How to answer the question “tell me about yourself” for interviews

“Tell me about yourself” might seem like an easy interview question, after all, you know all about yourself. And it’s one of the very first things an interviewer will ask - whether you’re having a preliminary phone screen or a formal interview.

It’s a good starting point and a good way for both parties to ease into the actual interview.  And it’s not a trick question, you should know the answer to this one, but how do you answer it?

A simple and effective formula for structuring your response could be:

• Past: Tell the interviewer what you studied and/or a major previous experience that’s relevant to the job and company.

• Present: Talk a little bit about what your current role is, the scope of it, and perhaps a big recent accomplishment.

• Future: Now touch on what you’re looking to do next and why you’re interested in this particular role.

This isn’t the only way to build your response, of course, and you can tweak it as you see fit. If there’s a specific story about what brought you into this field, for example, you might decide to start with the “present” story first and then get into what you’re doing in the past.

Whatever order you pick, make sure you ultimately tie it to the job and company. A good place to end it, is to give a transition of this is “why I’m here”.  You want to be absolutely certain your interviewer is left with the impression that it makes sense that they are talking to you about this role.

Here are a few points to take into consideration:-

Remember that first impressions count

“We only have one chance to make a first impression” 

If you have prepared this in advance, it will show and you will deliver it smoothly.

Tailor your answer

Do your research. Review the job ad, the company and the person you are talking to.  Tell your story in a way that aligns with the role and the company.

Know your audience 

You will probably get asked this question at all stages of the interview process, but that doesn’t mean you have to give the same exact answer every time.  

A recruiter may want hard skills and bigger picture thinking and a Hiring Manager may want something more technical. 

Keep it professional

Avoid talking about your family and hobbies, unless you know something very specific about the company that would lead you to believe otherwise.

Speak with passion

Keeping your answer professional, however, shouldn’t stop you from shedding light on why you’re passionate about your work or about this company, even if it goes into slightly more personal territory.

I personally love it when someone tells me, “I knew I wanted to be creative when I was a kid, as I was always drawing or writing”.

Don’t ramble

Don’t waste this time going over every little detail - don’t forget they have already read your CV and/or may have that in front of them.  Keep it between 30 - 90 seconds (depending on your experience).

Practice, practice, practice

You don’t want to wait until you get this question in a live interview to try out your answer for the first time. Practice will make your answer stronger and help you to become more confident giving it each time.  Asking a trusted colleague, friend, or family member to listen and fine tune if need be.

Keep it positive

If your past experiences weren’t positive, this isn’t the best time to mention it.  As you move further into an interview, things get more comfortable. So wait until you get a specific question to address those topics.

Most importantly with all of this, have some fun and enjoy the process. 

So next time someone asks “Tell me about yourself" you'll be ready.