One of the most frequently asked interview questions is – “Tell me about yourself”. For some people, it seems difficult to answer this question because this is the very first thing that an interviewer will ask you to do. Based on your response to this question, the interviewer will understand what your tone is and how you can present yourself in front of someone.
The reason why interviewers ask this question more often is that they want to see how you can present yourself in front of someone, the way you speak and the tone you use, the flow of the presentation, etc. It is very important as well because everyone should know how to represent themselves in an interview or anywhere.
- The Reason Behind This Question
- Best Ways To Introduce Yourself In An Interview
- Structure Of Your Answer
- Sample Answers To The Interview Introduction
This question can be stressful for some people and can let you think, “What the interviewer wants to know?”, “Didn’t he check my resume?”, “Should I tell him the last thing that I did?”, or “Should I only talk about my educational background?”. These kinds of questions might come to your mind whenever you need to tell about yourself in an interview or anywhere.
The question is a little bit tricky and challenging because it is open-ended and you have to think about what you are going to answer. The answer to this question should be clear and point-to-point about you because it will impact on you being hired or not.
The Reason Behind This Question
This question is open-ended and the reason they ask this question is that it lets them continue the process of the interview easily. This question can be a great way to let you start the conversation.
The interviewer not only wants to know your experience and educational qualifications to hire you, but they also want to know how you can present yourself in front of anyone because it will impact the culture of the organization.
Based on your answer, the interviewer can prepare the next questions they want to ask. This is also a reason that this question is more often asked in interviews.
To make the flow of the interview smooth, the interviewer asks you the next questions based on your previous answers. If you answer all the questions well, then it will let the interview find out why you’re the only best candidate for that role.
Preparing answers in advance will help you a lot when you will be asked questions like these.
The Alternatives To “Tell Me About Yourself”
- Tell me about yourself that you haven’t mentioned in your resume
- I haven’t seen your resume, so tell me about you that you mentioned in your resume
- Tell me more about your achievements
- Let me know about your background more
There can be more alternatives to the same question, but you should understand the question first, and then start answering it. Because if the question is not like that, and you start answering telling about yourself, will also give a bad impact on the interviewer about you. So, listen carefully to what you’re asked and then think for a moment about where you should start, and only after that you should start answering.
Now, we will see some tips for answering “Tell Me About Yourself” below. The tips will help you get a better understanding of what you can answer and what is the best way to deliver your answer.
Also Read: Most Common Interview Questions
Best Ways To Introduce Yourself In An Interview
Choose from where you will start telling about yourself
Before you answer this question, give some moments to you thinking about from where you can start telling about yourself. The reason why you should think is that the next question that you will be asked, is based on your answer to this question.
Highlight your experience and accomplishmentsr
When you start answering this question, try to highlight your achievements and experience. But all these things should be in a flow of conversation. It will give a positive impact on the interviewer’s mind.
Conclude with your present situation and future goals
When you are about to end the answer, try to finish it with your present situation and where you see yourself in the future or what your goal is. It will help the interviewer to know how you plan your goals and future.
Be confident while answering
Don’t get stressed when this question will be asked of you. Try to be normal and be confident whatever you will tell about yourself. But your answer should be reliable and concise. The flow of your answer should be in a proper way.
Be prepared with the answer before you go for an interview
It is always a good practice to get already prepared with the answer. You should prepare what you are going to say when this question will be asked. You should know telling what can be beneficial for you.
Make scripts of different answers to the same question and answer accordingly
You can practice by writing multiple answers to the same question. For example, if the interviewer has technical knowledge, then you can tell him about your technical skills and the technologies that you have worked on. Otherwise, if the interviewer doesn’t have much knowledge about technical skills, then you can simply answer by telling the projects, your soft skills, and your educational qualifications. So, it is suggested to prepare multiple answers to this question.
Practice what you will answer
When you finish writing scripts for your answer, practice them well. You don’t want to try to answer this question for the first time when you are asked. Instead, you should start practicing with your scripts by saying them aloud and conveying them just like a real interview. It will help you get familiar with the situation and you’ll not feel nervous or stressed when you face this question.
Make sure your response should be in a professional way
When you start answering your question, make sure you use only a professional way to represent yourself. Don’t get personal and start telling about your personal life. Keep in mind, your professional life will only help you get the job. Because it isn’t the time to talk about your friends, family or another kind of personal stuff. Always remember the way you deliver your answer should be professional.
Prepare additional answers
Preparing a single answer and using it in all interviews isn’t the best practice to face the situation. It is recommended to prepare additional answers that you can use according to the company or the interviewer. We already discussed that you should prepare scripts of your answer, so the scripts shouldn’t be the same. Every script should be different telling about your past, present, and future goals in this answer.
Keep your answer on the positive side
Always try to present yourself positively. Avoid telling about your failures. It is natural if you tell about your successes and accomplishments, the interview will go positive side. The negative answers will take the interview to the downside, so you should be aware of this thing.
Structure Of Your Answer
In this section, we will discuss the structure of your answer. You should start the answer by telling about your present situation like your current role, your accomplishment in this role. After that tell the interviewer how you got this role and the struggles you did in your career. You can also tell your past experiences if you have any, which are relevant to the job.
When finishing your answer, try to end it by telling about what are your plans and where you see yourself in the future, or what you want to be in the upcoming time.
This way you can build your answer and based on different roles, you can change your experiences and achievements. You can also start by telling about your past first, and then what you’re doing in present. The future part should be presented at the last.
Sample Answers To The Interview Introduction
- Well, when I am not working, I like to spend my time learning new skills and spending most of the time reading books. I like reading books based on human psychology. Learning human psychology helped me to influence people. I like communicating with new people and I feel that communication is one of the important aspects of professional life. When I started working with my previous company, my job was to communicate with clients of the company and help them find solutions to their problems. I enjoyed helping them, solving their issues. Now, I am looking for more opportunities that will help me expand my knowledge and skills for communicating with people.
- Well, I’m currently a Web Developer at Developer’s Zone, where I create websites for our clients and I also manage the company’s website. Before that, I did an internship with a company, where I learned those skills that I use now in my current job. I like doing creative things, that’s why I chose this domain.
- I’ve been working as a digital marketer for more than 3 years in my previous company and I was also managing the roles of HR because It was a start-up company, so I worked on multiple roles there and I learned a lot of things. Now, I’m currently looking for a well-known organization like yours, where I can expand my learnings and skills to get settled.
In A Nutshell
To sum up, it is best to prepare your answers beforehand, practice well before you head to the interview, and relax after reaching your interview location. Make sure you present your most updated Resume in front of the employers. Stay calm and content and maintain your posture in a confident way at all times.
