A reader writes:
The interview question that stresses me out the most (besides the what are your weaknesses question) is the tell me about yourself question…or statement…or request, whichever it is. What do employers really want to hear? I’m assuming that this isn’t the time to regale colorful stories of my childhood in the deep south, but what should I be talking about?
“Tell me about yourself” in a job interview really means “give me an overview of who you are, professionally speaking.” There’s a reason this is asked at the very beginning of an interview — it says “give me the broad background before we dive in to specifics.”
You want to be ready with about a one-minute answer that summarizes where you’re at in your career (generally with an emphasis on your most recent job), what you do, and what the strengths of your approach are.
For instance: “I got into technical writing because I found that I have an unusual mixture of technical aptitude with writing skills. I’d worked as a software engineer for the first few years of my career, but when I saw how rare it was to find people with that kind of technical background who could also write, I started moving into technical writing. I’ve found that I love translating complicated technical information into words that a non-technical person can easily understand, and the fact that I come from a software background means that I can communicate well both with the tech team and my intended audience. My last boss told me that I was the only employee she’d ever had who mixed those two skills to the extent that I do! Being able to bridge those two worlds so comfortably is the reason I was especially interested in the position here.”
For someone who’s more entry-level and doesn’t really have a career to describe yet, the answer would be more forward-looking. For instance: “I’ve always been a news junkie and I spent my last two years in school preparing myself to work in communications when I graduated. I sought out internships and extracurricular opportunities that would expose me to media relations work, and I’m excited to continue on that path. I’ve been told that I’m particularly good at coming up with creative story pitches, and I love pitching, but I really want to learn every aspect of this business from the ground up. I’d like to work in-house rather than in an agency, and I’m especially interested in advocacy work, so I’m particularly excited about this opportunity.”
As you see in these two examples, you want to keep this focused on your professional persona. Don’t bring kids into it, or your spouse, or where you grew up. That’s not to say you can’t say anything personal, but make sure there’s a relevant reason for raising it. For instance, you could add something like, “And I grew up in this area and still have family here, so I’m really excited about the prospect of moving back.” (Hence signaling to the interviewer that you’re not going to be flighty about relocation.)
Whatever your answer is, practice it out loud over and over so it flows right out of your mouth in the interview. Don’t try to wing it!
{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
Definitely keeping this entry as a major reference.
I am SO thankful for this post. I never would have known how to correctly answer this question. I just graduated college and haven't had any interviews yet (sadly) but everything in this blog has given me invaluable information for my job search. Thanks AAM – I love you!
Good luck, Monica. Just a quick note — be careful how you say what you say. Grammar counts every time! (Example — you have just graduated FROM college, not “graduated college.”) People who misuse English, either written or oral, are less likely to make the cut.
Here's a humorous answer to a version of the same question:
http://www.wordonemploymentlaw.com/2010/08/tell-me-about-your-last-job/
Many people are scared of this question but, in reality, it is the best question you can get. You have two minutes to tell the prospective employer everything they need to know in order to get you hired. Think of it like your own personal "elevator speech".
I am so glad to see a sample answer for those of us who are applying for entry level jobs. I never really know what to say beyond what's on my resume to showcase my interest in the position, and although I have prepared in varying ways to answer this question, it never quite comes out right when I am at the interview. Thanks so much for your advice.
I'm embarrassed to say that at a very recent interview, when asked to tell about myself, I DID talk about my personal side. However, I don't think it's entirely true that you don't bring it into perspective. For instance, I talked about how I like jazz, making art and exercising. My interview was for an interior design job, so art is a plus. Additionally, showing that I have a need to take care of myself shows balance. I had already written a cover letter that told why I went into this career so it would have been redundant to talk about it again.
In our last round of phone interviews, this was our first question. One particular candidate started answering the question and my colleague and I put the phone on mute and he said to me, is this guy reading a script? Sure enough, he had to be reading a script about his life story. It was as if he was auditioning for a play and he carried on in such an animated manner we ended the interview early. It was painful.
I have 2 questions. Did the applicant meet your expectations? Did she/he pass?
Great post! It's an issue that stumped even the ultra-smooth Don Draper character on TV's "Mad Men" in last month's season opener (the episode was aptly titled "Public Relations"). A technique called story navigation offers a novel approach to getting beyond the elevator pitch to answer the "tell me about yourself" question. Hope you don't mind a shameless plug, but I wrote a complementary post about this topic on the PRmashup blog – http://excelpr.com/prmashup/2010/07/three-lessons-from-don-drapers-who-are-you-moment/
"Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" concerns me more than this. But then again, I have been coached on the 30 second elevator speech and this just expands on it.
Good question!
Should where I see myself in five years relate to the job, as well?
Should this response change according to the job?
I stink at interviews. I freeze and forget everything I have studied, show little association of current experiences to position which I am applying, and have low tolerance for pompous and arrogant interviewers. How can I calmly respond to the questions and not the person?
Anonymous, you might find my free guide on how to prepare for an interview useful. You can get it here:
http://www.askamanager.org/how-to-guide
hi ,,, mm
my name is naveen,
my english is on average stage not excellent,
l’m hopeless felling.
when ever i face interview i feels hesitate .
pls help me if possible
Some more tips:
Keep your comments positive.
Do not slouch.
Do not roll your eyes while listening to the job description.
Do not sigh or appear as if you are bored out of your wits.
Look engaged and interested.
Thanks for this superb information about an interviews.
Well I just want to highlight one thing companies are taking advantage of man power….They are telling us how to behave, how to talk, where to put your hands in an interview and to walk faster or slower on your way to the HR…Please give me a break is it about a position that must be filled and of course meet expectations but not to the point what to do what do not…I believe it is the era of Interviewdictatorship or so…Believe me you our there the HR personel too many people can have a sheet and ask others why you tend to give hard time to others…
I find that the interview process can be very degrading at times. What anonymous had to say about pompous and arrogant interviewers is very true. When you are dressed professionally for an interview and the interviewer is in jeans and the HR person is there constantly checking his blackberry. Your qualifications and your ability to do the job does not show in that interview.
I like the examples, especially the emphasis around memorable stories. I wrote a blog post on how to answer the Tell me about yourself question. Find my tips here: http://blog.seattleinterviewcoach.com/2009/03/interview-tip-tell-me-about-yourself.html
- Lewis, Seattle Interview Coach
i found this website to be very beneficial in helping me in my quest to find a job. it is very effective and quite efficient thanks again
Thank you, this question is one that always gets me, not knowing what an interviewer really wants to hear when they ask this question. I think that I’ll know what to talk about now, without feeling like I’m stumbleing all over the place.
thanks
Oh, good thing I read this. I had always been answering this as a verbal chronological telling of my resume.
I always say that the reason why I want to apply is because of the compensation which is very wrong. Nice blogpost, thanks for sharing!
I have asked this question often for the express purpose of getting the person to talk about them self. There are many questions that cannot be asked, so asking a vague question and letting the person talk gets around the legal issues. If asked to clarify I always say that it is about their professional life.
You should never volunteer personal info that could be viewed negatively. But lets also be honest, the last thing I want, as a manager, is to hire someone with serious day care issues, or someone that will not show up on time.
Tell me about yourself?
Good morning sir, I’m glad 2 be here 4 this interview. I am Karim, I would like to tell something about me,
I’m from kadapa in A.P.
I have done Master of Computer Application from Anna University, Coimbatore.
During this period of graduation, I learned the values of teamwork and commitment, How 2 behave, how 2 work, How to analysis problem, how 2 solve a problem, time maintains and focus on goals.
Really I enjoyed in learning new things and new concepts.
I have very good knowledge of Networking and Database.
My principle is “Success=Honest + Intelligent + Hard work “.
Regarding my family we are five members, two brothers and father is a business man and my mother is home maker.
My career objective is to get selected in a reputed company.
My short term goal is to get the job. My long term goal is to become a Successful person.
My strength is my brother and my weakness is when I take some effort to do a particular job I would lose my confidence. But I have overcome it by facing many problems.
My hobby is listening to music because it refreshes our work loaded mind.
very nice your self
Well, I must say, I’ve seen every kind of person get hired at jobs such as factory work, telemarketing or telephone research jobs who acted just like they’re not supposed to, then they end up getting let go at some point. Maybe some of these managers/interviewers need to read this article.
hi friends. I am studying mY BE computer science and engineering final year. I prepared a lot for the interview.but am not satisfied with that. And i am little lacking with communication skill. Can you suggest some ideas for that.
I just had an interview like this and I told her I was a stay at home mom with two boys under two and she goes to ask where I’m from… To me this tells the prospective employee that you didn’t look at my resume or application before conducting the interview… considering my resume contained all my relevant experience to the job.
Technically speaking your resume should “tell the employer about yourself” :) I’d be more concerned with how the employee would handle job situations and ask questions like name a time when… or what would you do… This gives the chance for the prospective employee to tell you how their past experience makes them qualified for the job. I mean if you’re going to say “tell me about yourself” you really should be asking “what makes you qualified” or “why should we hire you” to be more specific. Although I still feel questions like that are too broad and going through the application process alone should be more than enough to tell the employer why they should hire you. Perhaps “what inspired you to apply here?” would be a better question.
Personally I do best in interview where you tell me more about the job, why you need someone and ask how my skills would fit best.
I’ve always hated the following questions and this is how I would honestly like to answer them!
1). Why do you want to work for this company? Well its pretty obvious. My experience and skills match the job description so I know that I qualify and I need a decent job that pays decent wages. (Whatever happened to hiring someone just-because-they-qualify-for-the-stinking-job?!!!?? Someone that has a good job history, good work ethics and actually takes a little bit of pride in what they do? Why do we have to put on this big show at an interview and act like we are just so excited to “be a team player”. I absolutely abhor that saying).
2). Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years? Well, hopefully still gainfully employed and not living under a bridge somewhere.
3). What do you think you can bring to this company? Myself, on time, everyday, my exemplary work habits, my honesty, my integrity, and my lunch.
4). Do you have any questions for us? Yes, when do I start and what is the salary and benefit package?
{ 1 trackback }