25/02/2019 How To Answer: "Tell Me About Yourself" (with Sample Answers!

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HOW TO ANSWER: Tell Me About Yourself

JOB INTERVIEWS | TOP 10 QUESTIONS | INTERVIEWS 101

Just updated for 2018!

There are some job interview questions that are guaranteed to come up in most (if not all) of your job
interviews — regardless of your industry, your experience level, and job type.

At the top of this list is the universal and much-dreaded classic: “Tell me about yourself.”

Since it’s often the rst question to be asked in an interview, it’s your big chance to make a rst
impression.

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In fact, we think this question is so important that we created an entire video lesson around it in our
agship product Big Interview. Watch it here:

How to Answer: Tell Me About Yourself.

This video is just one of dozens of lessons inside the full Big Interview training system. If you’ve got
some big interviews coming up, click here to learn more about the system that will help you ace every
one of them.

This question (or a variation like “Walk me through your background”) comes up in just about every job
interview and many job searchers hate it.

They hate it because they get frustrated trying to decipher exactly what the interviewer is looking for.
However, if you prepare properly, there’s no reason to dread this question.

In fact, this question is an opportunity — an opening for you to set the tone of the job interview and
emphasize the points that you most want this potential employer to know about you.

Don’t waste the opportunity by simply diving into a long recitation of your resume. This also isn’t the
time to mention that you love amenco dancing and bingo (yes, I have seen candidates ramble on
about hobbies and personal preferences many times and it’s a sure re way to make a weak rst

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impression).

Instead, try a concise, enthusiastic response that summarizes your big-picture t for the job. In this
article, we’ll show you the Big Interview Formula for crafting your perfect response to “Tell me about
yourself.”

The Interviewer’s Perspective

When the interviewer asks you, “Tell me about yourself”, what is he trying to achieve? Well, for the
interviewer, it’s an easy and open-ended way to start the conversation.

His ultimate goal for this interview is to nd out enough about you to decide if you’re a good t for the
job opening that he is being paid to ll. In most cases, he wants to like you. His life will be easier if he
can nd a great candidate quickly. However, he is also on guard because a bad hire will re ect poorly
on his judgment and possibly be a mark against him when it comes time to ask for a raise or promotion
or bonus.

He is hoping that this question will get you talking. This question is almost always asked rst, perhaps
right after some chit chat about traf c and the weather.

Your answer to this question will dictate the interviewer’s rst impression of you, and will set the tone
for the entire interview, letting you lead with your strongest selling points.

How Not to Answer “Tell Me About Yourself”

Before we jump into the Big Interview Formula for crafting the perfect answer, let’s cover some of the
most common mistakes you might make when answering “Tell me about yourself”. (If anybody is giving
you the following answers as advice — run the other way!)

1. The Resume Rehash — Many candidates respond by launching into a recitation of their resume from
the very beginning. That can turn into a very long monologue that starts with one’s oldest — and
probably least relevant and impressive — experience. By the time you get to the good stuff, your
interviewer has zoned out and is thinking about lunch.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s important to prepare a brief summary of the high points of each of your past
positions. It is likely that you will be asked about your accomplishments and day-to-day responsibilities
in previous roles. Ideally, this should come out in an engaging conversation, though, not a long
monologue at the beginning of the interview. You’ll only confuse your interviewer with information
overload.

Even if the interviewer speci cally asks you to “walk him through your resume,” don’t take the
suggestion too literally. You can still lead with your elevator pitch and then segue into an overview of
your most recent position, leaving plenty of opportunities for the interviewer to jump in and engage
with you.

2. Mr./Ms. Modesty — Many of my interview coaching clients make the mistake of being too modest.
They reply with a humble or vague introduction that fails to clearly communicate their strongest
quali cations for the gig.

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Some of these clients are just humble people who aren’t comfortable with “selling” themselves. Others
have never really had to worry about a strong pitch — they were always courted for new opportunities
when the job market was stronger.

Today, the competition for any good job is erce. Don’t rely on the interviewer to see past your humble
exterior and gure out how great you are.

If you take time to prepare, you can nd a way to present yourself to full advantage while staying true
to your personality. For modest types, I recommend focusing on factual statements.

You don’t have to brag, “I’m the best salesperson in the world.” Instead, you can state, “I led my division
in sales for the last three years and had the opportunity to bring in more than $18 million worth of new
business during that time.”

3. The First Date Approach — This is not a rst date. Your interviewer does not want to hear that you
like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain. Many recent grads misconstrue the question and talk
too much about their personal lives and hobbies.

This is probably because many only have admissions and other school-related interview experience
(clubs, programs, etc.). For these types of interviews, there is much more interest in who you are as a
person. In job interviews, focus on who you are as a professional unless asked about hobbies or outside
pursuits.

4. The Clueless Ramble — I have watched a surprising number of smart candidates totally ub this
question because of overthinking. Their answers sounds something like this: “You mean about my job
experience or about my schooling or what kind of information are you looking for?”

I know that these candidates are aiming to please and that “Tell me about yourself” can be interpreted
in many different ways. However, asking for too much clari cation only makes you look hesitant and
confused. Dive right in with the approach that we outlined for you above. If they are looking for
something else, they will ask you for it.

Good Rule of Thumb – Don’t pull a Michael Scott on your interview.

How to Nail “Tell Me About Yourself”

Think of it as your elevator pitch. An elevator pitch is a short summary used to quickly and simply
de ne a product, service, or business and its value proposition. It answers the question: “Why should I
buy/invest?” It should be concise enough to be delivered during a short elevator ride (to the 5th oor,
not to the 105th oor).

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You need an elevator pitch for yourself as a job candidate — and it should be customized for different
opportunities. Keep it focused and short, ideally less than a minute, and no more than 2 minutes.

You won’t be able to t all of your great qualities and resume high points into 2 minutes, so you’ll have
to spend some time thinking about how to present yourself in a way that starts the interview on the
right note.

A great answer will address the following:

What are your primary selling points for this job? This could be number of years of experience in
a particular industry or area of specialization. You might also highlight special training and
technical skills here. Focus on the quali cations in the job description and how you meet and
exceed the requirements.

Why are you interested in this position right now? You can wrap up your answer by indicating
why you are looking for a new challenge and why you feel this role is the best next step.

The Big Interview Formula for Answering This Question

I’ll share the “Tell Me About Yourself” formula that I teach to my interview coaching clients (and Big
Interview members). There are three components:

1. Who You Are — Your rst sentence should be an introduction to who you are professionally, an
overview statement that shows off your strengths and gives a little sense of your personality too. This
is not easy to do gracefully on the y. It pays to prepare a bit in advance.

Good: “I’m an innovative HR manager with 8 years of experience managing all aspects of the HR
function — from recruiting to training to bene ts — for Fortune 500 companies.”

Concisely summarizes diverse background.

Bad: “Well, I grew up in Cincinnati. As a child, I originally wanted to be a reman, then later became
interested in dinosaurs. I excelled in the sciences from early on, placing rst in my fourth-grade science
fair. Funny story about that…”

Way too much information.

2. Expertise Highlights — Don’t assume that the interviewer has closely read your resume and knows
your quali cations. Use your elevator pitch to brie y highlight 2-4 points that you think make you
stand out.

Good: “I have spent the last six years developing my skills as a customer service manager for
Megacompany Inc., where I have won several performance awards and been promoted twice. I love
managing teams and solving customer problems.”

The emphasis here is on experience, enthusiasm, and proof of performance.

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Bad: “My rst job was as an administrative assistant for Macy’s in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I learned a
great deal in that role that served me well over the next 12 years. At the time, I wasn’t sure about my
career path, so I next took a position selling real estate. It only lasted for six months, but I sure enjoyed
it.”

Zzzzzzz. Nobody cares about your rst job 12 years ago. You are starting with the least impressive
part of your career and the interviewer is likely to tune out before you get to the good stuff.

3. Why You’re Here — End by telling them you want the position and why.

Good: “Although I love my current role, I feel I’m now ready for a more challenging assignment and this
position really excites me.”

Concise and positive.

Bad: “Because of the company’s nancial problems and my boss’s issues, I’m worried about my job’s
stability and decided to start looking for new opportunities.”

Don’t be too candid or you risk coming across as negative. This answer also makes it seem like you’re
interested in a job, any job — not this job in particular.

Remember: You will have time later to walk through your resume in more detail and ll in any gaps.
Don’t try to squeeze in too much information or your interviewer WILL start to tune out.

A good interview is a dialogue, not a monologue. Keep it concise and give your interviewer the chance
to dive in and ask questions.

Practicing your answer over and over will be the key to success, so break out the mirror and a
stopwatch, or get the full advantage of the interactive practice tool inside our Big Interview training
system.

via GIPHY

Example Answers for “Tell Me About Yourself”:

Tell Me About Yourself - Sample Answer

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“I have more than ve years of experience as a technical project manager at top Wall Street
companies. Most recently, I led the development of an award-winning new trading platform. I’m a
person who thrives in a fast-paced environment so right now I’m looking for an opportunity to apply
my technical experience and my creative problem solving skills at an innovative software company like
this one.”

Notice that the rst line sums up her experience and name drops “top Wall Street companies.” It’s
always good to mention high-pro le employers by name. Most hiring managers will perk up because
they assume that if you made it through the hiring process at other well-respected companies, you
must be pretty good.

She then describes an impressive recent project that we can assume is very relevant to the work
required in the open position. Next, she spends time talking about why she’s interested in this
company/role, using the terms fast-paced, creative, problem solving, and innovative. This is great if
those words are used in the job description and/or company values.

With this answer, the candidate is leading with some of her top selling points — experience at top
rms, recognized stellar performance (award), technical expertise, problem-solving skills, etc. This will
help him grab the interviewer’s attention and make a strong rst impression.

It bears repeating that a strong rst impression is critical in a job interview situation. Start the
interview strong and end it strong and you might even get away with ubbing a few questions in the
middle.

Here’s another sample speci cally for new grads (aka “freshers” in other parts of the world).

How to Answer Tell Me About Yourself (for New Grads & Freshers)

Craft Your Pitch

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Inside Big Interview, our complete training system for job interviews, we give you video lessons,
sample answers, and an interactive practice tool for all of these different versions of “Tell me about
yourself” Watch this brief video to learn a little more about Big Interview, and then take a quick look at
the step-by-step system we’ve developed to get you ready for your interview.

So now that you know how to approach it, I have a feeling that you’ll learn to love hearing the “Tell me
about yourself” question.

Take a few moments now to sit down and plan how you will respond in your next interview. This
exercise and approach will even help you write better cover letters.

Then, read more about my agship training system Big Interview. If you have an interview coming up
(or if your ngers are crossed!), there’s a lot more to prepare for after introducing yourself and your
background. Big Interview combines a complete video course on interviewing taught by myself with a
powerful Mock Interview Practice tool that will get you ready and con dent for the real thing. It
covers thousands of different job roles and industries, from entry-level to C suite. Click here to give it
a try.

Pamela Skillings

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Pamela Skillings

Pamela Skillings is co-founder of Big Interview. As one of the country's top interview coaches, she has helped her clients
land dream jobs at companies including Google, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, and JP Morgan Chase.

She also has more than 15 years of experience training and advising managers at organizations from American Express
to the City of New York.

She is an adjunct professor at New York University and an instructor at the American Management Association.
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25/02/2019 How To Answer: "Tell Me About Yourself" (with Sample Answers!)
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