How to Answer “Tell Me About Yourself” with Examples
June 30, 2024
You’re sitting down for your interview and the interviewer says, “Tell me about yourself.” What’s the first thing you think of when you hear those words? It’s a question about who you are, so it’s bound to be easy. Right? “Tell me about yourself” is often the very first thing you’ll hear during your interview. After all, you and the interviewer are both new to each other. What they do know about you so far consists of details on your resume, cover letter, or possibly, already, recommendations. They’re posing this question to get to know you as a person, and you’ll most likely be asked this for every new interviewer you have, from the first introductory screening up until the very last interview with the head of the department. Let’s dive into the very nature of this question and explore how to answer “Tell me about yourself” (examples below) successfully.
Why do they need to hear my answer when they already have my resume and cover letter?
Just as you’re figuring out who your interviewer is, your interviewer is doing the same. The interview will begin with friendly small talk to get you both situated. “Tell me about yourself” then becomes a way to ease into the rest of the interview. It can help inform the interviewer on how to steer the next questions.
What you say can catch enough of their interest to ask a relevant question. Or they’ll move on from it. The details and the story you choose to share will help them assess what types of questions they should ask you. Throughout the entire time, they are noticing what makes you different from other candidates.
Other ways they’ll ask “Tell me about yourself”
During the interview, you could hear those exact words, or the interviewer can say:
- “Tell me a bit more about your background.”
- “Could you summarize your most important achievements?”
- “I’m going through your resume, but would love for you to walk us through it.”
- “I already looked at your resume and cover letter, and it’d be great to know more about who you are.”
- “Describe your journey so far.”
- “Is there something unique you’d like to share about who you are?”
It’s challenging to decide how to answer “Tell me about yourself” because you need to be confident about the examples you’re choosing. Much like a personal statement, you’re giving them a snapshot into your life. You’re in control of what you choose to say.
Know how to answer “Tell me about yourself”
Choosing the right parts of your life to talk about can pave the way for a successful interview. Let’s dive into the key points you should cover:
1)Talk about the experiences, achievements and skills you have that are relevant to the job. This then leads into how you would be the best candidate for the position.
2) Explain the previous jobs you’ve held and how that led you to your current one. Then go into how your current job has brought you to this new role you are applying for. This can also be a good opportunity for you to mention what your goals are in the future.
3) Show your personality while you’re speaking, making sure you’re communicating clearly and positively, while giving examples of how you’ve connected with people throughout this time. Presenting this proactive side of you will only strengthen your profile.
4) Demonstrate what you’ve researched about the company by explaining how you see yourself in the job. Share about what you’re most looking forward to in the job and the company.
“Tell me about yourself” in the past, present and future
Finding the right flow in relaying your own narrative can be a tricky task. It’s helpful to have a general format of which times of your life you’re pulling your examples from.
Two recommended ways of how to “tell me about yourself” in an organized format are:
1) Present – Past – Future
- You can begin by describing what your current job entails and what your responsibilities and accomplishments are. Then you can share how you got to where you are with your current job, which will lead you to describe more of your professional background. To conclude, you’ll then talk about what your goals are and why you’re so interested in this new position.
2) Past – Present – Future
This format would have you begin with how you arrived at your current job, giving you a chance to explain your professional history right away. You can also mention what has always inspired you to become who you are today. This leads right into what you do in your current role, what responsibilities you have and what achievements you’ve accomplished. Then you’ll finish off, just like the “tell me about yourself” format above, with why you’re the right person for this new job.
Tell me about Yourself Examples (Continued)
There’s no “fixed” order for how to tell this to your interviewer, but it’s important to choose the examples that highlight your best skills and attributes relevant to the new job. What’s most crucial is to always tie it back to the new job and the new company you’re applying to. This means that if your past work experience ties more directly to the new job, then it makes sense to begin there. Similarly, if your most recent work experience is more related to the new role, then you can start with that example.
The interviewer is there to assess whether or not you’re the ultimate fit for their team. In that sense, it’s always helpful to end your “tell me about yourself” story with why you’re the right person for the job.
Key advice for “Tell me about yourself” answers
Now you’ve got a general timeline structure set in place. But before we dive into “tell me about yourself” examples, let’s look at some quick ways to strengthen your response:
1) Your first impression will make a difference.
2) You are your own curator.
3) Understand who your interviewer is.
4) Remember this is a professional interview.
Tell me about Yourself Examples (Continued)
5) Tone can influence the entire conversation.
6) Stay focused: everything should point towards the new job.
7) Be authentic but prepared.
8) Speak with positivity and enthusiasm, but don’t overdo it.
“Tell me about yourself” examples
Every “tell me about yourself” answer will be different depending on the person, but having some examples on hand can help. Take a look at these examples below that make for a strong answer.
1) You are applying to a completely new industry:
For over seven years, I’ve worked in business development and have focused on building longstanding relationships with clients. My most recent role was as the senior manager for a startup tech company that ran a database platform for journalists around the world. I helped connect the right partners to our company and promoted our mission on global trips across Africa, Asia and Europe. Now I’m interested in branching outside of business development and stepping into fundraising to broaden my scope. Fundraising is a field I’ve worked very closely alongside throughout my career and have always found fascinating. I’ve been wanting to join a team where I could apply my business development skills into a fundraising leadership position, and this is why I’m so interested in this role at your company.
How to Answer “Tell me about Yourself” Examples (Continued)
2) If you are searching for a similar job to the one you have now:
Since I was in college at the University of Michigan, I’ve been absolutely passionate about journalism and media. As you can see on my resume, I was the editor-in-chief of our student newspaper and I helped to create an incubator on campus for students who wished to become investigative journalists. This only spurred my love for journalism, and upon graduating, I began working as an intern at the Los Angeles Times, assisting some of the lead journalists covering politics across the Southern Californian region and eventually being able to help write and edit copy for newsletters.
I worked my way up to become an assistant editor, which made me fall in love with the editorial process and editing for a large newspaper. After working as an assistant editor for the past three years, I knew I wanted to start finding work as an editor. With what I’ve learned as an intern and assistant editor at the Los Angeles Times over the past several years, I always imagined myself covering news back home in Michigan. When I saw this opening for the editor position, I knew I had to apply because it’s been a dream of mine to work with your company.
How to Answer “Tell me about Yourself” Examples (Continued)
3) Maybe you are going from an agency to an in-house position:
I’ve been an account manager at Paris Parties for five years now, and I’ve been responsible for overseeing our top client accounts. I’ve established long-lasting relationships with each of Paris Parties’ biggest clients, as going above and beyond for our client has always been my first priority. Prior to Paris Parties, I worked at Hollywood Events, where I managed over 50 of their largest clients across the creative sector. I always loved the work I did as an account manager at both agencies. But I’ve been looking for a new challenge, to step into more of a leadership role, so as soon as I saw the opening at your company, I knew I had to go for it.
How to Answer “Tell me about Yourself” Examples (Continued)
4) You’ve just graduated and you’re applying to your first job
I graduated from New York University in May, and I majored in English and American literature and minored in Spanish. I always knew that I wanted to work in a nonprofit organization that helped promote literature around the world. Throughout my time at NYU, I volunteered and interned at several nonprofits such as UNICEF, where I helped organize events for donors in New York City to help raise funding for girls’ education. One of the greatest experiences I had while interning was when my team and I were able to increase our donations from last year by 35%, compared to the 12% the previous year.
We were able to send more books and educational materials to girls around the world who otherwise would have not had access to these resources. It made me wonder what else I could do with my English literature degree, my foreign language skills and my passion for education. I wanted to truly make a difference. Since then, I became passionate about fundraising for children’s rights and access to education, which is what led me to apply for the associate fundraiser role at your organization.
How to Answer “Tell me about Yourself” Examples (Continued)
5) Searching for a new role in the healthcare sector:
My work experience in customer service had unexpectedly led me to pursue a career in the healthcare sector. Working as a waitress for three years made me understand how to listen to the needs of people. When I was serving a table of pediatric nurses one day, I heard them talk about their work and I knew I had to explore this field. I’ve always been someone interested in improving the lives of others, whether it’s through providing perfect customer service. After three years at the restaurant, I was promoted to restaurant manager because my supervisor noted my dedication and passion for serving others.
Every night after work, I studied on my own to see how I could enter the healthcare industry as an administrator. And that’s how I went back to school. Upon graduating, I began to build my career in health administration, working my way up to get to where I am today at Mountainview Hospital. I’ve been overseeing the office and managing staff and patient relations for nine years now.
This past April, I worked with the interns and senior management to create a “career day” to bring our office closer together. It has been an immense pleasure to hold our weekly meetings and regularly involve the IT team to ensure our computer systems are all up to date. As it’s now the end of my ninth year at Mountainview Hospital, I’ve been searching for new ways to branch out, grow and contribute. And I was incredibly interested when I learned about this position at your hospital.
How to Answer “Tell me about Yourself” Examples (Continued)
6) If you’re looking to change careers:
For over a decade, I’ve worked in marketing as a marketing director, leading campaigns and amplifying my current company’s messaging through high-level engagement. Throughout the past five years, I’ve been leading a team of fifty in our marketing department to reach and surpass our monthly, quarterly and yearly goals in ROI. It has been one of my greatest joys to watch the employees under my care grow into the professionals they are today, and it’s always fulfilling to see such professional and personal development. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching my team work across departments to ensure that we meet our goals, and especially, working closely with the public relations department.
How to Answer “Tell me about Yourself” Examples (Continued)
Since I first came to my company as a marketing associate, I learned quickly how intertwined the marketing and public relations teams are, and I’m incredibly grateful to have had the career in marketing that I’ve managed to build. The more I worked with our public relations director, the more I also realized that I’ve gravitated towards developing more creative, media-facing solutions to campaigns for the company. Together, we were able to create significant events and turnarounds for our entire team, and I found myself eager to focus on media strategies and improving our company’s public image. After much consideration, and with our public relations director’s recommendation, I know that making this switch into public relations is the path I’m now meant to pursue. And I can’t think of a better place to work for than your company, which combines the best of both worlds.
Show them who you are
So where do you even start? How much should you actually say about yourself in an interview? Prepping for the inevitable “Tell me about yourself” can be a stress-inducer, especially for a job with a heavy workload. But it doesn’t have to be, even if you’re applying for one of the happiest jobs in America. Hopefully, with the information shared above, you’ll now have a better idea of where to begin.
Remember, you don’t want to share with the interviewer every single detail from your professional life. However, you do want them to know about certain experiences that have shaped you to be the professional you are today. Striking the right balance is key.
How to Answer “Tell me about Yourself” Additional Career-Related Resources
