“Tell Me About Yourself” is one of the most common interview questions to date, yet so many job seekers hesitate and stumble over their responses. Although this seems like an easy question, your answer will set the tone for the rest of the interview. This question transitions the initial hellos into the actual interview, and it is essentially their first impression of you. Keep these tips in mind when preparing for this question:
- Be positive, confident, and professional. Regardless of how comfortable you feel throughout your interview, be sure to keep it professional. This is not the time to talk about why you are leaving a company or speak negatively about old colleagues. Instead, let this “intro” be the highlight reel of your career path.
- Keep it concise, and do not recite your resume. Rather than going through your resume step-by-step, share details about yourself or experiences that they have not read about prior. Definitely touch on experiences that relate to the current position you’re applying for, but don’t feel the need to go through every bullet point, anecdote, etc.
- Leave them interested in learning more about you. What can you say that would spark their interest to get to know you better? Share something that they will remember you by.
This is the opportunity to share a snippet about you, your story, and why you would be a great addition to their team. So, how can you best answer this question? Our team at Talent Navigation Experts suggests that one of the best ways to respond is by highlighting key experiences from prior and current jobs and ultimately tying them to the role in which you are applying. Keep our tips in mind, and practice your response out loud, so you can nail this answer in real-time.
If you’re looking for additional interview preps, check out our Interview Tips here. Best of luck in your next interview!
