Step 8 of 21: How to Answer "Tell Me About Yourself" During a Job Interview Artwork

The FlexJobs Podcast: Career Advice & Job Search Tips

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The FlexJobs Podcast: Career Advice & Job Search Tips

Step 8 of 21: How to Answer "Tell Me About Yourself" During a Job Interview

August 15, 2023 • FlexJobs • Season 2 • Episode 8

In Step 8 of the "Mastering Your Job Search" series, we tackle one of the most common and open-ended interview questions: "Tell me about yourself." This seemingly simple question can be intimidating, but with our expert tips, you can confidently craft a compelling and succinct response that sets the right tone for the rest of the interview.

Learn how to use this question as an opportunity to showcase your qualifications, traits, and experiences that align with the job you're applying for. We'll guide you through planning your answer in advance, distilling key points into a one-minute introduction, and practicing for clarity and relevance. Avoid common pitfalls by staying work-related and on-topic, impressing your interviewer with a well-crafted response that leaves a lasting impression. Watch the video now and check out the valuable resources in the description for further interview question navigation.

Important Links:
How to Correctly Answer "Tell Me About Yourself" in a Job Interview with Helpful Example Answers: https://bit.ly/3OCp2Vl
Job Interviews for Introverts: How to Gain Confidence and Leverage Your Strengths: https://youtu.be/5dVape-xKRI

FlexJobs is a subscription service for job seekers that features flexible and remote jobs. With an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and a 4.7 rating from over 10,000 reviews, FlexJobs ensures that customers have a safe and positive remote job searching experience - without the ads, scams and junk found on other job sites.

FlexJobs | Find A Better Way To Work

Welcome back and welcome to step 8! If you have made it this far, I want to congratulate you on your determination and commitment to improving your job search efforts! Today we’re going to talk about that very common interview question, “Tell me about yourself.”

Since this question seems to be very general and is quite open-ended in nature, it can feel a little intimidating to hone in on exactly what they might want to hear, but let’s go over some tips that could help you.

Some interviewers may ask this question as a bit of an icebreaker to the conversation, but many times this question is asked to help them start the conversation with a good general overview of who you are and get a sense of your personality and overall background. Using this general information, they may try to determine if you seem to be a good fit in their work environment and the specific job that you are applying for.

With that being said, it’s essential not to minimize the importance of this question. The way you respond can give you an opportunity to set the tone for the remainder of the interview.

It's important to consider and plan out your answer to this question in advance before you even get to the interview. As you prepare, ask yourself these questions:

What qualities or qualifications of yours that specifically relate to the job would you like to weave into your answer?
What traits and experiences from your past work history help to showcase your unique story?
Then consider that their question was phrased in this manner, “Tell me about your recent applicable background and what brought you to apply for this position?”

Now it’s time to start to distill this information down into a mini introduction about yourself that is roughly a minute or less. Work through those key points and create an answer that is clear and succinct. It can be a great idea to practice these answers and ideally, record yourself and then go back and listen to your answer.

As you listen to yourself, note the following. Was I clear? In other words, if I didn’t know me, would my answer make sense? Did I stay on topic and share information that is relevant to the job and the company? Was my answer compelling to gain the interest of the listener?

While it’s ok to incorporate elements of your personality into the conversation, do your best to keep your answer generally work related. Also, be careful to not allow your answer to stray into information or experience that is completely unrelated to the company and the role you are interviewing for. For more tips and resources on navigating this interview question, check out the links in the description below!