Sometimes, what we think are the simplest questions to answer can be the most difficult. Telling an interviewer about yourself can be daunting, as you’ll want to convey the right level of confidence, a likeable personality, the ability to fit into the company’s work culture, and your passion for the role in a concise and clear manner—here’s how you can do just that…

Interview advice for answering, ‘Tell me about yourself’ in an interview:

1.     Think of the question differently

Instead of thinking about where to start with your life story, think of the question as, ‘What is your career background, and what are you responsible for in your current job?’. Thinking of the question this way will lead you to talk about your skills, your previous experience, and what you’re capable of achieving.

However, before you dive straight into your professional background, briefly introduce yourself and who you are, to not only show the interviewer your personality, but to break the ice, which can help both parties to feel comfortable from the get-go.

2.     Practice your answer, but don’t memorise it

One of the best ways to answer the question, ‘tell me about yourself’ is by practising your reply a few times and having a brief mental outline of points you want to touch on throughout the interview.

We recommend practising your answer to this question with a friend or family member or recording your response and replaying it back to find what you can improve on. Is it your confidence, your choice of words, or are you telling too much or too little information? Receiving feedback from practising will give you a better advantage for when the interviewer directs this question at you.

However, don’t overdo it, as memorising a passage might make you sound slightly robotic. There’s a fine line between practising and rehearsing!

3.     Don’t prattle on

An interviewer’s time is crucial, and as a potential employee, you won’t want to take up more of their time than necessary, so it’s important to keep your reply concise rather than rambling about every detail of your career. This will only delay or prevent the interviewer from asking you other important questions and building further rapport.

Our interview advice? Read the room and use your social cues to see if you should expand on certain points of your career or speak less about other parts.

4.     Convey your passion

Although we’ve discussed that you should keep your answer to the question, ‘tell me about yourself’ precise, professional, and down to the point, don’t forget to show how passionate you are about your career as this will make your response memorable while also showing how determined you are to achieve success for their business.

Examples to help you convey how passionate you are about your career:

1. Discuss what inspired you to embark on this career in the first place.
2. Talk about how your expertise fits the position and what you would look forward to achieving in this role.

Have a question for us? If you’re a job seeker on the lookout for your next role, a hiring manager looking to fill a position, or want to know more interview advice, contact us at Humanised Group! We’re here to help you succeed.