often leave out how the title will help them accomplish their dreams.

Final Thoughts

Goals, Interests/Hobbies, Platform, and Your Why.

These are the cornerstones of a personal brand.

And you know what the really interesting thing is?

If you look at most pageant applications they ask some if not all of these questions.

So what pageant organizers really want to know is "what is your personal brand?"

When you sit down to complete your pageant application don't just put down anything.

Really think about it.

If you take the time to go over each one of these cornerstones you will be amazed at how easy answering questions about yourself will become.

And that judges' interview won't seem so scary after all.