Why "Tell Me About Yourself" Can Be The Most Important Interview Question

Last week, I wrote about the importance of finishing your interview on a strong note by preparing Next-Level Interview Questions For Your Interviewer. This week I want to talk about the importance of starting your interview off on the right foot. Specifically, how answering one common interview question well can carry you through the interview.

The Halo Effect

We've all heard that first impressions are important, but why is that? In psychology, the term is called the halo effect. In the linked article, it states, "the halo effect is a type of cognitive bias in which our overall impression of a person influences how we feel and think about their character."

Reading the linked article above won't make you feel warm and fuzzy about the halo effect in interviewing. From the interviewer's perspective, the halo effect can be harmful, and organizations want to avoid it at all costs. The halo effect can impact hiring practice because it can lead to unfairly judging a candidate based on factors like age, sex, race, sexual orientation, or any other inconsequential characteristics for making a hiring decision.

I know what you're thinking, "Jon, why are you encouraging the use of such a tactic?" In hiring, there is no place for the halo effect regarding the factors listed above. However, the halo effect can be leveraged by the interviewee by answering early questions well and carrying those good vibes through the interview. If the first impression is positive, it creates a subconscious bias where the interviewer could overlook weaker answers later on. If the first impression is negative, it creates a subconscious bias where the interviewer may be overly critical of your remaining answers.

Some studies have shown that "roughly 5% of decisions were made within the first minute of the interview, and nearly 30% within five minutes", and "the largest block, 52% of interviewers make their decision about a candidate in between five and fifteen minutes of the interview." That means 35% of interviewers make a decision on candidates in the first five minutes and 87% in the first fifteen minutes!

Tell Me About Yourself

"Tell me about yourself," or some iteration of that question is the single most common interview question asked and is a natural starting point for most interviews. As a career advisor, I consistently get feedback from employers that this question is answered poorly. As the interviewee, it may seem like a very unassuming question to get things off on a light foot, but it is critical you answer this well.

"Tell me about yourself" is an open-ended question in its purest form. While behavioural-style questions will give a specific skill, trait, or task to centre your answer around, this question is providing an opportunity for a completely free-form response. If not adequately prepared, candidates tend to ramble, lack flow in their answer, talk in circles and do not connect back to the job description.

If you prepare to answer this question well, you form an impression that shows you are organized, confident, qualified, and understand the job, company, and employer needs. You should expect this question and prepare your talking points in advance for every interview.

To answer this question well, you need to speak for one to two minutes total on three key areas. Those areas are:

1. What are you doing now?
2. What have you done in your past?
3. What are your goals for the future?

Repurpose vs Regurgitate Your Elevator Pitch

It seems simple enough. You can develop an answer to this question and then give that answer in every interview, right? Maybe, you've already created an elevator pitch for networking that could be adapted nicely, right? Wrong!

Not only does your answer need to address each of these areas, but it also needs to provide these answers in the context of the job you are applying for. Depending on the job, company, industry, and sometimes, even information you know about your interviewer, you must adapt your answer to focus on the most impactful things. Tailoring your answer to this question helps show the interviewer three things:

1. You understand the opportunity, company and industry.
2. You demonstrate how your experience and career aspirations align with the opportunity, company, and industry.
3. You show the employer your fit for THIS job, not just ANY job.

When the "tell me about yourself" question is not asked, this process is not wasted as it helps you prepare your key stories. Your key stories help you understand what areas of your experience to focus on for other interview questions.

Don't Forget - Results Matter

Once my clients understand the importance of the question and start preparing, the results are often overlooked. Usually, my clients are one of the many very similarly experienced candidates applying for a role. When answering the "tell me about yourself" question, remember that you are trying to show how you are different from the competition. Whenever possible, be specific about your accomplishments and impacts. What are the things that make you stand out from your peers with similar experiences? For example:

• If you run social media accounts, do you have specific metrics that prove your skills?
• If you made sales did you meet and exceed your sales targets; by how much?
• If you're a waiter, did you get consistently higher tips or get assigned busier shifts?
• If you played sports, were you on the varsity team, did you start, were you captain?

Showing the employer how you have made an impact is as, if not more, important than what you've done. It shows your relative competency compared to people asked to do the same thing, which is, not ironically, the goal of an interview. You are given all the same questions, and you want to answer them better than everyone else.

Starting the process off strong with a great first impression will set you up for success as the process moves forward. Taking the time to prepare for the "tell me about yourself" question is a critical first step in being successful in your interviews.