Tell us about yourself

Jump to section The “tell us about yourself” job interview prompt may seem like a safe question to wing, but trust us: don’t skip your prep. You’ve probably cracked under the pressure of a straightforward question before. Maybe you’ve been asked about your favorite books and felt like you’ve forgotten every title you’ve read. If you’re not prepared, it’s easy to fumble simple answers or come up blank. The “tell us about yourself” question will likely be Many interviewers can tell You need to make those two minutes count. So, how do you craft the perfect answer? Let’s get into it. The (not so) secret meaning behind “tell us about yourself” When a hiring manager hits you with the “tell us about yourself” interview question, they want to: • Determine how well-rounded you are as a candidate. This is an opportunity to show off your diverse work experience and articulate why you’re the best fit for the role. Interviewers also evaluate your personality to determine whether you’re a good • Get the story behind the CV and cover letter. Interviewers want you to walk them through your work history. They want to know what you learned from each job, why you moved on, and where your new role fits into this trajectory. • Ease into the conversation. The interview process is stressful enough. Interviewers don’t want you feeling like it’s an interrogation. “Tell us about yourself” acts as an icebreaker, opening the door to natural back-and-forth rather than launching into an abrasive Q&A ab...

In this article, I’m going to walk you through steps and examples of how to answer the “Tell me about yourself” interview question to impress employers and get more job offers.We’ll also cover the costly mistakes you NEED to avoid if you want to pass this question. Here’s exactly what you’re going to get: • The most-recommended method of how to answer “tell me about yourself” • 8 examples of good answers to “tell me about yourself” for various industries • A shorter, newer method for experienced candidates • How to practice your answer to make sure you’re 100% ready for the interview Let’s get started… Why Do Interviewers Ask “Tell Me About Yourself” “Can you tell me about yourself?” is a common interview question that’s generally delivered as an icebreaker or pathfinder question, right at the start of an interview. It can catch you off your guard because it may seem vague, broad, and somewhat tricky. Honestly though, understanding a bit more about why interviewers ask this question (which is often framed as a command) will give you a clear insight into how to answer. Interviewers ask this question to ease you out of those introductory jitters (that you both feel) and into the nitty-gritty of why you’re there. It’s their way of establishing a direction for the interview because it shows them how you summarize your experience and show its relevance to the job you’re applying for, which in turn tells them what to ask next. Trust me though, your answer needs to be relevant, t...

Few interview questions are as deceptively simple as “Tell me about yourself.” After all, you know all about you, right? So, you shouldn’t have any trouble. While it seems like an open invitation to talk about nearly any aspect of your life, that isn’t what’s happening here. That’s what makes figuring out how to answer “tell me about yourself” so tricky. If you don’t share the right kind of information, your response will miss the mark. But how do you get it right? By checking out a few tips and tell me about yourself sample answers that you can use as a starting point. Let’s get started. Why Do Hiring Managers Ask This Question? So, why do hiring managers ask this question? Do they really want to get to know you better, or do they have another motive? Well, it’s actually a bit of both. First, they want to see how you react to a question asked casually and without structure. Can you offer up a well-structured, informative response that gives them an idea of who you are as a professional? Or do you ramble about personal details that aren’t relevant to the role? Second, they want to get a feel for what you deem to be “important.” The aspects of your career that you highlight give them a surprising number of clues about your preferences, priorities, and values, making it easier for them to assess your mentality and determine if you fit in with the company culture. Overall, hiring managers and recruiters may start making hiring decisions in as little as How to Answer Tell Me A...

‘Tell me about yourself’ is one of the most common job interview questions. It’s also one of the trickiest interview questions for many candidates. What is the interviewer really trying to find out? The truth is the question isn’t that complicated. But it is one of the most important job interview questions as your answer can establish the tone for the rest of the interview. The best way of answering this question is to use your answer to show interviewers why you’re the perfect candidate for the job. You can do this by framing your answer in a way that highlights your experiences, achievements and key skills. Interviewers ask this question to break the ice and get the interview rolling. They also want to learn a bit about your background. When asking this question, interviewers are looking for some insight into your professional life, not your personal life. So focus your answer on your career and use your answer to demonstrate your value as a professional. The key to answering ‘tell me about yourself’ is to prepare your answer in a way that indicates you’re a perfect candidate for the job. But how do you do this? One of the best ways to do this is to tell a short, concise story of your career that focuses on your career’s highlights. Then link this into how you’re an ideal candidate for the job. However, the key to acing this question is to highlight your unique selling point. Your unique selling point is what separates you from other candidates. If you can frame your an...

Jump to section The “tell us about yourself” job interview prompt may seem like a safe question to wing, but trust us: don’t skip your prep. You’ve probably cracked under the pressure of a straightforward question before. Maybe you’ve been asked about your favorite books and felt like you’ve forgotten every title you’ve read. If you’re not prepared, it’s easy to fumble simple answers or come up blank. The “tell us about yourself” question will likely be Many interviewers can tell You need to make those two minutes count. So, how do you craft the perfect answer? Let’s get into it. The (not so) secret meaning behind “tell us about yourself” When a hiring manager hits you with the “tell us about yourself” interview question, they want to: • Determine how well-rounded you are as a candidate. This is an opportunity to show off your diverse work experience and articulate why you’re the best fit for the role. Interviewers also evaluate your personality to determine whether you’re a good • Get the story behind the CV and cover letter. Interviewers want you to walk them through your work history. They want to know what you learned from each job, why you moved on, and where your new role fits into this trajectory. • Ease into the conversation. The interview process is stressful enough. Interviewers don’t want you feeling like it’s an interrogation. “Tell us about yourself” acts as an icebreaker, opening the door to natural back-and-forth rather than launching into an abrasive Q&A ab...

‘Tell me about yourself’ is one of the most common job interview questions. It’s also one of the trickiest interview questions for many candidates. What is the interviewer really trying to find out? The truth is the question isn’t that complicated. But it is one of the most important job interview questions as your answer can establish the tone for the rest of the interview. The best way of answering this question is to use your answer to show interviewers why you’re the perfect candidate for the job. You can do this by framing your answer in a way that highlights your experiences, achievements and key skills. Interviewers ask this question to break the ice and get the interview rolling. They also want to learn a bit about your background. When asking this question, interviewers are looking for some insight into your professional life, not your personal life. So focus your answer on your career and use your answer to demonstrate your value as a professional. The key to answering ‘tell me about yourself’ is to prepare your answer in a way that indicates you’re a perfect candidate for the job. But how do you do this? One of the best ways to do this is to tell a short, concise story of your career that focuses on your career’s highlights. Then link this into how you’re an ideal candidate for the job. However, the key to acing this question is to highlight your unique selling point. Your unique selling point is what separates you from other candidates. If you can frame your an...

In this article, I’m going to walk you through steps and examples of how to answer the “Tell me about yourself” interview question to impress employers and get more job offers.We’ll also cover the costly mistakes you NEED to avoid if you want to pass this question. Here’s exactly what you’re going to get: • The most-recommended method of how to answer “tell me about yourself” • 8 examples of good answers to “tell me about yourself” for various industries • A shorter, newer method for experienced candidates • How to practice your answer to make sure you’re 100% ready for the interview Let’s get started… Why Do Interviewers Ask “Tell Me About Yourself” “Can you tell me about yourself?” is a common interview question that’s generally delivered as an icebreaker or pathfinder question, right at the start of an interview. It can catch you off your guard because it may seem vague, broad, and somewhat tricky. Honestly though, understanding a bit more about why interviewers ask this question (which is often framed as a command) will give you a clear insight into how to answer. Interviewers ask this question to ease you out of those introductory jitters (that you both feel) and into the nitty-gritty of why you’re there. It’s their way of establishing a direction for the interview because it shows them how you summarize your experience and show its relevance to the job you’re applying for, which in turn tells them what to ask next. Trust me though, your answer needs to be relevant, t...

Few interview questions are as deceptively simple as “Tell me about yourself.” After all, you know all about you, right? So, you shouldn’t have any trouble. While it seems like an open invitation to talk about nearly any aspect of your life, that isn’t what’s happening here. That’s what makes figuring out how to answer “tell me about yourself” so tricky. If you don’t share the right kind of information, your response will miss the mark. But how do you get it right? By checking out a few tips and tell me about yourself sample answers that you can use as a starting point. Let’s get started. Why Do Hiring Managers Ask This Question? So, why do hiring managers ask this question? Do they really want to get to know you better, or do they have another motive? Well, it’s actually a bit of both. First, they want to see how you react to a question asked casually and without structure. Can you offer up a well-structured, informative response that gives them an idea of who you are as a professional? Or do you ramble about personal details that aren’t relevant to the role? Second, they want to get a feel for what you deem to be “important.” The aspects of your career that you highlight give them a surprising number of clues about your preferences, priorities, and values, making it easier for them to assess your mentality and determine if you fit in with the company culture. Overall, hiring managers and recruiters may start making hiring decisions in as little as How to Answer Tell Me A...