Natalie Fisher breaks down how to answer "Tell me about yourself" in interviews. Either give a brief answer then ask a role-related question to shift focus to the employer, or deliver a tight narrative of two to three relevant achievements. Avoid answering with another question or oversharing personal details.
Well, hello there. I'm Natalie. Today we're going to talk about how to talk about yourself. In this video, you're going to learn 2 ways how to answer the question, tell me about yourself, and 2 ways not to answer the question, tell me about yourself. So stay tuned. Great, so let's get started. Tell me about yourself. What a question. So open-ended and so ambiguous that it could mean everything or it could mean nothing. Let's narrow it down to 2 solid ways you can nail this question. Conversation over interrogation. An interview is a conversation. It shouldn't just be one person asking and one person answering. So strategy number 1 is strategically direct the question. You can start answering the question and then you can actually interrupt yourself and say, hey, can I ask you a question about the role? This is where you are very subtly shifting the interview into a discussion. They won't say no, you can't ask a question about this job. They won't even know what you did. They can start— then you can start asking about their business problems and get into a really meaty discussion about what you can do to help, which is why you're there. Let's give an example. So they say, tell me about yourself, and I say, Well, I started in project management and I started to really love the projects that involved big build-outs and large-scale coordinations. Oh, and by the way, can I ask you a question about the job? They say yes. And then you say, I'm getting from your job description that you're expanding into a new space and that you're needing someone to work on coordinating this project and helping with the design. This sounds super exciting. If I'm on the right track here, what's your main priority with this project? This is just an example, but you see what I did there? Mind blown, right? Only do this if it feels right for you. It's definitely not for everyone, and an interview should get off on the right foot. And since it's normally the first question they ask, only do it if it feels right. You'll have plenty of opportunities to shift the interview into a discussion. Throughout the process. Method number 2, you just gotta say it. Have you ever left an interview and been like, darn it, I forgot to mention the time when I single-handedly orchestrated that safety evacuation for the entire building by myself? Oh, and I forgot to tell them that I'm actually bilingual because I know that they were looking for someone bilingual for the role. If there's something really important that you've ever forgot to tell somebody and you're really felt bad about it, kicked yourself after the interview, then this is your time to think about it. I want you to think about this: if there were 2 to 3 things that you really want the hiring manager to know about you, what would those 2 to 3 things be? If you could share anything, any stories, impressive things you've done, accomplishments, awards, what would you share and why? Then see if there's a good way to weave this into the answer to tell me about yourself. I mean, if this is about you, then you should share something that's interesting, memorable, and relevant. One more thing before we move on to the what not to do. The hidden meaning behind this question, put most bluntly, is. Who are you? Why should I care? What can you do for me? With this in mind, you want to give them something good, or you want to go with the first option, which is get them talking about their own problems. We all know that people love to talk about themselves, so they're not going to pass up an opportunity to do so. All right, 2 ways not to answer this question. The first way not to is to answer the question with another question. Super annoying. You ever had someone do that? So what some people do is they throw the question back and they answer with another question. I've had people do this. I say, tell me about yourself, and they say, well, what do you want to know? And while this is legit because you are asking for them to be more specific, this is not the time and place to Way 2 not to answer: kitchen sink syndrome. What I mean by this is some people, they'll just tell them everything, including things that really have nothing to do with the role, have no bearing on the hiring manager whatsoever. For example, I grew up in Minnesota, I like Minnesota sports teams, I have a brother and I have a sister, I have a dog and his name is Charlie and my mom lives in Canada. Oh, and I also like cheeses that are really smelly. No, they don't care. They don't want to know about that. Once you start the job, then you can tell them all about your dog and your cheese preference. But before that, focus on the reason you're there, to figure out if you're a fit for the role, and move in that direction. Heading towards topics around the role, the company, the industry, culture, how you can help their specific problems. Ask questions whenever you can. Don't wait until the end to ask questions. As you saw above, you can figure this out and you can do it first thing. You can ask them a question first thing. And there you have it, 2 great examples and 2 terrible examples. Use accordingly. If you're interested in diving deeper with me on interview prep, you can click below to download my Q&A examples guide. Word-for-word scripts that you can adapt with your own flair and your own words. Real examples of great answers that take a candidate from average to wow, where did this person come from and why haven't we met them before? Grab it now for free. And remember, the process, the The process that we use for hiring isn't perfect by any means, but you can outsmart it. You got this. I'll see you next time, and I can't wait. Bye!
How To Sound Good Without Having All the Answers (In Meetings & Job Interviews)
