Most of us dread the standard “ice-breaker” question, Tell me about yourself. As someone who has interviewed applicants for more than 30 years, I have rarely heard this question answered well. More often than not, applicants launch into their biography — starting with where they were born! Trust me, I (and most interviewers) don’t care. In addition, this kind of biographical response can lead you to share information that I would rather not know: how many children you have, that you have a spouse (or don’t), etc. It is illegal for me to take these things into consideration and once you tell me, it’s hard for me to forget them. So please do not share this kind of information.
Instead, I want to know who you are and what you bring to the table, in the context of the job I’m interviewing you for. Look at that last phrase again: in the context of the job I’m interviewing you for.
What I really want to hear when I ask this question is why you are qualified for the job. Think about your answer to this question in three parts: to get the interview’s attention; to provide information, and then to close your answer. When preparing your response, look at the job posting announcement and questionnaire and identify key words from it to frame your response. Finally, your response should be relatively brief. Let’s look at an example:
Interviewer: Let’s start out by you telling us something about yourself.
Response: [Attention getting] I am an experienced Human Resources Specialist with full knowledge of federal hiring rules and policies. [Information] I have 10 years of experience in recruiting, creating crediting plans, preparing vacancy announcements, and working with managers throughout the process. [Close] You will find that I excel at partnering with all levels of supervisors and managers to ensure the right hires are made on a timely basis.
If you look at the response carefully, you can see the key words from the job posting: federal hiring rules and policies; recruiting, creating crediting plans, preparing vacancy announcements, and working with managers; partnering with all levels of supervisors
Hearing the above response helps the interviewers understand, from the start of the interview, that the applicant is qualified for the job which puts the interview on the right track.
Sometimes, interviewers do not ask the “tell me about yourself” question, however, at the end of the interview, they provide the candidate with the opportunity to share additional information. You can use your opening with a slightly modification:
Response: Thank you so much for taking the time to interview me. As an experienced Human Resources Specialist with full knowledge of federal hiring rules and policies and with more than 10 years of experience in recruiting, creating crediting plans, preparing vacancy announcements, and working with managers throughout the process, I am confident that I will excel in this position. I look forward to the opportunity to work with your supervisors and managers to ensure the right hires are made on a timely basis.
Don’t miss the opportunity to tell your interviewers what makes you a great candidate; “tell me about yourself” is the perfect way to do so.
