It’s a seemingly innocuous request — an invitation that’s really an open-ended question. But that openness is what makes it such a difficult query to answer. Which of many possible responses should you give, what things should you mention, and how much should you say?
12 comments:
As simple as this question is, it is the one I struggle the absolute most with. When I'm in a social situation, I'm completely fine talking to people about who I am and what I do, but when I'm in an interview I am simply terrified that whatever I say will either sound like I'm proud of something that isn't very impressive, or that I'm underselling myself, or that I'm overselling myself, or that I'm completely boring, or that I'm too excited. The most surprising thing though is that I am always, always surprised by this question. No matter how much I expect it to be there, I never know what to say. This article has a fairly decent template for an elevator speech that I think I might be able to use when I start on interviews for this summer. I think I would really benefit from a more succinct, well thought out introduction, both for my own panic levels and for the way I appear to potential employers.
I had never really thought about how complex "tell me about yourself" really is. I guess I would always answer this question with the information I felt was most relevant to the situation, but how I gauged the length of my response, I have no idea. I could have been a rambler and never known it! The article brings up the important point that this question could mean different things. In a social situation you wouldn't give the same autobiography you would to a potential employer and visa versa. It is important to know how to categorize the situation to give the most effective answer. I think the way the Peggy McKee rephrased this question is a more true evaluation of what people mean when they really ask this question. I think the safest way to answer this question, as supported by the article, is to stick to the highlights of whats relevant. They don't need all of the information on your resume because they already have it. Mention things that will get the employer interested in you as a professional and could lead to more natural conversation. A social situation seems more difficult to gauge for me but the article mentions to simply stay relevant and be yourself and I agree.
People always ask you to tell them about yourself and it may be tricky to come up with a response right away. It is good to have a few points planned out at all times. In social situations people normally want to hear a tiny bit about your background and a funny thing about you that they will remember you by. It is bad if you just bore people about your life or tell them really personally things right away because then they will feel really uncomfortable and not want to talk to you. Making people laugh is a really good first impression. In a job interview situation you would want to talk about your skills and how you will be a valuable member of their company. They also do not want to hear boring long stories about your past and probably do not want to hear about all your achievements because it can come off as bragging. It may be beneficial to say something funny in a job interview too so they know you will be enjoyable to work with.
Tell me about yourself is probably the question I thought most about when I was interviewing for colleges. Interestingly when I was prodded by this article to think back on my answers for that question a mere year ago It’s surprising to see how much has changed about them. Even if so much about me is the same. I still have a great passion for the performing arts and love theatre as much as I always have. I can’t say I predicted even then how much I would love the new community of artists I have found myself in this year. Being here does more than allow me to learn skills, it is a constant inspiration to push myself a little harder, not only with my work but with my goals. For me I think tell me about yourself now involves more of my future than ever before.
While this is such a basic question, this is such an incredibly complicated question. The way one answers this question differs from situation. For example, I would answer this same question differently if it were asked to me by a potential employer or by someone at a party. While this question is so fundamental, it can do so much to shape a first impression. The asker is giving you the power to tell them what you want to tell them about yourself. Of course, they can infer other things about your actions and your other words, but you are the lone person deciding what you want to tell them about yourself. "Tell me about yourself" can mean so many different things. It's so difficult to tell what exactly an employer is looking for. Some employers ask that question hoping to hear about your strong work ethic and undying passion for theatre, while others want to hear about the time you got drunk and decided to do your comments for your PTM class, showing that even in a state of deep intoxication, you still were determined to do your job and fulfill your responsibilities in the most efficient way possible. Answering this question comes from experience, and it takes that experience to distinguish the types of personalities and situations that work with certain answers.
For me, this is always a dreaded question. Whenever I hear it, my brain usually forgets my whole entire life, so I never have any idea what to say. Just this past week, as it was the the first week of the semester, two of the classes I was in was asked to play two truths and a lie. I blanked out both times. This article was kind of helpful, in that it details the best structure of your response. However, it only briefly touched upon the problem I have, and that is through rehearsing what to say. Not everyone has that amazing story that demonstrates their work ethic, or a hilarious fact about themselves. I guess spending a lot of time thinking of what to say could solve this, but the article could do more for the ‘what should I say’ challenged.
I hate this question. I was thrilled to not be asked it that frequently when I went on all my college interviews but it happened a few times and normally my answer was something like "ummm I'm from Hoboken New Jersey, I like to play soccer, and work with kids, ummm, I have one sister, and yeah". Yes this is a bad response, and should I ever get asked that question again I have a better one ready, but my problem with the question is not how hard it is to answer, because as someone going into an interview you should hope that the person has high standards and asks hard questions. My problem is that there is nothing you can really get to know about me in the 55 seconds this article has given me to answer the question. Yes you'll get some facts, and a few surface things, but where I went to college and when I took my first business class doesn't tell you anything about the kind of worker I am, or whether I cooperate well with others, it's all just outside stuff. One day I will get asked this question again, and I will be better at answering it than I was a year ago, but should I ever have to interview someone I think I am going to try to ask them things that let me know who they are as a person not just on the surface.
Ugh, thank you to the person who wrote this. This is possibly the worst question in the world. It is so vague and unsettling and to me, a conversation killer. In social settings, I try to avoid this question as much as possible, asking more specific if not slightly weird questions, just to start a more interesting conversation.
The aspect about the interviews is helpful though. I especially was intrigued by the part about relating yourself to your interviewer ("Oh, you're from Texas too?") I feel like with the focus on technology, the art of conversation is being lost, even in a professional environment. After watching my brother (going into accounting) go through job and internship interviews, it became clear to me how important human-ness and the ability to impress your interviewer, not only with your resume, but with your banter. Too many people rely solely on what their resume says, and not enough on how they are in person.
I remember during my Unified interviews last winter, how one kid at my BU interview was bragging about how competent and well prepared he was. He rudely asked other kids "What have you done?" And tried to compare their achievements to his. Now, I don't know if that kid got in, but I know that it's pretty hard to hide that level of dickishness. You can't hope your impressive resume will make people like you. Good luck to that kid, whereever he is.
I've always enjoyed this prompt, regardless of context or asker. It is the ultimate golden opportunity to showcase what about yourself you think is most notable, or most important. Particularly within the circumstances of an interview, this allows one to convey an incredible amount about one's worldview, along with the more abstract meta-skill aspects of one's personality. Most interview questions rely on being able to directly tie in a specific skill one has, or a certain experience in one's past. Compared to those questions that utilize a more factual, objective approach to understanding an applicant or interviewee, this question is much more subjective and elevates the applicant's personal experiences rather than their pseudo-quantitative skill set.
This question also allows for the presentation of a variety of meta-skills, such as adaptability, knowledge of audience, and thinking quickly. Many companies today are also aiming to hire "people with personality". This question targets those kinds of people.
This question has always seemed easy to me. When answering this question, one is always prepared. You are yourself, and therefore, the most qualified person to give an answer.
Interviews serve as opportunities to practice all of those communication skills we learn about in school. This question, just like when you walk in the room, sets the tone for how a person will perceive you.
I think that a lot of what the author had to say here was not new, or innovative. When interviewing somewhere, one should always know a little bit about their interviewer. Connecting with this person will take you a lot further in a hiring process. It seems obvious that people remember and enjoy connecting with other people.
This question is the one that has the ability to set you apart from the pack. A lot of answers to questions from various applicants may not vary. After all, they are all applying for the same job. Owning who you are and connecting with your interviewer while telling them about yourself gives you a chance to stand out, and be remembered.
This article says that this particular question “It breaks the ice and gets the conversation going”, at least for me nothing could be further from the truth. If you want to make me felt instantly uncomfortable, ask this. One problem with it, in my opinion, is that the question is too general. Responses can range from a helpless look, begging you silently “Well, what exactly do you want to know about me?” to a long, rambling monologue as the person fishes for tidbits of information about themselves that they think you might find interesting. One of the really solid overall suggestions in this article is to take your cue on how to answer the dreaded question from the context of the situation. If you’re at an interview, answer with a brief job history, if you’re at a party, tell them how you know the host. The other thing this article pointed out is that this question is meant to be a conversation starter, but that doesn’t mean you have to finish the conversation. Say things that will make it easy for them to reply or ask questions, which is why thinking of the things you have in common with the asker is an excellent way to frame your response. Or we could just stop asking this anxiety-ridden, god-awful question, and start off things with more specific questions with obvious answers to let the other person more comfortable and grounded at the beginning.
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