How to Answer “Tell me about yourself” in a Job Interview

Most job hunters dread hearing the same terrifying job interview question: tell me about yourself. 

Tbh, it is a weird thing to say: you’d never just casually say it to a friend. But, it’s also a great chance for you to show off exactly what makes YOU so awesome.

You should use your answer to “tell me about yourself” to give them a taste of your personality and passion, and connect your experiences to their job.

To figure out your new go-to answer to “tell me about yourself,” this guide covers:

• Why employers even want you to say something about yourself
• If there’s a right answer to “tell us something about yourself”
• The must-follow rules of answering “tell me about yourself”
• 4 creative, customizable ways to answer “tell me about yourself”
• Professional “tell me about yourself” sample answers

By the end, you’ll know exactly how to prepare a stellar answer for “tell us about yourself” and feel confident delivering it!

Alright, time to jump into how to answer “tell me about yourself”!

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Why do employers say “tell me about yourself” in a job interview?

Let’s start with the first question most of my clients have: why the eff do people even say this??!

Okay, maybe they didn’t say it exactly like that, but that was their general vibe.

Employers typically have a few reasons to say this, but there’s 1 that’s universal- and most important…

So much of the job hunt is regimented and automated: strict rules for resumes, computerized applicant screeners, and word counts on digital job applications. Usually, the convo they’re saying “Tell me about yourself” is also the first time you’re actually having a real conversation. 

Giving you the space and freedom to answer it however you want also gives them a peek at you– without any bs getting in the way.

If you start seeing it as the awesome opportunity it is, you’ll be more comfortable- and even excited- answering tell me about yourself! 

Now, let’s get into the rules your answer should follow and then 4 customizable sample answers!

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Is there a right answer to “tell me about yourself”?

It’s important you know there is NOT 1 magic “tell me about yourself” answer. Instead, there are rules that’ll help you create your own unique response.

Because, like I said, answering “tell me about yourself” is about giving them a peek of who YOU are, behind all the professional documents and blah blah blah.

Follow these easy guidelines when you’re creating your response, so you give them the best possible picture of you!

Keep it brief

This is probably the most important part of answering tell me about yourself: you’ve gotta keep it short.

Remember, this is the beginning of your convo, so you still have plenty of time to get into the details of what makes you amazing.

Try to keep your answer to this first question between 30 seconds and 1 minute. You don’t want to get off topic or give specific examples rn: you’re just giving them the big picture of you as an employee.

A great way to practice your timing is to make a bulleted list of what you want to talk about, then throw on a professional outfit and practice speaking through your list. Use your phone as a timer and see how long it takes with different openings and punches of your personality (we’ll get into those in a sec!).

Remember you’re only working with 30-60 seconds, so keep it short!

Show your personality and passions

They’re not asking this because they want you to give a bland, empty repeat of your resume. Instead, they want to get a feel for your energy, excitement, and uniqueness!

Yeah, that sounds like a lot for only 30-ish seconds, but it’s not supposed to be a complete picture, it’s just a taste of who you are!

Just like in a cover letter, your answer to “tell me about yourself” is a way to show them how passionate you are about the job, company, and field.

So, don’t feel like your response needs to be as stiff and boring as a resume- they’re ready to learn more about you!!

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Don’t over-rehearse 

It’s great to have a plan for how you’ll phrase your “tell me about yourself” answer, but that doesn’t mean you should have a script.

Your answer should be extemporaneous– aka, you have an outline of what you’ll say and each time you practice it comes out a little differently. 

So, instead of saying it robotically, you’ll deliver your response naturally!

These are my steps to prep an extemporaneous “tell me about yourself” answer:

1. Figure out which of the 4 strategies (coming up next!) fits the position best
2. Grab an index card and write your opening line at the top
3. Use bullet points to list the top 2-3 things you want to say
4. Write out a solid ending (otherwise I’ll wind up finishing with “sooooo yeah…… that’s me!”)
5. Practice in front of a mirror with your index card twice, then practice 2 more times without it
6. Stop practicing after 4 run throughs- cutting yourself off is the key to not sounding over-rehearsed!

By only writing out bullets- instead of a full script- for your response, it’ll sound natural and flow with your conversation! And remember to smile, gesture, and show excitement for your work!!

Stay relevant

Even if you have little to no related experience, it’s important to keep the info in your response relevant to the job and company.

The trick is emphasizing the transferable skills in the experiences you do have. For example, if your job for the past 3 years was as your dorm’s RA, then talk about your communication and leadership skills.

Making the connection between your past experiences and the position you’re applying for is the key to having a stellar job interview!

Don’t be afraid

“Tell me about yourself” doesn’t have to be a scary phrase, I promise! It’s a chance to show them who YOU are, so don’t be afraid to have a little fun with it!

You can experiment with different answers, mix up your strategy, and be your (professional) self! Don’t shy away from testing the waters with different responses!

Remember: you’re a kickass person they’d be lucky to have, so use your answer as a sneak peek at your awesomeness!! 

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Now that we’ve covered the essential rules for answering “tell me about yourself”, let’s get into 4 customizable strategies you can easily use!

How to answer “tell me about yourself”

I want to repeat one more time: there is NOT a single right way to answer “tell me about yourself” in an interview. Yes, there are rules and strategies, but there’s also room to experiment and get creative with it. 

The 4 strategies I’ll get into are ones I’ve either used or heard from trusted experts. You can mix & match and customize them to fit your personality and field. After each description, there are sample answers for you to get an idea of how to use them!

1. Use your elevator pitch

This is the easiest, traditional answer for a reason- it works! Crafting a personal elevator pitch is the best way to always have a go-to response, especially if you struggle with knowing how to tell someone about yourself in the moment.

Your elevator pitch should have:

• A brief overview of your higher education
• A short description of your current or most recent job
• Insight into your short and long term career goals

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2. Tell your professional story

This strategy might seem similar to using your elevator pitch, but it actually has a different emphasis.

Instead of briefly describing your most recent work, you can use your answer to give them insight into your inspirations and unique journey.

The most important part of using this strategy is not repeating your resume. Let’s be real here: resumes are boring. And flat. And very, very impersonal.

They’re leaving the question open so they can get a peek at YOU, not your resume. So tell them your story. 

If you need help getting started, try answering these questions in your response:

• What inspired you to join this field?
• Why are you passionate about your work?
• What has been your favorite part of your past positions?

By zapping your passion into your professional story, it’ll make your answer to “Tell me about yourself” shine!!

Remember: professional convos don’t have to be as boring and flat as resumes. Pump your convos with creativity, emotion, and passion to stand out and enjoy your job hunt!

3. Base it on the company’s mission & values

If a job interview question is “tell me about yourself,” basing your response on their mission and value statements is an awesome strategy.

You should already plan on researching their mission and value statements to prep for your job interview, and this is 1 way to turn that info into action.

Pull out the keywords and overall themes from the “Values,” “Mission,” or “About” pages of their site, then use them when you talk about yourself and your work.

For example, if they use the phrase “teamwork” a lot, then talk about the importance of teamwork throughout your career. 

By customizing your response to each individual company you interview with, it makes a direct connection from you to them!

4. Get creative

Finally, you can use your answer to tell me about yourself in an interview to be creative! No, that doesn’t mean performing a Hamilton-themed rap about your career during job interviews (sadly).

It does mean infusing your personality and humor in a professional, but fun, way!

Personally, I have a favorite creative approach to this question that I learned from a career counselor I worked with… 

Try starting your response by talking about what you wanted to be when you grew up. Yep, that’s right- tell them about the very beginning of your professional life!

For example, if you wanted to be something funny when you grew up (like “firetruck”), then start there! It helps break the ice for both of you, so you’re all a little lighter during the interview!

Or, if you wanted to grow up to work in your current position or something similar, that’s awesome too! When I was little, I used to always say I wanted to “travel the world and help people,” so that’s how I started my elevator pitch when I was looking for non-profit internships!

Going with a creative approach to answering tell me about yourself in a job interview– whether you start with your childhood career goals or something else- is a fun way to show your personality and ease the awkwardness!

Just, please, no rapping your elevator pitch

Alright, let me show you examples of how to answer “tell me about yourself” with each of the 4 strategies I talked about!

“Tell me about yourself” sample answers

Here are 4 “tell me about yourself” sample answers, based on each of the strategies I talked about. Remember, you can mix & match and customize these to fit you and your field! Btw, the details in these example answers are fictional (and based on whatever companies I could think of in like 2 seconds!)

“Tell me about yourself” Sample Answer 1: Elevator pitch

When I graduated from Syracuse University with my MBA, my experience mostly involved event planning, which I loved doing at the time! However, since graduating in 2016, I’ve had several positions in marketing that led me to discover my passion for creating compelling, engaging launch campaigns for emerging tech products. In my current role as Assistant Marketing Director for Mighty Networks, I led the roll out of our most anticipated new feature, Channels. In our launch week, we had 500,000 users creating and interacting with Channels, which is a direct result of the comprehensive rollout plan I co-wrote. Once that project ended, I realized how much I enjoyed working on every aspect of a major tech launch and decided to continue steering my career in that direction. Now, I’m looking forward to spending the next several years working on a variety of launches for exciting new tech companies like yours!

“Tell me about yourself” Sample Answer 2: Your professional story

Growing up, I didn’t have access to professional gym equipment. When I attended school at West Chester University, it was the first time I could explore the world of personal training. I started attending classes, talking to the trainers, and taking introductory level anatomy classes to see if it could really work for me, and I fell in love with the entire field. I never get tired of talking through goals with my clients and getting to lead them to go beyond where they thought they could. My favorite part of any workday is celebrating a client’s accomplishment, even if it’s as seemingly small as getting on the elliptical for the first time. I understand the importance of the work I do, and I am honored to have the opportunity to make it my life’s work!

“Tell me about yourself” Sample Answer 3: The company’s values

Most college students don’t enjoy group projects, but I honestly loved them when I was a Communications student at Cornell! Throughout the process, I realized the importance of compromise, leadership, and open-mindedness and learned strategies to develop participants into a true team. Since graduating in 2017, I have worked with and led several high performing teams that have achieved record results for my employer. I am passionate about not only developing teams, but also developing team members as individuals. With this and future positions, I hope to continue my work as a manager of high-performing teams and a mentor to new talent in this industry.

“Tell me about yourself” Sample Answer 4: Be creative

When I was 5 and people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said “Firetruck” for a solid 2 years. Once I finally understood that it’s not a career, I started saying I wanted to make stories like the ones I loved to read way past my bedtime. As I got older, I thought about my favorite children’s books, Junie B. Jones, Nancy Drew, and Clifford the Big Red Dog, and was always filled with so much joy. I realized the importance of the stories we love as children, and I decided to pursue my childhood dream. But, instead of writing the stories, I wanted to be the person who turns an author’s good draft into those magic books we remember reading under the covers. I studied editing and the publishing industry throughout my master’s program at NYU, and now I’m ready to start living my, well, second childhood dream! Unless you have openings for a Firetruck!

Remember: employers want you to say something about yourself because they’re ready to get a peek at who YOU really are, without any boring documents or stiff computer programs in the way. 

The best advice on how to answer “tell me about yourself” is as simple as the question: be yourself!

Show them your passion for the field and the work you’ll be doing, while sticking to the 5 rules: keep it brief, show your personality, don’t over-rehearse, keep it relevant, and don’t be afraid to try new things! To approach the question, there are 4 strategies you can mix & match: try using your elevator pitch, your professional story, the company’s mission, or your creativity. The “tell me about yourself” sample answers are a great starting point for crafting your own response!

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