Make Your Response Relevant to the Role You’re Applying For
When your interviewer asks “Tell me about yourself” you want to make sure your response applies to the position you’re interviewing for. Don’t give your entire life story from childhood to now, that’s not what they meant when they asked you to talk about yourself. Talk about the experience and skills you have that make you a good match for the position. You also don’t want to just read off your resume. Take the time to discuss your experience like a story, make it personal and bring it to life. Give the recruiter the best examples as to why you’d thrive in the position.
Be Aware of Your Tone
When you’re asked to talk about yourself, you want to avoid two things: sounding like a disinterested, boring robot; and sounding like an overly excited lunatic. Instead, you want to find an even middle ground between professional and passionate. Be excited, yet reserved when you’re speaking; you don’t need to be jumping out of your chair. It’s your story so tell it with some energy. Just make sure you stay on topic and don’t start rambling about things that aren’t important for the position.
Know Who You Are Talking To
An interview is essentially a glorified conversation, and just like any conversation it’s important to know your audience. The way you say something can be interpreted differently depending on who it is you’re speaking to. When it comes time to talk about yourself, make sure that your approach is appropriate for the interviewer you’re speaking with. If it’s someone who knows the gritty details of the position or has experience in the role you’re interviewing for, then talk about specific skills and traits that directly line up with the positions requirements. If you’re speaking with a manager who has a rough idea of the position, then stick to general ideas and big picture topics. They may not have the know-how to discuss the technical details of the position and doing so may just confuse them.
Formula for Answering
Lily Zhang, a Manager of Graduate Student Professional Development at the MIT Media Lab and a writer for The Muse, has devised an easy to follow formula for building a response to this common yet tricky to answer question. Start with the present, transition to the past, and touch on the future. This is by no means a be all end all approach, and you are encouraged to find a response technique that works best for you. However, her approach provides a good foundation, and she recommends the following*:
- Present: Talk a little bit about what your current role is, the scope of it, and perhaps a big recent accomplishment.
- Past: Tell the interviewer how you got there and/or mention previous experience that’s relevant to the job and company you’re applying for.
- Future: Segue into what you’re looking to do next and why you’re interested in this gig (and a great fit for it, too).
*All credit given to Lily Zhang and the Muse for developing the answer formula. Be Sure to check them out for more great tips