How many times have you felt anxious about answering this in an interview?
It’s the one question that you’ll hear a version of in every single interview.
“Tell me about yourself.”
No matter what industry you’re in, or what level you’re at in your career, most likely you’ve heard some version of this question every time you’re in an interview.
Why is it that despite the natural human tendency to enjoy talking about ourselves, we all seem to get nervous when we hear that question? It seems so simple, and yet it’s actually complex.
“How do I know if I’m saying too much, or not enough?”
“What if this gives them the wrong first impression of me?”
“What are they really looking for?”
These are just a few of the questions that may be running through your mind.
But by asking the right questions and preparing your answer long before the interview, you can eliminate the panic and use this question to your advantage!
Here’s what they really want to know.
The best place to start is to understand what the interviewer really wants to know when they ask you about yourself.
It’s easy to forget that the interview process is less about you and more about the needs of the company. This doesn’t mean that you should underestimate your value or overlook your priorities and needs! It means that the interview exists because the organization has identified a gap in their team, and their goal is to find a person who can meet that need.
In the interview process, the company’s goal is to determine if you are the best person to contribute to their team in a way that fills the needs they have identified. With that in mind, you can better understand what they’re really asking you to describe about yourself.
You have significant value as an individual, and that should be recognized by your future employer. However, this question is not the time to go into detail about your personal life. What they are looking for with this question is for you to describe the value that you add to their team for this specific role.
Connect your experience and expertise with the job you’re interviewing for.
Understand the needs that the organization has identified, and use those needs as a guide to determine your most relevant areas of expertise. Focus on the information that will inform the interviewer that you have a combination of skills and experience that will help the company to achieve its goals.
What you bring to the job is not limited to skills and experience that are specific to the role. You’ve had many different experiences throughout your life, along with your personality, background and culture, and all of these are part of your unique value.
The challenge with answering this question is that it’s easy to get caught up in trying to express the full value of all of the aspects of what we have to offer.
Again, this is not the time to go into great detail about your professional work history or every life experience. Your answer should highlight what the company needs to know about you to understand that you are the best fit for the job. The better you can connect your experience and abilities with the gaps they have on their team, the easier it will be for them to extend an offer to you.
Set yourself apart as the person they need to fill this role.
Your goal is to stand out as the best candidate for the job. This means that you need to go beyond the fact that you meet all of the qualifications they’re looking for. You need to give them a reason to hire you, based on the unique way that you can meet the needs they have.
During the interview process, your future employer is speaking with several qualified candidates. They’ve narrowed down their talent pool to the few they believe would be the most successful in the open position.
This means that you are not the only person who could do a great job for the organization.
Don’t let this intimidate you; use it to motivate you to communicate what sets you apart from the competition!
What do you have that not every other candidate has?
Maybe you have cross-cultural experience, expertise from an adjacent industry, or a different educational background than most people in the position. These are just a few examples of ways that you might want to highlight a unique perspective you bring to the role.
This question is the perfect opportunity to reveal your extraordinary ability to impact the company, beyond the qualifications they’ve articulated.
Keep your answer brief and memorable.
One of the most common mistakes candidates make is in trying to explain too much detail about their professional experience when answering the question “Tell me about yourself.”
Your goal is to be memorable to the interviewer!
Start by asking yourself what you want the person to remember about you after the conversation ends. Select three main messages that you want to communicate, and use this to guide you in preparing your answer.
As humans, if we are given too much information at one time, we probably won’t remember most of it. With that in mind, keep your answer brief and focused.
The more succinct you are in your communication, the more likely it is that the interviewer will remember your key messages.
Practice, practice, practice!
One of the best ways to ensure that you highlight the most important information in answering this question is to practice.
Once you’ve determined what you want to communicate and how you want to be remembered, take some time to practice giving your answer. Ask friends or family members to act like the interviewer and allow you to give them your answer without relying on your notes. As you practice, you’ll become more comfortable, which will allow you to answer more naturally and to let your personality shine through.
Another fantastic way to prepare is by recording yourself answering the question on video. This is particularly helpful for virtual interviews, because it allows you to see how you come across over the video.
When you’re able to speak comfortably and naturally, you come across as confident and competent!
With the right preparation, you can stop dreading this common interview question and use “Tell me about yourself” as an opportunity to emphasize the key messages that reveal your unique value, make you impossible to forget, and set you apart as the best person to meet the company’s talent gaps.