How to Answer “Tell Me About Yourself”

How to Answer “Tell Me About Yourself”

So, the first question you’re probably going to get in an interview is, “Tell me about yourself.” Now, this is not an invitation to recite your entire life story or even to go bullet by bullet through your resume. Instead, it’s probably your first and best chance to pitch the hiring manager on why you’re the right one for the job.

A formula I really like to use is called the Present-Past-Future formula. So, first you start with the present—where you are right now. Then, segue into the past—a little bit about the experiences you’ve had and the skills you gained at the previous position. Finally, finish with the future—why you are really excited for this particular opportunity.

Let me give you an example:

If someone asked, “tell me about yourself,” you could say:

“Well, I’m currently an Sales Manager at ProductDossier, where I promote Integrated Project Management Solution to Medium and Large corporates. Before that, I worked at Kingslake Engineering Systems where I was selling ERP WMS and Middleware solutions like BPM and ESB. While I really enjoyed the work that I did, I’d love the chance to dig in much deeper with one specific enterprise produt and services company, which is why I’m so excited about this opportunity with Your Organisation”

Remember throughout your answer to focus on the experiences and skills that are going to be most relevant for the hiring manager when they’re thinking about this particular position and this company. And ultimately, don’t be afraid to relax a little bit, tell stories and anecdotes—the interviewer already has your resume, so they also want to know a little more about you. 

How to Answer: Why Should We Hire You?

The interviewer’s job is to hire the best person for the position. Most of the candidates that make it to the interview stage are qualified for the job. The winning candidate must be more than qualified, especially in a very competitive job market.

Every hire is a risk for the company. Your interviewer will also be taking a personal career risk in recommending a particular candidate to hire. If the candidate performs well, Mr. Interviewer looks brilliant and gets a pat on the back (and maybe a bigger annual bonus).

If the candidate turns out to be a dud (doesn’t perform well, doesn’t get along with the team, leaves the job prematurely, etc.), the interviewer looks like a dummy and his professional reputation suffers.

With this question, your interviewer is asking you to sell him on you and your status as the best person for the position. Make his job easier by convincing him that:

• You can do the work and deliver exceptional results
• You will fit in beautifully and be a great addition to the team
• You possess a combination of skills and experience that make you stand out from the crowd
• Hiring you will make him look smart and make his life easier

This is your chance to wow them with your highlight reel. Your answer should summarize the top three or four best reasons to hire you. It’s better to have three or four strong reasons with memorable descriptions and/or examples than to rattle off a laundry list of twelve strengths without context.

This is an opportunity to reiterate your most impressive strengths and/or describe your most memorable selling points, tailored to align with the top requirements in the job description. Your 3-4 bullet points could include a combination of the following:

• Industry experience
• Experience in performing certain tasks or duties
• Technical skills
• Soft skills
• Key accomplishments
• Awards/accolades
• Education/training

Accomplishments and success stories are always good bets, especially if you can describe how a key accomplishment (a successful marketing campaign, for example)demonstrates a desired competency (creativity, results-orientation).

One approach is to mention any unique combination of skills(s) and experience that you possess. For example, many candidates may have strong programming skills, but what if you combine those with team leadership experience that others don’t have? Sounds like a great recipe for a senior programmer. Explain why in your answer.

Most job seekers should be able to develop a standard answer to this question that can be customized a bit for each opportunity. Here’s how:

Step 1: Brainstorm

To get started, review the job description (or a representative job description if you don’t have an interview lined up right now) and your resume and ask yourself these questions:

• What are the most important qualifications for this position from the company’s perspective?
• In which of these areas do I really shine?
• What are my most impressive accomplishments?
• What makes me different from the typical candidate?

Brainstorm and jot down everything that comes to mind.

Step 2: Structure Your Sales Pitch

Next, choose the 3-4  bullet points that make the strongest argument for you. Use those bullet points to structure your sales pitch. Don’t write a script to memorize — simply capture the bullet points that you want to convey. Each bullet will describe the selling point with a brief explanation and/or example for context.

Keep it concise — you still want to keep your answer in the 1-2 minute range so you won’t be able to rattle off every skill and accomplishment on your resume. You have to really think about what sets you apart from the competition.

Step 3: Practice

Once you feel pretty good about the points you want to make, it’s time to practice. Again, it’s not a good idea to memorize a script — you can end up sounding like a robot or feel more nervous because of pressure to remember specific wording.

The better approach is to capture your bullet points, study them, and then practice until you feel comfortable talking about them off the cuff.  Your answer should come out a little bit different each time, but it should always cover the points that you want to make.

Remember: It’s also very important to come across as confident and enthusiasticwhen you deliver your pitch. Make them believe in you — your abilities and your commitment.

If you show confidence (even if you have to fake it a little), you’re more likely to make a strong impression. As for enthusiasm, keep in mind that true passion for the work required is a pretty compelling selling point. Yes, experience and qualifications are important, but the right attitude can definitely give you an edge over those with similar professional backgrounds.