How To Answer Interview Question, 'Tell Me About Yourself'

By: Web Writer

Break Studios Contributing Writer

Every job candidate should know how to answer the interview question, "Tell me about yourself," because it is one of those questions that is most often asked. It's easy to mess up, but just as easy to get right.

Practice your response. Take 15 to 30 minutes prior to the interview and think about your qualifications and the most important highlights of your career.
Examine the top skills required for the position. What you want to do is figure out what the top skills for the open position are. You should try to incorporate these skills, with relevant examples, into your answer to the interview question, "Tell me about yourself." For example, if the job you are applying for is in customer service, you want to make sure you mention your communication skills, along with an example.
Explain why you are a good fit. When answering the interview question, "Tell me about yourself," be sure to explain why you are a good fit for the position. Other candidates may be caught up in just talking about their past experiences. If you can show a connection between your experience and the position, you will have a leg up on your competition.
Interject facts and figures. You don't want to go hog wild here, but try to back up one or two examples with facts. For example, if you are going for a sales position and in your previous job you increased sales, make sure you say the figure. Instead of saying that you were great at increasing sales, say "I increased sales by ten percent annually for three consecutive years."
Mention your personal characteristics. For example, if you are applying for a sales position, state that you are an extrovert and enjoy working with people.
Don't rehash your resume. Look, the interviewer has already read your resume. You risk boring the interviewer if you simply repeat what is on your resume and cover letter. Boring the interviewer is a sure fire way to get a rejection.
Don't ramble. Again, you will risk boring your interviewer if you ramble on. Try to sum up your qualifications within two minutes, which is what they expect from the "Tell me about yourself" interview question.
Don't talk about your hobbies. Do not talk about your last golf trip to Myrtle Beach when answering the interview question "Tell me about yourself." Keep away from volunteering personal information when answering this question.