Nov 22, 20212 min read

Interview question? Tell me about yourself

Updated: Apr 20, 2022

"Tell me about yourself" This question seems simple, so many people fail to prepare for it, but it’s crucial. Here's the deal:

Don’t give your complete employment (or personal) history - You're not sat with a councillor. Instead, give a pitch - one that’s concise and compelling and that shows exactly why you’re the right fit for the job. I recommend using a present, past, future framework. Introduce yourself using part of your value proposition, then talk a little bit about your current role (including the scope and perhaps one big accomplishment), giving some background as to how you got there and experience you have that’s relevant. Finally, mention why you're applying for the role — and why you would be perfect fit!

Example:

'I'm currently a Project Manager in the Energy industry and for the past 10 years, I have primarily been working in key account and project management roles in the Middle East. I thoroughly enjoy leading cross cultural teams and assuring E&P projects on behalf of energy operators.

I most recently worked as a senior PM for a large oil company in Saudi Arabia, managing a large exploration and production campaign across 3 separate sites and oversaw other Project Managers. Prior to this I worked my way through the industry and worked with a variety of organisations, including Halliburton, Shell and BP. Now I'm looking to expand my experience across different industries, particularly in renewables, which is why I'm so interested in joining an agency like yours.'

As with any interview question, the key to crafting an impressive answer is understanding why people are asking in the first place. If you've done your research and fully understood the job description you could drop in a few keywords to demonstrate you're the ideal candidate.

Beyond serving as an icebreaker and transition, this introductory question also helps recruiters and hiring managers accomplish what’s often one of their major goals in the hiring process: getting to know you. If you answer it well, the interviewers will begin to find out why you’re the best candidate for this job, in terms of hard skills and experience as well as soft skills. It’s a great opportunity to demonstrate that you can communicate clearly and effectively, connect with and react to other humans, and present yourself professionally.

Are you worried about your next interview? Bigger Fish offers a 1 hour interview coaching session that teaches you how to prepare and handle a range of questions, including the following topics: