what to write when someone says tell me about yourself

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2. How To Answer "Tell Me About Yourself" in an Interview

How To Answer "Tell Me Near Yourself" in an Interview

Past Indeed Editorial Team

March 9, 2022

Open-ended interview questions or prompts like "Tell me about yourself" are frequently asked at the beginning of in-person or video interviews to get the conversation started. Other examples include "walk me through your resume," "tell me something most yourself that'southward not on your resume" and "draw yourself."

These questions are likely to pop up at every stage of the interview process—from telephone screen to final rounds. Information technology's natural to be thrown past their ambiguity and it can be difficult to identify what the interviewer really wants to know. Merely there is an opportunity for you here in that your interviewer is allowing you to cull how to reply.

In this article, we offer tips on what to avert in your answer to the "tell me about yourself" interview prompt, how to structure your response and how you can go started also as detailed "tell me about yourself" sample answers.

Related video: Tell Me Nigh Yourself: Top half dozen Example Answers for a Job Interview
This video was designed to show you how to respond this tough interview question past showcasing keen responses across a variety of task industries.

Why employers ask "tell me about yourself"

"Tell me about yourself," or questions like it, are common at the showtime of interviews equally they ease both you and the interviewer into the interview. Information technology allows the interviewer to hear a short summary of your background and skills, giving them insight into what feel and qualifications yous think are most relevant to the position you're interviewing for.

It'southward also non lost on employers that although it's a common interview question, information technology still has the trend to fluster or stump candidates. By answering this question well, you are setting the tone for the interview every bit someone who is confident, good under pressure and attentive to the qualifications of the position.

Some interviewers might approach this question as an icebreaker by using your response to spark casual conversation to go to know you better while others may movement directly into other interview questions afterward y'all answer.

Image clarification

Tips on responding to "Tell me nearly yourself":

1. First by discussing your current situation

2. Work backward by hit fundamental points forth your professional journeying

3. Connect your background, interests and qualifications back to the chore

Planning your answer

Even for mutual interview questions, it can be hard to go started crafting your response. To keep you on track, here are a few questions to ask yourself as you begin means to answer and construction your reply:

• What qualities make you a great fit for this position? Think of what makes you stand out every bit a chore applicant for this role. Perhaps information technology'south your years of experience or some highly desired specialization, preparation or technical skills. Review the task description closely and note ways that you exceed the requirements.

• Why are you lot interested in the office? Brainstorm why this position excites yous, how information technology fits into your larger career goals and why you feel it's the best next step.

• Why are y'all interested in the company or the manufacture? Afterward y'all've spent time researching the visitor and the industry, you should have a meliorate sense of the mission, goals and trends impacting the industry. Do these align with the professional goals you've gear up for yourself? What do you like and respect well-nigh the visitor equally a whole? What excites you about the future of the industry? As y'all start edifice your resume, tie together similarities amongst your professional goals, the future vision of the company and industry trends yous feel are particularly important.

• What are the positive traits or characteristics you possess that volition serve you lot well in this role? For example, take friends or colleagues described y'all as especially organized? Curious? Entrepreneurial? Generous? Call back about how you've long thought of yourself or how others have seen yous. Then, call up of recent examples from your life when you lot embodied that characteristic.

• Is there something unique nigh your background that makes you stand out from other applicants? As we've mentioned, this is one of the most common interview questions. Therefore, interviewers have heard this answered fourth dimension and time again. Try to remember of something that will hook the interviewer. For example, maxim something like, "I've been building computers since I was 8 years old," when applying for a developer office is likely to make an interviewer's ears perk up.

Related: Interview Question: "Why Are You Interested in This Position?"

How to reply "tell me almost yourself"

How you lot answer to the "tell me almost yourself" question can prepare the tone for the rest of the interview. Overall, when you practice your respond, you want to tell a great story about yourself that you can share in 2 minutes or less. In your response, do the following:

one. Mention past experiences and proven successes as they relate to the position. Brainstorm by rereading the job clarification. Take notation of the required skills that you lot have and place contempo actions that demonstrate them (review the STAR method to practice telling groovy stories in your interviews). Ideally, you should draw primarily from recent professional feel; however, volunteer work can also back up your narrative while demonstrating a commitment to your customs.

2. Consider how your current job relates to the job you're applying for. Is it a more senior role? If so, explain how you are taking on more than responsibilities in your current position. If y'all are making a lateral transition to a function with unlike skills, describe how your electric current skills translate into the new position.

3. Focus on strengths and abilities that you lot tin can support with examples. When you start building the script of each example, focus on details and outcomes that y'all tin can quantify if possible. For example, stating that you "improved customer service" is less impactful than "increased customer service response rates each quarter past 10% to 15%." If yous don't have the exact information, gauge a realistic value.

4. Highlight your personality to intermission the ice. Since the "tell me about yourself" interview question is about getting to know you, it's a good thought to share your personality with your interviewer—but not personal details. Yous may want to briefly mention hobbies that demonstrate intellectual development and/or community engagement (due east.g., reading, music, sports league, volunteering) or those that showcase personal discipline and accomplishment (e.thousand., learning a new skill, training for a one-half marathon). Discussing personal interests is a expert manner to wrap up your response while maintaining a professional tone.

v. Format your response. For your response to be articulate and curtailed, yous'll want to make sure you organize your answer following a format or formula. In that location are 2 mutual formulas y'all may consider:

• Present, Past and Future

• Past, Present and Future

Both of these formulas piece of work for your response, but y'all may choose one over the other based on the roles from your experience that are most relevant to the position you're interviewing for. For example, if your about recent role highlights many of the skills and qualifications that are required for the role you're interviewing with, you may desire to pb with the present. Still, if yous're making a career transition and your past experience is more closely related to the office than your current position, you may want to lead with your by.

Related: Interview Question: "What Skills Can You Bring to the Job?"

Related video: How to Answer "Tell Me About Yourself" Interview Question - 5 Primal Tips and Example Response
Jen, a certified career double-decker at Indeed, shares her recommended strategy for approaching this mutual interview question.

Case answers to "tell me almost yourself"

Sometimes seeing an example can be helpful, though each person's "tell me about yourself" respond will exist different. Below are a few short scripts showing how this question can highlight someone'southward strengths supported by successful results in less than two minutes:

Example ane

"I began my career in retail management, but a few years agone, I was drawn to the health intendance infinite. I've always been skilled at bringing people together and working toward common goals. My experience successfully leading teams and managing stores led me to consider administration, and I've been building a career as a driven wellness ambassador for the last iv years.

"In my current function at XYZ Medical Heart, the efficiency of the role has been a personal focus, specially as it relates to patient outcomes. I set and oversee goals related to section budget and patient volume. Final yr, I worked with our IT department to implement a communication organization for scheduling procedures and protocols to ensure that all departments were adequately staffed at all times. With our new online scheduling portal, we increased communication efficiency by 20%.

"To stay informed about their ongoing concerns, I hold regular meetings with physicians, nurses and other health care staff. In my role, I likewise manage marketing and advertising efforts on behalf of the center. I've been really enjoying that part of my work and I'grand especially interested in bringing the experience I've gained equally well as my commitment to efficiency to the squad at ABC Health.

"Outside of the office, I'm an avid reader and I love to hike. On weekends, you might detect me at the local bookstore or exploring hiking trails in the area."

Example two

"I've been passionate about design since I was a kid. My parents remodeled their house when I was in high schoolhouse and allowed me to play an active role in the interior design plans. I knew then that I wanted to pursue interior design as my career. I studied interior design at Savannah Higher of Fine art and Pattern and graduated four years ago.

"Since college, I've been working at an interior design firm in Savannah, Georgia. During my time there, I've been able to build my portfolio by designing both residential and commercial spaces. My feel at the house has built up my proficiencies in billing and cutting-edge technologies and allowed me to build strong relationships with local suppliers. The most rewarding part of my job has been working in Savannah's historic buildings. This experience has familiarized me with best-in-class building preservation.

"Moving forward, I would love to work at a pattern firm such every bit yours that specializes in the pattern and preservation of historical buildings. I believe my experience and passion for preservation volition allow me to be a peachy asset to your design squad."

Example 3

"Currently, I piece of work at XYZ Restaurant as a hostess. I've been there for just over two years. My responsibilities include greeting and seating customers, assessing expect times, fulfilling to-go orders and answering the phones. I love the lively and decorated environment of XYZ Restaurant—we often have Fri and Sabbatum wait times of one 60 minutes or more.

"Before working at XYZ Eating place, I worked in retail as a flooring acquaintance for a twelvemonth. This role really developed my customer service skills every bit I was consistently assisting customers in the store. Information technology also equipped me with the ability to work in a team environment.

"I am looking to further develop my client service and trouble-solving skills equally a hostess in a restaurant environment. I am interested in your eating place specifically as information technology has a great reputation for delivering outset-in-form customer service to your patrons while being in a lively and dynamic environs."

Fundamentally, "tell me about yourself" really boils down to "what do yous want the interviewer to recollect almost you lot?" Answering this opening question finer gives you the ability to make a good first impression and structure the rest of the interview to your do good.

Related: List of Character Traits to Employ While Interviewing

Dos and don'ts for answering "tell me virtually yourself" in an interview

To recap, here is a list of ways to answer this common interview question also as items to consider fugitive.

Exercise

• Connect personal strengths to supporting examples.

• Continue your response to 2 minutes or less.

• Focus on details and outcomes you can quantify.

• Speak to what sets you lot autonomously from other candidates.

• Mention past experiences and proven successes.

• Align your current job responsibilities to the office.

• Avert mentioning personal data related to your marital status, children, political or religious views.

• Highlight your personality.

• Avoid rushing into deeper conversations nearly the office and company.

• Connect your skills to the job description.

• Briefly mention hobbies, intellectual development and community involvement.

• Write down an instance respond and exercise.

Don't

• Mention highly personal information such as marital status, children, political or religious affiliations, etc. These can exist sensitive topics that might work against you as a candidate, not to mention such details should not exist factors for the employer in determining your ability to perform the job.

• List multiple, vague strengths without supporting examples. Instead, you may desire to choose two or three qualities almost yourself. Support each with short, polished stories that tin be supported by your work experience.

• Memorize your response. While it's skilful to practise and memorize your central points, you don't want to memorize your answer word for discussion equally it has the potential to come across every bit robotic and unnatural.

• Summarize your resume word for give-and-take. Instead, discuss loftier points that are relevant to the position.

• Rush into conversations regarding what you're looking for in the function or how the visitor can do good you lot—save such topics for the final stages of the interview procedure when they are sold on you as a candidate and you lot have more leverage.

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Source: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/interview-question-tell-me-about-yourself

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