1. Connect personal strengths with supporting examples.
2. Focus on details and outcomes you can quantify.
3. Avoid summarizing your resume word for word.
4. Mention past experiences and proven successes.
5. Align your current job responsibilities to the role.
6. Avoid mentioning personal information related to your marital status, children, political or religious views.
7. Highlight your personality.
8. Avoid rushing into deeper conversations about the role and company.
9. Connect your skills to the job description.
10. Briefly mention about hobbies, intellectual development and community involvement.
# Open-ended questions like “Tell Me About Yourself” are frequently asked at the beginning of in-person or video interviews to get the conversation started.
Other examples include
“Walk me through your resume,”
“Tell Me Something About Yourself that is not on your resume”
“How would you describe yourself ?”
It is natural to be thrown by these kinds of questions. They are ambiguous and it can be hard to identify what the interviewer really wants to know. But there is an opportunity for you in that ambiguity. Your interviewer is allowing you to choose how to respond.
Additionally, you may get a detailed sample answer.
How to Answer the Tell Me About Yourself Interview Question
How you respond to the “Tell Me About Yourself” question can set the tone for the rest of the interview. Overall, when you practice your answer, you want to tell a great story about yourself that you can share in no more than two minutes.
In your response, do the following
Mention past experiences and proven successes as they relate to the position. Begin by re-reading the job description. Take note of the required skills that you have and identify recent stories that demonstrate them (review the STAR method to practice telling great stories in your interviews). Ideally, you are required to draw primarily from recent professional experience. Thus, volunteer work can also support your narrative while demonstrating a commitment to your community.
Consider how your current job relates to the job you are applying for. Is it a more senior role? If so, explain how you are taking on more responsibilities in your current position. If you are making a lateral transition to a role with different skills, describe how your current skills translate into the new position.
Focus on strengths and abilities that you can support with examples. When you start building the script of each example, focus on details and outcomes that you can quantify, if possible. For example, stating that you “improved customer service” is less impactful than “increased customer service response rates each quarter by 10 percent–15 percent.” If you do not have the exact information, estimate a realistic value.
Highlight your personality to break the ice. Because the “Tell Me About Yourself” interview question is about getting to know you, it is a good idea to share information about your personality with your interviewer—but not personal details. You may want to briefly mention hobbies that demonstrate intellectual development and/or community engagement (e.g. reading, music, sports league, volunteering) or those that showcase personal discipline and achievement (e.g. learning a new skill, training for a half marathon). Discussing personal interests is a good way to wrap up your response while maintaining a professional tone.
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