Tell Me About Yourself

The ‘Tell Me About Yourself’ Question:

Use this question as an opportunity to position yourself for success. Why is this question asked?

• to see how candidates handle themselves in an unstructured situation.
• to see how articulate they are
• how confident they are
• generally what type of impression they would make on the people with whom they came into contact on the job
• to get a sense of what they think is important

Most job seekers find this question difficult to answer, however, this question really offers an opportunity to describe yourself positively and focus the interview on your strengths. Be prepared to deal with it. Do not reply with “What do you want to know?” The interviewer does not wants to know about them as a person. This tells them you have not prepared properly for the interview and are likely to be equally unprepared on the job.

You need to develop a good answer to this question, practice it and be able to deliver it with confidence. The right response focuses on what most interests the interviewer and highlights your most important accomplishments.

Focus on what interests the interviewer.

The interviewer wants to know that you can do the job, that you fit into the team, what you have accomplished in your prior positions and how can you help the organization. Start with your most recent employment and explain why you are well qualified for the position. The ‘Tell me about yourself’ answer needs to directly fit the concerns of your prospective employer.

Hiring managers don’t want to look unprepared by reading your resume in front of you. Provide them some topics to ask you more questions about. Tell a memorable story about your attributes. For example, if you tell an interviewer that people describe you as tenacious, provide a brief story that shows how you have been tenacious in achieving your goals. Stories are powerful and are what people remember most. The main thing in anything you do is to be memorable, in a good way. Your goal when you answer the ‘tell me about yourself’ question is to find a way stand out from everyone else.

Be brief.

Remember the importance of keeping your answer short: The employer wants to know a little bit about you to begin with — not your life story. Just offer up two or three things that are interesting — and useful. You should take about a minute to answer this question. To make sure it is succinct and covers what you want it to cover, write your answer out before the interview, practice it, time it and rehearse it until it sounds natural. Then practice it some more.

The goal is to tell the employer enough to pique their interest, and allow for the give and take in good conversations — a sure sign that you are a pleasure to be around. So, rather than dread this question, a well prepared candidate should welcome this inquiry. Properly answered, this question puts you in the driver’s seat. It gives candidates an opportunity to sell themselves. It allows them to set the tone and direction for the rest of the interview, setting them up to answer the questions they most want to answer