How to Answer Tell Me About Yourself [3 Simple Ideas]

Interviews

Jan 6

If you’re here it’s most likely because you’re preparing for an upcoming interview. Unfortunately, this question isn’t a hard one to prepare for but there’s a lot of confusing and contradictory information about it.

One top-ranking article (not mine) contains several ideas from different “coaches,” but most of them contradict one another. Stuff like this doesn’t help job seekers, so today I want to pull the best answers from coaches that I respect and trust. You’ll also notice that because they know what they’re talking about, all of their answers tend to be similar and follow the same set of principles.

Bottom line, this isn’t a trick question. Don’t overthink it. The most important thing you can do is consider the context of the question.

If you were asked this question at a baby shower, you would probably talk about your kids. But in this case, you’re in a professional setting, so it’s best to talk about professional things. You’re also in an interview setting, so talking about skills for the job and your background as it relates to the job makes sense.

Let’s break down this common interview question and I’ll show you why it’s very easy to answer.

Why This Question Matters (Even Though It’s Dumb)

Okay, I don’t actually think the question itself is dumb, but I do think the way many of us ask it is rather frustrating. Nonetheless, I think it is important to be prepared for it, but not with a rehearsed elevator pitch. I’ll get into that in a little bit.

This question matters because it’s usually the first question asked after the small talk ends and it sets up the rest of the interview. It’s a transition question. It can set the tone for what’s to come and it can give you the opportunity to set the stage for what you want to discuss.

It’s a great way to get in front of anything before they bring it up and depending on what you say, it will most likely lead to the few questions you receive.

Why Employers Ask the Question

Contrary to what some say, I don’t think this is a trick question. Old career books used to portray it this way, but I think they’re wrong. With that being said, there isn’t one reason an interviewer asks this question. I’ve found it’s usually one of the following:

They don’t know how to transition into the interview and they think this is an easy icebreaker question. It’s like one of those things we just do, like shaking hands or nodding at someone as we cross paths.
They are hoping you will begin to fill in gaps that your resume doesn’t tell. A resume only tells so much, and they’re hoping that you will kick the conversation off by giving them more information.
They actually want to get to know who you are as a person. Yes, sometimes it really is just that.

Interviewers come in all shapes and sizes. I’ve worked with thousands of hiring managers. Some spend the majority of their interview time getting to know a candidate on a personal level. I don’t know why they do; it seems a little silly to me at this point, but they do. Others are straight to business.

If you don’t know what the interview is asking you, ask them. Amy Miller, a recruiter with a long history in the industry suggests saying something like this:

“I’ve been at this a long time. There’s a lot I could tell you about my career. I want to make sure I’m giving you relevant information. Would it be helpful for me to talk about my most recent employer, my current role, or what I’m working on right now? And is there anything else you’d like me to talk through specifically?”

Better Ways to Ask the Question

If you are a manager or recruiter who is about to start an interview, I recommend not asking this question point blank. Even though many candidates will entertain your question politely, most are judging you while they’re doing so.

It comes across as frustrating because asking it without context makes it sound like you didn’t read their resume or other application documents - even though that’s most likely not the case. And in a world where cancel culture, social media, and candidate experience are everywhere, it’s probably not the best look.

Instead, I might propose something like this:

“Thanks for interviewing today. I was looking at your resume and I was very interested in (main reason you brought them in for an interview), but before we discuss that, can you walk me through your background and career so far? I’d like to get a fuller sense of it outside of what your resume says.

This will help you guide the conversation so they talk about what you’re most interested in and not give you their life story - unless that’s what you want to hear.

Variations of This Question

Ok, back to the interviewee side of things. In case the interviewer hasn’t read my article yet, here are a few other ways you might hear this question asked. You can answer them all by using this guide.

Walk me through your resume
Tell me more about your career path
Tell me a bit about your background
Describe yourself
Tell me something that’s not on your resume

How to Answer Tell Me About Yourself

Here are three ways to answer the question depending on your situation. All of them are similar to each other and share the same core principles, but depending on whether you are making a change or continuing in your career, each offers a unique way to answer.

Later, I’ll share examples of each method so you can see them in action.

Continuing in the Same Career

For those of us continuing in our same career, my favorite formula to answer this question comes from Sam Owen, author of I Hate Job Interviews. Sam recommends you answer in three steps.

Convey that you have relevant previous experience. Walk through your experiences, starting with your most recent job, and highlight things that are most relevant to what this job requires.
Convey that you excel at what you do and that you are a high performer.
Convey that you’re really interested in the job. Talk about why you applied and how you came to the conclusion that this job could be a great fit for you.

Changing Industries

Tali Shlafer, who has a background in project management and business analysis, recommends this formula that works well for people changing careers.

Walk through your background starting with your most recent work experience, highlighting things that are most aligned with the job title you are interviewing for.
Briefly discuss what you are most passionate about in the role closest to the one you’re interviewing for.
Mention 3 relevant skills that you have used.
Discuss why you are excited about this role, connecting how this job allows you to apply those skills to this new industry.
As a bonus, you can throw in a personal detail, but it’s not necessary.

Career Changers and Joining the Workforce

Jeff Su, who is a former EY consultant and current Google Product Marketing Manager, has a great formula for new graduates and career changers. Jeff recommends this formula.

Tell them who you are which includes your field of study and experiences with class projects, internships, or leadership experience. He says not to worry about trying to impress them, but instead focus on the qualities you want to convey about yourself.
Help them see how you got to where you are. List 3 attributes this job is looking for and find experiences to figure out which ones are the best to share. Select a key moment to highlight your experience with the relevant item based on the job description.
Explicitly tell them how you can add value to their team in this job. Translate your experience into something relevant for the interviewer.

Sample Answers for Different Situations

Continuing in the Same Career

Here is an example of an answer for an Accounts Payable role using Sam’s formula above. I labeled each piece so you can see all of the elements.

Convey Relevant Experience: I have been in accounts payable for the past 3 years. I specialize in managing vendor relationships and processing high volumes of invoices accurately.

Convey You Excel at the Job: For the past two years, I’ve worked at Dilly Bob Company processing over 500 invoices weekly while maintaining a 100% accuracy. I’m particularly proud of the digital filing system I helped implement which reduced our paper usage by 60% and improved document retrieval time by 75%.

Convey You Are Interested: What drew me to this job was the fact that you mentioned in your job posting that you needed someone with strong attention to detail and process improvement skills. I’m excited about the possibility of streamlining any AP processes while still making sure the day-to-day gets done on time.

Career Changers

Here is an example of an answer for someone who has been an HR Coordinator but is applying for an HR Generalist job within a new industry. I used Tali’s formula and labeled each section so you can see all of the elements.

Relevant Background: In my current role as HR Coordinator I’m responsible for partnering with 3 HR Generalists to handle employee relations, benefits administration, and talent management.

Passion: What I think drives me in HR is the ability to create positive workplace cultures that result in engaged teams. I’ve especially enjoyed my work with onboarding programs.

Relevant Skills: Over the past 5 years as an HR Coordinator I’ve had the opportunity to develop skills in conflict resolution, HRIS systems, and project management.

Excitement: I’m excited about this role because I see this as an opportunity for me to apply those skills in a large-scale retail setting. While manufacturing has given me a strong foundation, moving my HR experience down the supply chain to help employees deliver the final product directly to consumers is exciting.

Recent Graduate

For this example, I’m going to use Jeff Su’s formula. I based this sample on a recent chemical engineering graduate who is interviewing for a job in the aerospace industry.

Who You Are: I recently graduated with a chemical engineering degree from UC Berkeley. This past summer I participated in a process engineering internship at WWZD Manufacturing, a tier 2 aerospace supplier. My primary contributions during the internship were working with laboratory testing and analysis. I got to work with the team that led validation testing for a new product line and helped analyze over 200 samples.

How You Got There: During my senior year of school, I worked on a project to optimize a chemical manufacturing process where I modeled a continuous flow reactor, created SOPs, and conducted a cost analysis to support a 15% reduction in costs.

Value Add: As someone who has been preparing to work in aerospace for the past 4 years, I’m excited to apply what I’ve learned in my classes and internships to reduce costs and streamline manufacturing processes.

Tips to Answer Well

While I love the formulas that these individuals have shared, I think we should talk about some other tips as well to help you nail this in your next interview.

Tell Your Story, Not Your Resume

The interviewer already has your resume in front of them. Don’t recite your resume, but instead, use this as an opportunity to tell your story and help them make the connection between your background and what you can do for them.

Follow the 20 to 2 Rule

I’ve sat through many interviews over the years, thousands. I see many people begin to ramble when answering this question. There’s just so much you could talk about, it’s hard to stop sometimes - I get it.

But don’t do that. Try and keep your reply somewhere between 20 seconds and 2 minutes. Most likely it will be closer to 2 minutes.

Present, Past, Future

You may have noticed a timeline when reviewing the answers shared earlier. I think it’s worth pointing out. Always start with your most recent experience whenever possible. The only time I wouldn’t recommend this is if you have more relevant experience before that. This is the present. Then you can move into older experiences, the past. When you finish, you want to focus on the future. This is why you’re excited to work for them, what drew you to the job, and what value you see yourself bringing to the team.

Toss the Ball Back

After you’ve answered, ask a question that helps you gather information and confirm buy-in with your statements. Don’t sit there and wait for the next question. You need to know if what you said matches what they are interested in.

Here’s an example of what that might look like:

I’ve spent the past 5 years doing monthly closing, both hands-on with lean staff levels and with larger teams of up to 10 where I was mostly reviewing. I’m proud of the fact that at my previous two employers, my team and I were able to reduce our closing days from 15 to less than 5 which enabled us to produce monthly financials for the operational teams and our lenders much quicker. May I ask, what do you see as the biggest challenges facing your accounting department right now?"

Put Yourself in the Interviewer’s Shoes

Pretend you are the interviewer. What experiences would you find relevant, important, and interesting? Make sure you talk about those things.

I want to point out that most of the time this will be company or job-related, but it doesn’t always have to be. Let’s say you walk into the interviewer’s office and you notice they have baseball stuff everywhere. Toward the end of your answer, it could be relevant to briefly mention that you too love baseball and that you’re going to the spring game next week.

Be Prepared to Translate

For some people, no translation is needed. They are staying in the same career and the same industry and it’s all straightforward. But for others, you may have to explain how your experience relates to this new job. Be prepared to do that.

This is Not an Elevator Pitch

I don’t care what the fancy blogs and influencers say, this is not an elevator pitch that you memorize, rehearse, and dish out on command. I have yet to meet one recruiter or hiring executive who thinks it is. I’m willing to be proven wrong on that, but until that day, I’m sticking to what I said.

Practice what you will say - yes. Memorize - no. You need to sound natural and passionate about what you are communicating and it’s hard to do that when you’re trying to read from a script. Make some notes and know your talking points, but don’t memorize them like a robot.

Instead, I would recommend brushing up on your overall communication skills. That will actually help you with interviewing. Two of the best ways I’ve found to do this in a hurry are to hire a coach or use a mock interview tool.

Avoid Flash Topics

This is often the first interview question you’ll get. It rarely comes during the middle or end parts of an interview. Therefore, I recommend avoiding anything that puts you in a negative light. Don’t talk about being fired or laid off. Avoid telling them about how you failed at something. There are better and more appropriate places in the interview to discuss these things.

As I said at the beginning, the way you answer this question can shape the rest of your conversation.

Tell Me About Yourself Recommended Reading

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Cole Sperry has been a recruiter and resume writer since 2015, working with tens of thousands of job seekers, and hundreds of employers. Today Cole runs a boutique advisory firm consulting with dozens of recruiting firms and is the Managing Editor at OptimCareers.com.