Answering confidently “Tell me about yourself”
“Tell me about yourself” might raise a shiver of anxiety in some or might seem an easy win for a few. Not knowing what to come up with first about yourself is a sign of lack of confidence in your skills and abilities which will bring down your impression on the interviewer. While for some it might be easy, as of course it’s a question about you and you know all about yourself! But sometimes in that know it all confidence we take missteps and bring down your image on the person sitting in front.
Whether you are having a preliminary phone screen, speaking to your prospective boss, or sitting down with the CEO during the final round. Responding confidently to such a broad invitation to talk about yourself can feel a bit stressful and complicated. Instead another question pops in your head i.e. ‘What do they want to know?’ Should I give the biopic synopsis of my workplace drama complete with the ideal casting?
A few job seeker may take the question as an icebreaker meant to put them at ease. But they should be careful while considering their response, because the question about you is more than a throwaway opener for most of the interviewers. When hiring manager poses this open-ended question, they hope for a better insight about their goals and priorities, which will give them a better sense of who the candidate really is.
As a job seeker knowing how to answer the question ” Tell my about yourself?”, gives you a great opportunity to highlight your job skills and your hobbies that makes you an ideal candidate for the job. This question can be the right way to start off on the right foot. Here are a few tips on answering the question about yourself:
What you should avoid saying
Many job seekers make the mistake of answering this question with talk of something personal. Some even dive into their personal life story, starting with their hometown and continuing on through their academic journey. On the other hand, some candidates share descriptions of the problems in their current job, explaining that they applied for this position because their boss is a micromanager or their employer won’t allow them to work in a flexible schedule. And some job seekers simply summarize their resume, going point-by-point through their work experience and academic history.
All of the above responses can quickly send your new-job dreams down the tubes. If you answer with either of the first two, hiring managers may find you not serious about the job and simply trying to escape a bad situation at your current job. And if you respond with the third approach, you are wasting an opportunity. Your interviewer has already read your resume before inviting you for the interview, and they don’t need you to walk them through it.
Why interviewers ask this question
It’s no coincidence that interviewers typically ask this question first. “It lets them ease into the actual interviewing,” says leadership development coach Alina Campos, founder of Rising. “Often when the conversation starts it’s a lot small talk and it’s a way to transition into it,” especially for less seasoned recruiters or hiring managers. “The interviewee’s nervous but the interviewer’s trying to get their bearings.” This question is also a great starting point that can help inform the direction of the interview. Depending on what you say it’s going to help them figure out the next question, which might help start a chain effect of follow-up questions, lend an easy flow to the conversation, and help recruiters and hiring managers accomplish one of their major goals in the hiring process: getting to know you.
Craft an Elevator pitch
The best way of knowing how respond to, ” Tell me about yourself,” is to make sure you succinctly and clearly explain how you’re suited for this particular job and why you want to do this job. So, before starting to craft your selling points, spend some time reviewing the job description in the recruitment ad for the position and researching the company. That way you’ll have a good understanding of what the hiring manager is looking for as skills and experience.
Next, prepare a short description that highlights your post relevant abilities, strengths and areas of expertise. Follow that with the reasons you are applying for the job, focusing on career-related motivations such as the desire to build your experience and take on added responsibilities. Conclude with a brief statement explaining why working for this specific company appeals to you.
A few common variations of “Tell me about yourself”
There are plenty of times when you’ll hear these exact words: “Tell me about yourself.” But interviewers might have their own versions of the prompt that are asking pretty much the same thing, including:
- “I have your resume in front of me but tell me more about yourself.”
- “Walk me through your resume.”
- “I’d love to hear more about your journey.”
- “Tell me a little bit more about your background.”
How to answer “Tell me about yourself”
To help you narrow down your life (and career) story for the occasion, here are a few points on how to structure your respond:
Follow a Structured Five-Step Approach:
- Don’t assume you can improvise the answer. Instead, structure your reply in five steps:
- Keep it professional. I know the question itself might mislead you to go more personally in your reply, but keep it related to your career.
- Start with the present. Summarize your current job title and one recent achievement relevant to the job you are applying for. It’s even better if you can mention numbers and percentages.
- Move to the past. Highlight your previous work experience related to the job, powerful examples, and situations aligned with the job description requirements.
- End by talking about the future. Make it clear why you are choosing to apply for this company now and how your career path aligns with that. The clearer this alignment, the better.
- Keep it short. Aim to answer this question in two minutes maximum. It will probably be the first interview question, so there’s no need to share everything about your career with only one answer.