6 Tips for Answering “Tell Me About Yourself” in a Job Interview

When you’re interviewing for a new job, one of the many questions you’ll likely be asked is "Tell me about yourself." This is often the first question that interviewers ask to help job candidates get comfortable by allowing them to talk about themselves. It also allows the interviewee a chance to expand on their resume.

While the question is designed to establish a personable atmosphere for the interview, it is also an opportunity for the recruiter or hiring manager to get a sense of how prepared the person is for this role. Subjects have a chance to give a brief, open-ended explanation of their experience, hard and soft skills, and what attracted them to the position they’re applying for.

Any answer to the prompt "Tell me about yourself" should, of course, be personal. But there are a few tricks you can learn to tailor your answer and present yourself in the best possible way for your interviewer.

1. 1. Discuss where you were, where you are, and where you want to be. Structure your answer to this question as a linear narrative. Start with where you are (your current job), expand on the past experiences that got you there (your previous experience and training), and discuss how your current and past experiences prepared you for where you want to be (working for the company you’re interviewing at). This will help you cover all the relevant information without losing your train of thought.
2. 2. Keep your talking points relevant to the job description. Talking about yourself is your first chance to show how well-suited you are for the position you're applying for and the company. If you have previous work experience that's relevant to the role, discuss it in your response. If the role you're applying for is completely different from your current role, find a way to talk about how you've successfully tackled unfamiliar tasks in the past.
3. 3. Keep it brief. This is an open-ended question, but job interviewers are not looking to hear your life story. Try not to talk longer than two minutes. If you can sense the interviewer getting bored, wrap it up. You don’t want to ramble.
4. 4. Stick to your professional experience. While interviewers want you to be relaxed and comfortable in the interview, it is important to remember that it is still a professional interaction. Avoid overly familiar language, personal details, and irrelevant anecdotes.
5. 5. Explain your personal connection to the work. When appropriate, it can be good to explain your personal connection to the field that you want to work in. This can convey how passionate you are about the work.
6. 6. Prepare, but keep it natural. “Tell me about yourself” is often the first job interview question you will be asked, and you only get one chance at a first impression. Prepare an answer before going into the interview so that you have a starting point for the question. At the same time, try not to over-rehearse too much at the risk of sounding canned.

Here are a few sample answers to give you an idea of how you might structure your own answer to this common interview question.

1. 1. To emphasize your passion for the company’s mission. "My current job is in PR at a tech startup and before that, I worked as an administrative assistant for a nonprofit that offered counseling and services to the LGBTQ community. In both of those roles, I found the work environments challenging and rewarding. However, I am looking to move back into a communications role that has a positive human impact. This is why this position with your environmental research organization is so exciting."
2. 2. To explain your personal passion in the particular field. "I've always been interested in design. I designed my high school’s monthly magazine and persuaded our editors to move from a simple black and white format to a more graphically engaging color print. After completing college I started in an entry-level position as a web designer for a clothing label and moved up to lead designer within two years. Since then, I've worked as a freelancer for a number of brands, but am looking to return to a full-time position, and to work with a strong team of designers like you have at your company."
3. 3. To explain your wealth of experience in a relevant field. "Absolutely! I've worked in coding for six years, initially helping to build apps for retail businesses but eventually moving into gaming. I love working in the gaming industry. In my last job, I developed the character movement for a major game. I found problem-solving for the intricacy of the character's facial movements was really rewarding. I'm looking to move into a role where I can sink my teeth into more detail-oriented work like that, which is why I was so thrilled to see the opening for this role.”

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