How To Answer: Tell Me About Yourself In An Interview

The question, “Tell me about yourself,” is often the very first thing an interviewer will ask you to do – regardless of the type of interview.

Other ways this can be asked are, “Walk me through your CV,” “Tell me something about yourself that’s not on your CV” or “How would you describe yourself?”

Although it is one of the most common interview questions, it can be hard to identify what the interviewer really wants to know.

Luckily, if you are well prepared for your interview, you can use this question to your advantage and be successful in your interview.

How To Answer, “Tell Me About Yourself”

How you respond to the “Tell me about yourself” question can set the tone for the rest of the interview. When you practice your answer, seek to tell a great story about yourself in no more than two minutes.

To make your response to this question stand out, do the following:

1. Mention past experiences and proven successes as they relate to the position

Begin by rereading the job description. Take note of the required skills that you have, and identify recent stories that demonstrate them. To come up with this, you can use the STAR method.

Ideally, you should primarily draw from recent professional experience; however, volunteer work can also support your narrative while demonstrating a commitment to your community.

2. Consider how your current job relates to the job you’re applying for

Is it a more senior role? If so, explain how you are taking on more responsibilities in your current position. If you are moving to a similar role with different skills, describe how your current skills translate into the new position.

3. Focus on strengths and abilities that you can support with examples

Focus on details and outcomes that you can quantify, where possible. For example, stating that you “improved customer service” is less impactful than “increased customer service response rates each quarter by 10–15%.” If you don’t have the exact information, estimate a realistic value.

4. Highlight your personality 

Since the “Tell me about yourself” interview question is about getting to know you, it’s a good idea to share your personality with your interviewer—but not personal details. You may want to briefly mention hobbies that demonstrate intellectual development or community engagement such as reading or volunteering, or those that showcase personal discipline and achievement like learning a new skill. Discussing personal interests is a good way to wrap up your response while maintaining a professional tone.

Example answer to “Tell me about yourself”

With experience

“I graduated with a Business degree in 2010 and was offered an account management position from a telecommunications company I had interned with. I loved working with customers and managing and growing my accounts, but the industry we were in just wasn’t very appealing to me. After that, I stayed a full year and learned a ton about how to build and manage accounts successfully and I ended up becoming a top performer in my group before leaving. I left at the 1-year-mark to pursue a very similar position within an industry I’m much more excited about- healthcare. I’ve been at this healthcare startup space for 2 years with this company and I feel ready to take my career to the next level so that’s why I’m currently looking for a new opportunity.”

Without experience

“I graduated with a degree in Engineering two months ago. I chose that field of study because I’ve always been interested in math and physics, and a couple of family members told me it leads to great career options. One of my key accomplishments during my academic career was speaking at a conference on the topic of energy-efficient window design, based on research I had done for one of my senior-level classes. This led to an internship that I just wrapped up, so I’m actively looking for a full-time position now.”

In the end,

Be prepared for this question and show interviewers you prepared for it. You can also seek the help of a professional interview coach who will help you prepare for this and other questions. All the best!

The writer is a Communication and Marketing Officer at Corporate Staffing Services. Click here for more information.