Tell Me About Yourself Answer

In a job interview, the "tell me about yourself" answer is much more important than people realize. When the interviewer is looking for the "tell me about yourself" answer, he is not asking about your personal life. The "tell me about yourself" answer is your chance to summarize your experience and tell why you deserve the job.

1. Recent training or experience. The "tell me about yourself" answer is your opportunity to tell the interviewer about any current seminars, classes or job experience you have taken on that is not in your resume. By showing a persistent dedication to your profession, you can give yourself an advantage over other candidates.
2. Accomplishments. Once again, the "tell me about yourself" answer is the chance to bring up things that are not on your resume. If you have been published in a trade journal or have given industry-specific speeches in your career, then now is the time to bring them up. List your accomplishments during the "tell me about yourself" answer to make you look like the right candidate for the job.
3. Teamwork experience. If the job you are interviewing for requires significant teamwork, then this is the time to mention your successes as the member or leader of a team. Use one or two examples of team success, and be specific in the information you give.
4. Educational experience. During the "tell me about yourself" answer, you should give a quick summary of your educational background as it pertains to the position. If you have any academic clubs you were part of that would help your standing as a candidate, then bring them up. For example, if you wrote features on the college newspaper, then that can help you when interviewing for a job as a journalist.
5. Future plans. If you have a degree that is pertinent to your career that you are working on, then mention it. If you know that the company has a strong management training program, then indicate your desire to get into management. Give any future career plans that would make you look proactive and aggressive to the interviewer.