How to Answer Interview Question “Tell Me About Yourself” (Ultimate Guide)

You’ve crunched through and produced an incredible resume. You are a confident and commendable worker, ready to pull through with the capturing of your dream job. You are a rockstar. You’ve finally reached the interview process, pressed your best suit and sat with readying adrenaline. Then, as the sweat beings to pull from your palms’ pores, the interviewer asks you to “Tell me about yourself.”

Gulp

What a strange question. How does one even begin to explain themself? Do you start from the beginning, starting from your first toddler memory? Or do you focus entirely on your work history? You don’t want to sound like a workaholic, but you don’t want to sound like you don’t care about work, either. A job-winning test has now been placed upon your shoulders. What do you do?

As a staffing agency, we know a thing or two about interviewing. It’s what we do, after all. Furthermore, we know just how stressful broad questions like that can be. Ultimately, we want you to win every job you apply for, so we’re going to share our knowledge. The secret sauce, if you will.

Here is the ultimate guide to how to answer the dreaded “Tell me about yourself.”

Why Ask the Question?

More than likely, you got to this article by looking into our Top 32 Interview Questions to Ask Candidates. If you didn’t, we will give a quick overview of what we said about the question there.

If you did read this but are still seeking more information and tips, you are in the right place.

Ultimately, the interviewer wants to know about you and your work history. They also want to see exactly how you formulate and answer such broad questions. Have no fear, it’s highly unlikely that the hiring manager is looking for a specific answer. Having a specific answer in mind when asking such a big question is an impossible task. The key is not in what exactly you say, but in how you say it. How prepared, confident and on-task you are.

Let’s get into it!

Plan Your Answer Ahead

Some of us are born with the gift of gab. Some of us can walk into a new space, shake hands and craft a verbal tale worth novels and essays. Unfortunately, this is an abnormal and highly-touted ability. Most of us find a boulder lodged between our tonsils when the time comes to speak. If you are frantically searching for interview help, you are probably one of the latter.

That’s okay! While it’s impossible to completely suppress nerves before an interview, it is possible to soothe them. Chill out your anxiety by thinking of your answers ahead of time. Overall, most interviews involve a form of “Tell me about yourself.” The inquiry may not be worded the same, but it will hold the same meaning. Every interviewer is going to ask for a brief bio in some way. Prepare for this every time you prepare for a job interview.

Here are a few things to think about when formulating an answer:

• What are your best qualities as a worker?
• What are your best real-life examples showing your work prowess?
• How do you want to come off? What personality do you want to show?
• Why are you interested in this job and company? How do you fit in with their culture?

We’ll get into the above questions in detail later, but for now, think about them. Ponder over them. Do not formulate and rehearse an answer, though. Walking into an interview with a prepared speech shows that you care enough about the job to prepare, but it doesn’t fit the reason for the question. The interviewer wants to see your personality and ability to speak shine through the forced moment. Babbling off a prepared script doesn’t allow your true self to peak through your answer.

Have your talking points planned ahead. Don’t memorize an answer.

Nothing Over 2 Minutes!

It’s easy to treat the “Tell me about yourself,” question as an overview for the entire interview. In a way, your answer should include a little bit over everything you’ll get into with further questioning. Remember, this is just the interview opening. Everything does not need to be said and jam-packed into your response.

Keep your answer under two minutes. Anything over will drag on, showing you as an employee that cannot be precise and on-topic.

Figure Out a Timeline

When a hiring manager asks you to tell them about yourself, you may tend to stick in one tense. Most of the time, candidates will focus specifically on their past and work history. This makes sense, in theory, but it’s important to pinpoint where you are currently and where you plan to go.

The most simplistic outline would involve either:

• Past, Present, Future
• Present, Past, Future

Ultimately, your choice should revolve around where your most applicable information lies. If your current (or most recent) job has applicable and exception details, that should be led with. If your most recent job is not a one-to-one comparison to the job you are applying for, but your previous job was, then start with the past.

Overall, always end with the future. Every answer should end with what your future goal is and what you look to bring to your next job.

Now, let’s get into what should be in your answer…

Tips on What to Say in Your Answer (With Examples)

Let’s get into the nitty-gritty.

Now, remember, everything here is not necessarily in chronological order. If you believe that you should open with a different part of this list than the first tip listed, that’s okay. Furthermore, all of these things do not need to be included. You can pick and choose the best ones. These tips are here to show you things that you can say and how you should say them. Because you are not scripting an answer, you will have to move fluidly through these different points. It’s useful to keep them in mind. We will get into what not to say later.

1. Open With Your Personality

Though stressful, the question is used to learn about you as a person and worker. It’s awkward for both you and the interviewer. While you don’t want to jump into a full-on biography of your life, you do want to show a little bit about yourself as a person outside of work. Don’t come off as a working robot.

Open (or end) your answer with some information about you as a person. This can involve little nuggets about yourself. Where are you from initially? What are your hobbies? What are you training to do outside of work?

For example, if you are currently training to run a marathon, this is a perfect way to show yourself as a person and demonstrate your dedication and work ethic. There should be a double meaning to your answers. Yes, it tells them about you personally, but it also reflects you in a good working light. If the job is in the publishing industry, then talking about your love for books shows commitment to the field and personality traits.

If you want to infuse some wit, this is the time. When answering more serious questions about work experience later in the interview, humor may be inappropriate. If you want to come off as funny and relaxed, open with it here.

Quick and easy. Briefly describe that you are not just your work.

2. Who You Are

Your next sentence should include who you are as a worker. What is your career? What is your profession?

ObviousThis coincide with the position you are currently applying for. This tip goes back to the time layout mentioned before. If your previous job was not under this new job’s title or industry, go back a bit. Stating that you are the position you are applying for exudes confidence in your ability. If this job is in design and you only have a little design experience (or education) say that you are a designer.

If you make art, you are an artist.

You show confidence in what you are by stating your title, then you show a brief glimpse of your skills and history with quick tidbits about your work ethic.

3. Time for Your Achievements

Now is the time to hit them with the bread and butter. At this point, you need to discuss your applicable work history and the soft skills that make you a worthy candidate for the job.

Once again, this answer should remain brief. If they want to get into more detail, they will ask further questions. “Tell me about yourself,” is just the opening.

Take the time to state your experience in the industry (rather past or present), a quick highlight or achievement and your working skills. This is your time to give your elevator pitch. Sell yourself like the next summer blockbuster. You are a superstar, and you have the track record to prove it.

Magical! Bravo! (Let me pat myself on the back).

Here we stated past experience by naming the company we worked for. Then, we quickly named a few attributes about ourselves and how that lead to promotion. Finally, we did a bit of boasting by stating an achievement that we earned while working at the position. In just a few sentences, we tell the highlights of our time at a previous job. Do this quick overview of the jobs that apply to the one you are applying for.

If you are applying for an entirely new career, then focus heavily on the working achievements of your old jobs. Sure, they may not have been in the same field, but tell them what skills you learned that can apply to your new gig.

4. Back to the Future

Here is where you sell them (not just tell them) about yourself. You have said a little bit about your personality, work experience and job skills. Now is the time to show them why you are here. Demonstrate that you know your audience and have done your research about the company.

Ultimately, state what your dream future looks like in the industry and then get into why you want to work for the company. For example, if your research proves that the company is very passionate about eco-friendly campaigns, then state that your passions align.

Side tip: Companies want candidates that are willing and eager to grow in their positions. Your future endeavors should not be stagnant. Never say that you plan on staying in your same ladder rung. This answer states you don’t want new experiences or responsibilities.

Not only do we show that we strive to grow in our industry, but we complement the company we are applying to and show our research. Flattery is always a plus.

5. Put it all Together Now

Now we have got all the pieces. Let’s see our finished product.

Of course, the specifics and skills will be different for everyone. As a writer, I am not entirely sure this example for a graphic designer is spot-on, but the sentiment still stands. This is the easiest and most effective way to structure your answer to “Tell me about yourself”.

And after all of that, they should be begging you to take the job.

All jokes aside, that’s a crisp, informative and to-the-point answer summarizing your work life up to this point.

The Dos and Don’ts Around “Tell Me About Yourself”

You thought our ultimate guide stopped there? No! It’s the ultimate one for a reason.

Here is a quick fire of the things you should and shouldn’t say during the interview.

Do: Focus on Strengths That You Can Back Up

When labeling your strengths during the “Tell me about yourself” question, make sure to include attributes that you can back up with work examples.

While this doesn’t mean you have to back up every trait that you mention (that would take forever), you should be prepared to further explain each of them. It’s entirely possible that the interviewer will go on to ask you more specific questions about your work history, and you can interweave these traits with real-life examples.

Don’t: Get Too Personal

“Candidates often make mistakes by going off on tangents and discussing personal problems. This indicates that the candidate may be a toxic employee. No one wants to hire a toxic employee.”

Avoid talking too much about your personal life, especially if it includes negativity. This answer requires a bit of focusing and pinpointing. It’s a broad question, so starting to discuss things about yourself that aren’t work-related happens. Don’t do this. This is not the time to tell your personal life story or bash your former employer.

Add a quick sentence about your personal life (hobbies and goals) and move on to work stuff.

If you had a gap in your resume due to health or personal issues, it’s important to clarify it without going into personal detail. We talked about this here.

Do: State Things That Make You Stand Out

If you are gunning for your dream job, there’s a chance that the company is interviewing tons of other applicants. Make sure to state qualities and achievements that make you stand out. Think about this before you go into the interview.

With the research you’ve done, you should be able to tell what the company is looking for in an employee. What strengths and examples do you have that fit into it? What’s a unique achievement you’re really proud of.

Being passionate about your answer and former work is easy to detect. Be passionate!

Don’t: State Vague Attributes

As we said, make sure to have examples to back up all of your points. Avoid saying vague attributes, can’t be backed up with proof, or aren’t unique.

“I am hardworking. I love work. All of my former bosses say I work too much, actually.”

Everyone says they are hardworking. Yeah, yeah. Do you have proof of that? Has your hard work paid off with countless promotions? Then that’s what you should focus on, not just the adjective.

Do: Highlight Your Teams When Applicable

While the point of the question is to tell the hirer about yourself, it’s important to demonstrate teamwork skills and unselfishness.

Show you are a team player and leader by stating ‘we’ instead of ‘I’ in your team-based achievements. For example, if you lead a team to win an award in your field, state “My team and I won the (award) in 2018. I had a fantastic crew. We managed to raise the business’ income by 50%.”

Just stating ‘we’ shows that you give credit where credit is due. It does not take away from your achievements but builds upon your positive attributes as a worker.

Don’t: Summarize Your Resume

The interviewer already has your resume. That is why they brought you to the interview in the first place. Do not go through your resume point-by-point. This is your time to tell the company about your achievements and personality, not just reiterate what has already been written.

Overall, the interviewer wants to see how you are as a person, not just a name on a paper. Be open and relaxed. Let your true (professional) self shine through.

Important Things to Remember

– First Impressions Are Key

No pressure (ha), but “Tell me about yourself” is likely to be the first question an interviewer asks. Henceforth, this is your first chance to speak and represent yourself.

First impressions are the most important impressions. It’s difficult, but you should answer this question wonderfully. Show them who you are right off the bat. Show them you are a star.

– Confidence Sells

Confidence is the most important attribute to portray when entering a job interview. Sure. You don’t want to sound braggadocious, but you do want to be sure of your abilities.

Be confident in yourself. Remember who you are and all that you can achieve. You can do this.

– Keep it Professional

Humor is great and all, but know how to read a room. If you have to wonder if a joke is appropriate, it isn’t.

Remember that this is a job interview, not a first date. Yes, you want to portray some personality, but you also want to get hired.

– You Can Pause

Don’t find yourself rambling early into the interview.

You can practice your speech over and over and still get caught off-guard once it’s showtime. If the interviewer asks the question and your mind immediately blanks, it’s okay to pause and think for a second. I promise it doesn’t look as weird as you think it does. Also, it’s not as long of a pause as it feels.

Take a second, breathe and formulate your response. If you did your research (especially reading this giant article) you’ll know what to do and say.

– You’ve Got This!

Remember your worth! You can do it. It’s just an interview and a chance to tell them about yourself. It will only last a few minutes. Then you’ll be back to your life (hopefully with a new job). You will make it through, I promise.

If the interview doesn’t work out, that’s okay. There are always job opportunities out there. Keep going.