The interview question, Tell us about yourself can be tricky because it’s actually four questions in one. On the one hand, you need to give the interviewer an overview of your career and interests, while on the other hand, you need to do this quickly and clearly while also demonstrating that you’re a good fit for the job. Here are 5 different ways to answer the tell us about yourself interview question so that you can give yourself the best possible chance of success in your next interview.
1. List your strengths in detail
When most people answer tell us about yourself with a list of their strengths, they only mention two or three at most. This isn’t good enough – you want to be sure you have time for all of your strengths. Make a list of 5-7 things that set you apart from other candidates, using quantifiable examples whenever possible. Ideally these should be things that will continue to make you valuable as an employee long after your tenure begins (ex: I am always focused on providing high quality work for my clients, not I am easy to get along with). Some ideas include leadership skills, professionalism, consistency and reliability.
2. Focus on goals you can achieve
While you should make it clear that you’re open-minded and willing to tackle whatever is thrown your way, also be sure to emphasize experience in your field. Focus on relevant career goals you can achieve – such as attending conferences, speaking at industry panels or publishing articles — that showcase your industry know-how without being too specific about a particular job. (And make sure those accomplishments are recent; otherwise hiring managers might think you were just lying.) Finally, stay positive and don’t oversell yourself. A simple I hope to work hard and contribute my knowledge wherever possible will do wonders for turning an interview into a job offer.
3. Articulate how you’re unique
Companies are always looking for candidates who can demonstrate they’re truly different from everyone else. That could mean a specific technical skill, like computer programming or management experience. It could also mean that you’ve demonstrated passion in your chosen field through side projects, volunteer work, and extracurricular activities. Either way, if you want an edge on other candidates, you need to make sure you can articulate how and why you’re special. Instead of leaving it up to a hiring manager or recruiter to interpret your resume and cover letter, provide concrete examples that show off exactly what makes you stand out. If there are classes or activities on your resume that don’t show up on theirs?
4. Emphasize team building skills
This is a big one. You can’t emphasize enough how much your ability to work on a team matters in any job setting. Companies value teamwork—and people who can work well on teams—more than they value individual performance or even expertise. I’ve seen people with all of these qualities get passed over for a job because they didn’t fit in with company culture and/or they were unable to perform as part of a team. It may seem like you have no control over whether or not your hiring manager sees you as a strong team player, but it doesn’t hurt to make them aware of your strong teamwork skills anyway!
5. Show how others will benefit from your strengths
If you can’t think of a single example from a work or school project where you went above and beyond what was required, it might be helpful to just imagine one. Describe a time when you worked on something for your job or school that wasn’t required and how it benefitted others: I was in charge of organizing our department’s annual conference last year. Although that responsibility wasn’t part of my job description, I took on leadership roles and showed initiative by staying up late working with graphic designers to make new marketing materials, as well as researching travel packages that would save us money. As a result, we were able to fund more scholarships for underprivileged students than ever before.
By understanding this best ways to answer the tell us about yourself interview question
You are well prepared now to answer any questions an interviewer might ask you. However, it is important that you keep your answers professional. This means that even if you’re passionate about a topic, avoid getting too long-winded or off track; interviewers aren’t interested in lengthy side stories. Your resume and cover letter should have provided enough detail about your past experiences; bring those same skills into your answers during an interview by being concise and conversational. Do not let yourself be tempted into giving rambling replies — interviewers don’t have time for them! Additionally, although these tips will help you figure out how to answer tell us about yourself question well, remember that what works for one person may not work for another.