How to Answer “Tell Me About Yourself”

An interview often comprises of various questions, which helps the interviewer know more about the candidate and his/her abilities. The most frequently asked question in an interview is “Tell me about yourself?” It is one of the trickiest and an interviewer’s favorite question. It is mainly asked in the very beginning of an interview to break the ice and create a comfortable atmosphere for the interviewee. Why the trickiest? Since this question is very crucial and gives the interviewer an insight about the candidate and his or her abilities.

This question might seem fairly simple to answer, but the reality is you tend to fumble and re-think if you know anything at all about yourself this is a dilemma faced by most candidates in an interview. But the question here is what is the ideal answer to this question? Is the interviewer looking at knowing more about what you do in your personal life? Or he/she wants to know more about your professional life?

Interviewers often ask this question to know more about your professional life, your achievements and lastly your confidence.

Let us look at some Do’s and Don’ts of how to answer “tell me about yourself?”

Don’ts-

1. Avoid giving Personal information: It is often better to avoid giving too much personal information about yourself such as your family details, personal problems, life struggles, etc. An employer is not going to hire you on the basis of having cute children or pity you for having family problems. So it is advised that you don’t give too much personal information while talking about yourself.

3. Don’t Brag!: It is advised that you don’t brag about yourself and your personal achievements way too much. In interviews, the employer or the hiring manager is often looking at knowing you more about your professional life over your personal life.
4. Don’t give silly reasons for leaving your previous job.

Do’s-

1. Speak about Your qualifications: Summarize what you have done that qualifies you for this opportunity. Don’t recite what is on your resume or job application, but don’t assume that the interviewers, who may have been interviewing several candidates, remember your qualifications. These are the qualifications that make it clear that you are a very good candidate for the job.

3. Reason for application: State reasons for application and tell the interviewer why you feel this job and the company is perfect for you while you speak about how you helped the previous company reach success on the basis of your hard work and abilities.
4. Carefully review the job description to note where you meet or exceed the requirements, and
5. Research the company, and
6. Identify, catalog, list, and review your expertise, strengths, and unique value.
7. Practice, practice, practice so you sound natural and confident.
8. Talk about extracurricular activities.

We hope these Do’s and Don’ts help you out while you go for your job interview. We wish you good luck and success.