How To Respond to One of the Toughest Interview Questions

Potentially the deal-breaker and most certainly the ice breaker question in all interviews….”Tell me about yourself”.

Why do we all freeze up as if we haven’t lived a life up to this point. All of the sudden, we panic, and all we can think of is..”What would you like to know”??

We’ll that’s probably the WORST possible response to this question.

So let’s start from the beginning and get a better idea of why this question gets asked, what the intent is and how to respond in the best way possible.

WHY DO THEY START THE INTERVIEW WITH THIS?

So the obvious reason this gets asked is to kick off the interview and break the ice. It would be pretty harsh if you showed up, sat down and immediately were asked to tell them about a time when you dealt with a difficult customer. It’s just your basic conversational protocol to get to know a little bit about the candidate. That said…

WHAT IS THE REAL INTENT?

The interviewer is not interested in your favorite food, or if you like long walks on the beach (If they are – run, that’s weird). This is entirely a professional question. It should be clarified as “Tell us about your professional background”, but its never that clear and always catches the interviewer off-guard. So the real intent with this question is to quickly get a sense of who you are and what your professional value proposition is. Essentially, why are you there, what value can you offer them with your skills and experience, and who have they invited to chat with them? This is your BRAND.

It’s a massive opportunity. Not only to break the ice, and break down some awkwardness, but to engage with your interviewers, and peak their interest about YOU, and your professional background before you start responding to their questions. Think of it this way – it’s your verbal first impression, and likely one of the parts of the interview they’ll remember the most. Because of this, having a crisp, and most importantly CONFIDENT response to this question, can really set you up for a great conversational interview. It can also help pivot the questions from the interviewer, as well as their demeanor and how they interact with you during the interview.

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO RESPOND?

When I coach any clients around this question, I like to give them a “cheat sheet” for this with a simple formula for how to respond. This helps you rehearse and memorize to build confidence in your delivery, but you can always improvise.

Break your summary up into three primary sections: Who you are, time spent in your area of specialty/industry and what you’ve done.

Section 1. Who you are

This is simple. A one sentence description of your name, and where you’re from will suffice.

Ex. I’m _________name____________.  Originally from _______state or city_________, living in ______.

Section 2. Time spent in your area of specialty or industry

This gives them a sense of your professional level and history at a glance.

Ex. I’ve been in __________function(s)___________ for ______#______years. Primarily in the __________________industry

Or

Ex. I’ve spent __#___ years in __________function #1_________ and ____Function #2__ Across multiple industries ______name industries____________.

Section 3. What you’ve done.

This might be the most important. This is your value proposition. You want to summarize your largest impact or strongest competency or area of expertise in this section to really impress the interviewer. Think of this as a summary of all the jobs you’ve held and how you’ve helped them succeed. I know, I know – it’s tough if you think your job was menial or you struggle to understand how you impacted the bigger picture. If you’re stuck, try to use your strongest competencies. Bonus points if you can match those competencies with things from the job description.

Ex. “With a focus on ____strongest competency, biggest value/impact.___________”

Another ex. Let’s say you’re in sales – it might look something like this: “With a focus on relationship and account management, prospecting, and strategic negotiations.”

You want to add these three sections together for a smooth and concise summary. Practice it, memorize it, and make sure it’s something you can feel really proud of (as you should be!)

Optional Section 4. Note how you heard about the position you’re interviewing for, and that you’re excited to be there to learn more about the opportunity and see how you can add value.

Pro Tip…

Make sure you pay close attention to what they actually asked you in the beginning. Sometimes they may simply ask you to tell them about yourself. In this case, you should use this as an opportunity to pause, and let them respond with their next step. They may then ask you to walk them through your resume or they might want to dive into some questions.

However, if they asked you to “tell them about yourself, and walk through your resume or background”, you’ll want to segue from Section 3 into your most recent job.

Ex. Most recently I was with _____Company name____ doing ____xxx.

From there you can walk through each job. I recommend spending no more than 2-3 minutes on the most recent 2-3 jobs each. You don’t want to bore them with work history that is too old or too far back.

Having this script in your back pocket will set you up for success not just for in-person interviews, but recruiter phone screens, networking, client meetings or even just team introductions. Knowing your elevator pitch (who you are and what your value is), is the best way to show up confident and valuable to any situation.

Try it out!

I’m rooting for you.

PS. If this was helpful and you think you could benefit from one on one career coaching – book a free consultation on my stan store! I’d love to work with you! BOOK HERE!