So... Tell Me About Yourself

So... Tell Me About Yourself When it comes to job interview questions, there are some that are definitely more feared than others. From the tricky Why should we hire you? to the complicated Where do you see yourself five years from now?, these questions are enough to turn even the most confident candidate into a mumbling mess and we hate to say it, but these questions dont tend to get any easier the further into your career you get. Now, while the questions I mentioned above have some pretty obvious right and wrong answers, there are other common interview questions that have less clear-cut answers, particularly when they relate to you as an individual and the dreaded So, tell me about yourself invitation definitely falls into this category. The problem with this invitation (its not really a question is it?!) is that its pretty vague which means it falls into a bit of a grey area. Does the interviewer want to know about you as a professional? Your employment history? Your personal life? Your interests? Your background? With this one, its hard to tell which is why it normally sends candidates into a bit of a mild panic. You see, right here and now its easy to reel off all the things I mentioned above but when it comes to an interview situation, the dreaded mind blank seems to appear from nowhere and youre left fumbling about for an answer, any answer which doesnt make you sound like a complete weirdo or a robot who does nothing but work 24/7. So, how do you begin to pre-plan for this kind of situation? Well the first thing Id say is that with this kind of question, its best to keep it professional. OK, so it might be pretty cool that you were the UKs under 16 table tennis champion or that you lived in California until you were 11 but, unless youre applying for a job as a table tennis coach or a job as an American/English copywriter, hows that really going to help the interviewer or the end company? In this kind of situation, the interviewer is looking to get an insight into who you are as a candidate and what you can bring to the company so Id say its worth making your professional profile the main focus of your answer. When preparing your answer, try to think about your employment history, your major achievements and what youre most proud of. Think about your unique selling points and what you can bring to the company that other candidates cant. Also consider what parts of your professional life are going to interest the interviewer the most and how your skills and experience can benefit the company. With this answer, its best to keep it short and concise no one likes a rambler, and besides, the interviewer can always ask you to expand on a point if they want more information. Because this situation tends to crop up at the beginning of an interview, with this answer you almost want to hook the interviewer so theyre intrigued and want to find out more about you as a candidate. When it comes to the question of whether you should comment on your life outside of work at all in this answer, Id be inclined to say yes but only briefly! While its best to keep your answer to Why should we hire you? question purely professional, with the Tell me more about yourself answer theres more scope for comment on your background so Id say its OK to briefly mention your personal life if you feel it could add to the interview and your application eg. youve recently moved back to the area because youve just had a ba So there you go; just like any other interview question, when it comes to the Tell me about yourself answer, preparation is key. Remember, with this one, theres no right or wrong answer as such but having no answer at all can never be a good thing, particularly when this question is bound to appear in one guise or another so try and think this one through ahead of time to ensure the dreaded mind blank doesnt take hold and leave you speechless. As ever Im keen to hear your thoughts on this. Do you have any top tips for candidates when faced with this kind of situation? Leave us a comment below.