How to make the most out of the “Tell us about yourself” interview question
by Olevia Yuen - Recruitment Consultant | 19/06/2015
How to make the most out of the “tell us about yourself” interview question
One of the questions you can expect in the during an interview if it is going well of the interview is “tell us about yourself”.
A typical response sounds like this:
“ I graduated with a Master’s degree and have 10 years of professional experience as a project manager in the industry. In my previous role, I led a team of 5 people and consistently met targets under tight deadlines as well as initiated several cases of successful business development… ”
The interview knows this as they have reviewed your resume or your LinkedIn profile.
In a competitive job market where employers have to choose the best fit culturally as well as professionally for the position they are recruiting for and their company from a large number of equally qualified candidates. Simply paraphrasing your CV as a self-introduction is not the best way to stand out of the crowd and catch the interviewer’s attention. This is especially true as companies are now starting to value creativity and innovation as an important asset of a good team player.
Remember you only have one chance to make a good first and lasting impression.
So how do you differentiate yourself from the crowd?
The best response to the “tell us about yourself” question is to let the interviewer know more about you in a personal level such as interests and life experiences that are relevant to the role and explain how it relates to the passion for what you do.
For example, a jobseeker told us he once said to the interviewer (for a Sales Manager position) that his hobby in traveling and that he was driven financially in order for him to travel to many weird and wonderful places in the world. It turned out the interviewer was an avid traveler as well and subsequently, the interview transformed from a rigid, corporate atmosphere into a friendly conversation where both the interviewer and interviewee were comfortable.
Self-introductions are usually the first question to be asked in an interview, and it is a great opportunity to create a great impression and set a positive atmosphere. Here are some ideas to inject some personality in your statement:
- Talk about your hobbies or interests (eg, cross-fit or politics) that are easily relatable to anyone and to the role.
- Describe your aspirations when you were younger and how you came to pursue your career.
- Mention recent activities outside of work that is relevant to the role or industry. For example: “I like to keep myself updated with the industry so I went to a construction conference last week about health and safety.”
- Name someone that inspired you and looked up to (other than Steve Jobs), maybe your mother, an old boss or someone inspirational….not too cliché.
Employers already know your work experience from your resume. The point of an interview is for them to see whether you have the soft skills they are looking for that fit in the company’s culture and how you compare to their current staff and fellow applicants. This is a time when the employee is judging if you are a cultural fit as well as if you can do the job.
Make sure you communicate clearly and are confident in your answers and your questions. Don’t use buzzwords unless you actually know what they mean and they are used in context.
The rule of thumb in making a great self-introduction at an interview is to be confident in showing your personality. You will find greater career satisfaction by working in a company that allows you to be yourself.
