Answering the Dreaded "Tell Me About Yourself" Interview Question

What are they looking for? Should you tell them your grades in college? Your hobbies? Marital status? The fact that you have a penchant for puzzles?

Let me tell you what they would love to hear - and this is coming from not only my personal 20+ years of hiring experience, but my countless conversations with other hiring managers. And I've come up with an answer that will knock the socks off of anyone across the desk from you.

Here's what you give them:  

Start with a brief rundown of your education and experience - 10 seconds or so. For example, "Well, after graduating from Penn State, I started my career working for a small printing company as an Account Executive, and for the last 8 years I've been with American Suzuki as a Business Development Manager." Notice how I was able to say that in all one breath.

Then you say, "And as a result of my experience, I believe my key strengths are..." and list 3-4 of the skills that really define what you bring to a position that your competition doesn't. Just a quick list of the skills - not an explanation of each. Boom- boom- boom . Five seconds. If you're entering a new field or industry, or you're applying for a position you have no direct experience in, your final skill needs to be, "...and I learn quickly and I've been able to contribute to companies in a short time."

Then you end with the sentence, "Which would you like to discuss/talk about first?" This shows a command of the conversation, leadership quality (which every employer wants!), but allows the interviewer to direct the next question. Very powerful stuff.

You need to have specific, compelling stories ready to show how you have used each skill you mention. Use those stories when the interviewer asks you about each one.

Here's an example: 

"After graduating with a degree in Psychology from the University of Missouri, I started out in Sales, but spent most of my career at American Century Investments in Operations. Most recently I've worked for a small renewable energy company. As a result of this experience, I believe my key strengths are an eye for process improvement, creative problem solving, and persuasion. Oh, and I learn very quickly and I've been able to make a major contribution to companies within a short time. Which would you like to talk about first?"

This answer is so welcomed by the hiring manager because it gives them a direction for the conversation. That takes a great burden off them to think of the pertinent questions. Of course, they've got generic questions they ask every candidate, but this makes the conversation more personal, and more about you.

And more importantly for you, it makes it a conversation, and not just a question/answer session. And we all know the most successful interviews are those that feel like a relaxed, two-way conversation.