So… “tell me about yourself” — Interviewer

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You are face-to-face with your interviewer. They smile and ask you “so tell me about yourself.”

Your mind begins to race. “What do I say? What do they want me to say? How do I answer this damn question? It’s so vague. What do they want to know about me?”

Like you, this question used to freak me out. There are SO many ways you can answer it! That’s why you need a plan. In this post, I help you make a plan to answer “tell me about yourself”. I’ll answer the following questions so you can create an answer your’re proud of.

1. Why is “tell me about yourself” such an important question?
2. Why do interviewers ask “tell me about yourself”?
3. What are some other ways interviewers ask you to “tell me about yourself”?
4. How do I answer “tell me about yourself”?
5. Sample answer for “tell me about yourself”.

1. Why is “tell me about yourself” such an important question?

I’ve been there. “Tell me about yourself.” It sounds like such an easy question, but it is the most critical question of an interview. Why?

1. It sets the direction of the interview. Your answer will dictate where the interview will go. Based on what you say, your interviewer will likely ask you to elaborate on your answer. For example, if you mention your internship from last summer, odds are, they are going to ask you for more information about your internship. When you answer this question, only highlight things you are confident talking about.
2. It tests to see if you did your homework. Did you read the job description? Does your answer highlight the skills and experiences that are mentioned in the job description? For example, if you are applying for a job at an investment bank, don’t start off by telling them about the job you had in high school making Blizzards at Dairy Queen ( Haha, that was me. Blizzard expert). Review the job description, and answer in a way that shows that your experiences qualify you for the job.
3. First impressions are very important. 90% of the time, “tell me about yourself” is the first question you’ll be asked in an interview. Your interviewer’s impression of you will be determined by how you answer this question.

2. Why do interviewers ask “tell me about yourself”?

1. Test your confidence — Are you comfortable talking about yourself? Do you know how to sell yourself?
2. Break the ice — At the beginning of an interview, both parties are nervous. You are nervous. And, believe it or not, the interviewer is probably nervous. The “tell me about yourself” question breaks the ice. It gives both of you a moment to get comfortable.
3. Set the direction of the interview — The interviewer will determine their next question based on how you answer this question. For example, if you start talking about your job from last summer, they will likely ask for you to elaborate on that job. With this in mind, make sure to answer this question with experiences you are comfortable talking about.
4. Get to know you — Above all, this question is used to get to know you. Interviewers only know you from your resume. They’ll ask this question to get to know you better.

3. What are some other ways interviewers ask you to “tell me about yourself”?

You will be asked to “tell me about yourself” in some way. It may not be verbatim “tell me about yourself”. But, I guarantee you your interviewer will ask you this in some sort of way. Here are some other ways your interviewer may ask you to “tell me about yourself”.

1. Walk me through your resume
2. Tell me about some of your most recent experiences.
3. Fill me in on your background.

No matter how they ask you, your answer should be the same. Next, I’ll show you how to answer “tell me about yourself”.

4. How do I answer “tell me about yourself”?

In my post 3 most common personal interview questions, I did a quick breakdown of how to answer “tell me about yourself” with your elevator pitch. This is an effective way to answer the question, but you need to dig a little bit deeper. You need to tailor your answer to the job you’re interviewing for. This is how you do it in a few easy steps.

1. Read the job description — Before coming up with an answer, read the job description. Identify which skills are critical to the job. Write down the top 3 skills they are looking for in a candidate. Something that you can do that’s even better than reading the job description is to connect with someone within the company and ask them the skills that are most critical to the position you are interviewing for. I touch on how to do this in my post Get an interview with any company you want.
2. Tailor your answer to the 3 most important skills — Look back at your experiences. Which of your experiences demonstrate the 3 most important skills that you have identified? Those are the ones you are going to include in your answer.
3. Answer with your elevator pitch BUT, include your experience as it’s relevant to the skills required for the job. — There are three things to answer in your elevator pitch

(1) Who are you? The first step is to introduce yourself. What’s your name? What year are you? What school do you go to? What are you majoring in?

(2) What do you do? After you introduce yourself, touch on past or present experiences that support the critical skills outlined in the job description.

(3) What do you want to do? Once you share how you are the ideal candidate, tell them what you want to do! Make this very clear! You want to work for their company. You want to work in the position you are applying for. You want to work on projects they are working on.

5. Sample answer for “tell me about yourself”

Let’s say I am applying for a consulting internship. This is how I’d answer “tell me about yourself”.

Hi, my name is Austin. I am a senior at Rutgers majoring in business analytics and information technology. This past summer, I interned at ABM Industries as a member of their Transformation Management Group. ABM is a Fortune 500 company with 140,000 employees and 6 billion in annual revenues. My role at ABM was to work on projects initiated by BCG consultants. Based on my work last summer, I was recognized as one of the top 100 interns in the United States and I was referred by ABM’s CFO to pursue an internship in the consulting industry. That being said, I would love to have the opportunity to work for “company X” this upcoming summer.

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