Don’t dread the “tell me about yourself” question

In our series of top 10 interviews questions and how to respond to them, Yiba profiles some outstanding answers developed by a US website, The Balance .

Common to all your responses for interview questions is one thing: Preparation.

Having already discussed the first two questions – what is your greatest strength and what is your greatest weakness , we move to question three – how to answer the “tell me about yourself” question.

Interviewers will sometimes start an interview with an open-ended question like “tell me about yourself.”

It’s a way to make you feel more comfortable during the interview and to get insight into your personality.

Sharing too much or too little information isn’t a good idea. The interviewer doesn’t want to know everything about you.

However, disclosing too little can make a person wonder why you aren’t more open.

Although it might be tempting to share a list of your most compelling qualifications for the job at hand, a more low-key approach will probably help you to develop a personal rapport with your interviewer.

Try starting out by sharing some personal interests which don’t relate directly to your work.

Interests like long distance running or yoga which help to represent your healthy, energetic side are worth mentioning.

Pursuits like being an avid reader or solving sokudu puzzles or brain teasers will help to showcase your intellectual leaning.

Interests like rugby, netball, and entertaining at home might have some value if you are likely to be entertaining clients in your new job.

Volunteer work will demonstrate the seriousness of your character and commitment to the welfare of your community.

Move to the professional from personal

After sharing a few interesting personal aspects of your background, you can transition to sharing some key professional skills that would help you to add value if you were hired for your target job.

Consider using phrases like “in addition to those interests and passions, my professional life is a huge part of who I am, so I’d like to talk a bit about some of the strengths which I would bring to this job.”

Share your expertise

Be ready to share three or four of the personal qualities, skills and/or areas of expertise which would help you to excel in the job for which you are interviewing. Ultimately, you will want to share several other strengths before the interview is over.

Make a list of your strengths before you go into the interview, so you know what you will share. Look at the job description and match it with your skills. Then share the top few skills which make you an ideal candidate for the job.

But be careful not to overwhelm the interviewer with too much information. Mention three or four strengths during the course of the interview.

Avoid politics and controversy

Typically, you would steer clear of controversial topics like politics or religion. It’s important to avoid any references to topics that would cause concern about your ethics, character, productivity, or work ethic. You also don’t need to share personal information about your family.