What seems like such a simple question can really make you sweat, especially in an interview. The most commonly asked question can actually throw a lot of people off guard. When you are asked, “Tell us something about yourself”?, some of us really don’t know how to answer? What, exactly, should you share—not just to build rapport, but to show that you’re the perfect fit for the job?
This question is not a part of friendly conversation. The interviewers don’t want to know about your favourite teacher in school, or about your sibling rivalry with your sister, or what your hobbies are. Most interviewers ask this question to get a firsthand brief about yourself, it also acts as a quick ice breaker.
Dont do the mistake of going over your resume again, because the interviewer has already seen it and that is the reason you have been shortlisted for a face to face interview. The best ‘about me’ talk would be a short summary of your professional career progress and a few lines about you as a person.
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‘Tell me about yourself’ question is also an opportunity to prove why you are right for the job. One good way to approach this question is to answer it as a time-scale. Begin with where you are now professionally, and extend it backwards to cover your experience all the way until your higher education. In case you have studied across different states and countries, do mention about it succinctly.
So, if you are a software engineer, you can speak about your present coding skills, project you are working on and responsibilities, and draw out a picture of the skills that you picked up in your previous job experiences that may be applicable to your new job. In this way, you can tell the interviewers how you are right for the present job.
Remember throughout your answer to focus on the experiences and skills that are going to be most relevant for the recruiters when they’re thinking about this particular position and this company. So, you can use anecdotes and incidences to show when you particularly handled a difficult situation well, or worked well under pressure, to highlight your intelligent and emotional quotient.
This question is a good open-ended opportunity to turn the interview in your favour. Many lose this opportunity out of nervousness and unpreparedness. You can actually leverage it to your advantage, all it takes is a little of practise at home.
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