How to Answer the Interview Question Tell Me about Yourself

How do you answer the interview question "Tell me about yourself"?

Job interviews are a neccessary process when job hunting. While there are tons of interview questions that you will likely get asked, this interview question "tell me about yourself" is usually the way most HR starts job interview.

Some similar variance of the same question might exists. For example, you might be asked: 

• Can we meet you? 
• Can we meet you?
• Can you introduce "name of candidate"?
• Can you tell me about yourself?
   

Tips to Answer Tell Me About Yourself Interview Question?

This interview question is very tricky because of how easy it sounds but the truth is that many applicants tumble through it or fail woefully at answering it. There is a temptation to start spewing off every detail about yourself – relevant and irrelevant alike – when answering this question.

The interviewer is not asking you this question to be pals with you, so don’t fall into the trap of answering it like you would with someone you met in an informal setting. The interviewer wants to know if you are qualified for the job, so take this as an opportunity to sell yourself.

• Don’t give any intimate details about yourself such as how many siblings you have, the position you are in your family, your hobbies and the likes. The interviewer might ask you intimate questions specifically, maybe as a way of making you relax or out of genuine curiosity. However, if you are not asked specifically, don’t take this as an opportunity to answer intimately.
• You can start with your educational background – if it is relevant. That can be a good way to help you relax, then ease into your professional experience and strengths. You probably have a lot of experiences in the labour market and you want to let the interviewer know but because you do not want to lose their attention, stick to relevant skills, qualifications, job experiences, even personality and strengths that would help sell you properly to the interviewer. Tie each of these – if you can – to the required job role, stating why certain strengths would help you achieve certain results if given the job.
• Tell them why you applied. There was a reason you saw the job and decided to apply. You should have thought of this beforehand. So tell them how this is in line with your career goals, how you like challenges and you feel this job will challenge you or how you have always wanted to work in that organisation. You do not want to start talking about your bad former boss, and how he/she motivated you to change jobs. Forget the past and concentrate on the future.
• Avoid rambling and going on and on in circles. This is one of the questions you will likely encounter in a job interview, so make sure you have your answer beforehand and practice. This is so you do not ramble on and on. While you do want to say a lot, you also do not want to lose the attention of the interviewer.

The most important thing to remember about this question, tell me about yourself, is that it is an opportunity to sell yourself. Become a marketer for your personal brand and convince the interviewer on the values you will be adding to the organisation and why you are the best candidate for the job. This question will probably be the first question to be asked, so you want to create an image in the interviewer’s mind that will stand you out from others.

Staff Writer

This article was written and edited by a staff writer.