How To Answer: Tell Me About Yourself
The interview question “Tell me about yourself” should be an easy one to answer. Yet, in my experience, many people get this one wrong. Often, job seekers go through their entire life history or regurgitate what is on their resume. That is not what the recruiter or hiring manager is really asking. The interviewer is trying to find out if you are a fit for the job. Your answer should include information as to why you are that fit. You can do this fairly easily:
Briefly talk about your current job (or recent position, if out of work) and why that position is/was important to the organization. Stress skills you possess that you see are important to this employer (your research should tell you this).
Talk about any previous positions, education or volunteer work that is relevant to the type of work you would be doing. Again, it will be important to stress commonalities with this potential role.
Then speak about your interest in the role---what type of work you would like to do and why--- and what you would be able to offer to the employer that makes you unique.
During the interview, you may be asked to elaborate further on some of these points. Be prepared to flesh out your answer a bit more by including specific examples.
Being prepared for the “Tell me about yourself” question helps to start out the interview right.