Often, many candidates thoroughly prepare to be well equipped for any potential questions before attending interviews. However, these preparations may be focused on overly technical aspects, that those simple questions could be the process’s undoing.

For instance, “Tell me about yourself,” is a frequently asked question in the interview process. It could be hazardous if a candidate is not well prepared for this question. In fact, most interviewers strategically ask it as the first question. It sets the mood for the rest of the interview and keeps you on your toes the rest of the time.

Therefore it is important that the interviewee knows how to answer the tell me about yourself question.

Most of the time candidates mistake this question as a chance to give a biography to the interviewer. On the other hand, quite many interviewees use this opportunity to detail their academic qualifications to the hiring managers. This question should be utilized as a platform to pitch yourself as a potential employee.

Being very articulate about what you intend to present is important. Be catchy enough to be remembered by the panel at the end of your interview. Following are a few tips.

How to Answer Tell Me About Yourself in an Interview Tips

Focus

As mentioned earlier, this interview question is your chance as an interviewee to pitch yourself to the employer. Importantly, you should ask yourself what you want the company to remember about you when you leave their interview room.

Therefore, the first tip on how to answer tell me about yourself in an interview should be to present all your strengths, skills, and abilities to the employer. Accordingly, make sure that all the positive traits are related to the particular job opportunity.

Additionally, this question offers a platform for you to demonstrate to the hiring panel of your ability by highlighting your previous job experiences that make you the best candidate for the job. Furthermore, you should take this opportunity to emphasize the relevance of any educational or vocational training that you have had in regards to the job interview.

how to answer tell me about yourself in an interview

Follow the script

Notably, how to answer tell me about yourself in an interview should start with the articulation of past experiences and prior proven successes that you have had. In essence, the interviewer would be drawn to hear more from you if you demonstrate previous successes as they can be used to infer future expectations.

You should start by stating your most recent job engagement, what you did, and proud achievements. Similarly, show the employer what you were able to learn while at your previous positions and how you would use the learning to better their company. Next, highlight the behavioral and career traits that make you an ideal candidate for the job.

Practice

Once you are done with the preparation of the script, it is now for you to understand and internalize the most important points that you wish to communicate. However, don’t memorize the script; otherwise, you’ll sound robotic. Noteworthy, the script should only act as a tool to help you stay on track. Also, you should strive to be confident while answering this question so as to ensure that you seem believable.

Remember, your response to the question is as significant as the answer itself, so show your confidence and passion as you respond. At any point, if you fumble or stall while replying, it could be your undoing in the interview.

how to answer tell me about yourself in an interview

This may be used to conclude that the interviewee is not self-conscious or is lacking in self-esteem. Finally, the respondent should restrain from giving any unnecessary additional information that they may remember which they had not included in their scripts.

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