The Right Way To Answer "Tell Me About Yourself

The Right Way To Answer "Tell Me About Yourself

There are a couple questions that everyone dreads in an interview.

"What is your greatest weakness?" "Where do you see yourself in five years?" and "Tell me about yourself." It's the default question (and the first) in most interviews, and to many candidates, it can feel like a trap.

So we spoke with executive headhunters and career coaches about how best to answer this question. "They want to gauge how the person thinks," 

Even though there is no one right answer, focusing on the past, the negative, or the too personal can hurt your chances of making it through.

First ask: "Where would you like me to start off?"

Starting in the present might make you seem like you're not reflective,

 and starting in the past might seem like you're not really focused on what's happening right now, 

 whose firm has a human resources specialty.

A good option, she says, would be to ask your interviewer: "Where would you like me to start off?"

If they don't tell you, or let you decide, then talk about your previous work experiences

 and tell them why you've chosen the career you're in.

Never reply with: "What do you want to know?"

"It's the most annoying answer," says Nancy Fox, founder of The Business Fox, 

which helps entrepreneurs and professionals attract top-tier executives.

 "You're retaliating and it shows you're not prepared for the interview.

"You also don't want to tell an interviewer you're divorced; you want to tell them something positive,

 like you're a big believer in giving back to the community."

Imagine you were paid to consult your interviewer

"Forget about being a candidate…totally," says executive headhunter Mark Jaffe of Wyatt & Jaffe. 

"Imagine instead that you’re a consultant, 

and that you’ve already been paid a non-refundable $20,000 consulting fee to attend this meeting.

 How does that change things?"

Jaffe says this way, you won't worry about selling yourself: "No posing, no posturing, no tap dancing of any kind."

There's a fine line between brevity and wordiness

"It's a fine line, if you're too wordy you're going to lose them, 

but if you just give them bullet points without any narrative or conversation

 then they're going to think you're not self-reflective or self-aware," says Finn.

Some things Finn says you need to include: Brief details about who you are,

 things you're passionate about and areas you focus on, and past positive work experiences.

In fact, your answer shouldn't be more than five minutes

The answer should be short and succinct, never more than five minutes.

A good option, Fox says, is to tell your interviewer you're going to answer the question in three parts:

 Past career opportunities, positive personal details about yourself (like interests), 

and strategic details (like what you can offer the company).

Knowing your interviewer's style will help you craft your answers

"Do a little prep on who's going to interview you," says Fox

. "What charities are they involved with? What school did they go to?"

"The answer can be different depending on who's going to interview you," she says.

With this in mind, it also pays to do a mock interview before the real thing

"You should sound confident and at ease, but never cocky,"

 Fox says. "People with outstanding careers can go into an interview and make [employers] feel very small."

Role-playing with a mentor or career coach can go a long way.