‘Tell me a little about yourself’ is a question you could be asked during an interview, apparently to help put you at ease. It can come in a few other forms, such as ‘talk me through your resume’ or ‘tell me about your professional journey so far’.
Even though this type of question is meant to help settle your nerves, if you aren’t prepared for it, it can be unsettling. You’ve hopefully researched the role, the company, the company’s values, possibly even the interview panellists, but you may have overlooked this icebreaker question.
So, how do you approach it?
As with most interview questions, there is no single right answer. Whichever way you approach it, use a technique that gives you structure and shows off your transferable and technical skills relevant for the role you’re interviewing for. The Situation, Task, Action, Result (STAR), Situation, Action, Outcome (SAO) or Context, Action, Results, Learning (CARL) methods can provide you with a structure that will allow you to sell yourself, without nerves taking over.
All of these techniques allow you to focus on your achievements, what transpired as a result, and what you have learnt. The learning or outcome is the reason why you are telling the story – it can be the point of difference between you and the other candidates.
Another method is the Past, Present, Future (PPF) method. You discuss previous roles and experiences relevant to the role, your current situation, and what you can add to the company in the future. As with the previous methods, it gives you a structure and helps keeps your nerves in check.
The question is coming, so rehearse your answer, but don’t memorise it. You want to sound authentic and natural, not like you’re reading lines from a script.
For more advice on interview questions, read Your 2023 Guide to the Most Common Interview Questions and Answers by The Muse.
And, to help you prepare for the ‘tell me about yourself’ question and everything else an interview can include, complete the Interviews module in our Getting a Job Challenge or the Interviews Workbook on UniHub.
This article was written by Career Development Consultant, Graham Powell.
