Tell Me about Yourself

“Tell me about yourself” may be the most dreaded interview question, because it’s open-ended. There are actually a lot of different ways you can answer this one, but the first thing to remember is to keep it brief and make sure it’s an appropriate mix of personal and professional information.  In general, a brief summary of your education, your career path up to this point and your strengths makes for a good answer.  You don’t want to answer a questions with another question, so avoid asking, “What would you like to know?” 

Some general guidelines when answering questions about yourself:

·       Try to incorporate strengths, experiences or accomplishments relevant to the job into you answer.

·       Use examples and be specific whenever possible.

·       Keep the answer brie, but not so short that the interviewer has to pry the information out of you.

·      Practice answering this question if you’re going to be applying for jobs. It sets the tone for the entire interview.