How to Answer "Tell Me About Yourself" in a Job Interview
“Tell me about yourself” is one of the common interview questions you will encounter when you are job hunting. You might hear it as, “Tell me something about yourself that is not on your resume”, or even “Walk me through your resume.” These questions serve as an icebreaker and transition to help employers get to know you as an individual and as a professional.
It may sound perfectly harmless, but jobseekers still tend to panic and overthink such an open-ended question. Answering this sets the tone of the conversation of the whole interview. It is a great opportunity to demonstrate your personality and your skill of communicating clearly and effectively with confidence.
Knowing how to answer basic questions like “tell me about yourself” gives you a great way to start on the right foot as a jobseeker. Here are a few tips to help you craft your winning response.
How to answer “Tell me about yourself” in a job interview
1. Prepare your elevator pitch
Many jobseekers make the mistake of answering this question too personally. Some even launch into their life story; some rehash their resume, going point-by-point through their work experience.
Write down key talk points to answer the "tell me about yourself" question. A simple and effective formula for structuring your response is discussing your present situation, past experiences, and future goals. This formula will help you craft a brief and concise account of your background.
2. List your strengths and abilities
It is a good idea to inject your personality with your interviewer by sharing what you can bring to the table. Briefly mention your hobbies and relate them to your skills, like mentioning your community engagement through volunteering or demonstrating your interest in the field by upskilling.
The best way to insert your strengths and abilities into the conversation is by remembering the STAR method: share a situation, your task in the situation, the actions you did in the situation, and the results you achieved. It is a great way of telling your story and highlighting the arc of your professional development.
3. Tailor your answer with the role and employer
Do your homework and spend time studying the job description. It is important to know your audience to sell yourself better. Research the company and figure out how you can incorporate your experiences to make yourself stand out from other jobseekers.
Employers have a predetermined set of skills and abilities they are looking for. It is important to highlight those qualities in your answer. Show your interest in the position by mentioning keywords from the job description to incorporate your skills that align with the job responsibilities and company goals.
4. Articulate your goals
Inject your passion into your answer. Explain why you are excited about the opportunities the role offers in achieving your long-term goals. The most successful responses to the "tell me about yourself" question are closely related to meeting your potential employer's goals.
You want your potential employer to remember you when you walk out of the room. Concluding your answer with your goals and motivation leaves a lasting impression of your passion and interest in the role.
5. Practice and plan
When you have your talk points at hand, practice—but don't memorise. Practice in front of a mirror to ease yourself into a conversation. An employer can see through a jobseeker's body language and speech pattern. It is important to stay confident and relaxed.
Do a mock interview with a friend or a relative. This will help you get insight into how you present and conduct yourself in front of other people. Better yet, record yourself with your phone to help time your answer and trim it down if needed. Practice until it becomes natural for you to give a smooth answer without forgetting important details.
| Sample Answer:"I'm a marketing and communications professional with great interest in producing engaging content with the use of data analytics. I graduated from ABC University with a degree in Marketing and Business Administration. I developed and polished my organisational, written, and oral communication skills through academic work and volunteering to promote school-related activities. After graduating, I first got into the industry, working as a Marketing Assistant at Company XYZ. There I provided administrative support with interdepartmental communication, helped with copy creation, and made sure the client's message was aligned with all materials in the campaigns I've worked on. After three years in the position, I decided to pursue my passion for engaging the audience with relevant content by combining my interest in SEO and my written communication skills. I learned this position offers both because your company utilises digital data to produce content which I see fits my interests and where I can further polish my skills at the same time contribute to your business success." |
Answering "Tell me about yourself" with confidence is the first step in connecting with your potential employer and a great chance to distinguish yourself from other jobseekers. Keep practising your story to make sure it reflects your passion and the detail you have put into your response. Preparing for interviews is key in placing your best foot forward to your dream job.
Ace your job interview with preparation. Visit our Career Resources Hub for more job interview tips and jobseeking advice.
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SEEK Asia, a combination of two leading brands JobStreet and JobsDB, is the leading job portal and Asia's preferred destination for candidates and hirers. SEEK Asia’s presence span across 7 countries namely Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam. SEEK Asia is part of the Australian Securities Exchange-listed SEEK Limited Company, the world's largest job portal by market capitalisation. SEEK Asia attracts over 400 million visits a year.
About SEEK Limited
SEEK is a diverse group of companies, comprising a strong portfolio of online employment, educational, commercial and volunteer businesses. SEEK has a global presence (including Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, South-East Asia, Brazil and Mexico), with exposure to over 2.9 billion people and approximately 27 per cent of global GDP. SEEK makes a positive contribution to people’s lives on a global scale. SEEK is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, where it is a top 100 company and has been listed in the Top 20 Most Innovative Companies by Forbes.
