“Tell me a little bit about yourself”
This short, and seemingly innocent, little phrase begins almost every interview. The infinite range of answers often stops us dead in our tracks- how do we tell someone a little bit about ourselves? Our lives are so long and complex, our ability to know even ourselves is fleeting, we are infinite beings inside our heads- how does one tell another a little bit about infinity?
The trick is to keep it simple.
Your interviewer is asking this question to see what your resume looks like in flesh and blood. This is their chance to hear which pieces of your resume you deem most important, which jobs stand out to you. Also it gives you a chance to talk about how you envision your future, a topic that your interviewer has vested interest in.
So how do we answer this question? - We stay professional, positive, and focused.
First off, it is a job interview, your interviewer is not trying to figure out who you are deep down inside. They are trying to figure out what kind of employee you are- so stick to your professional career. They don’t need to know that you are an avid remote control plane flier, or that you can perform accurate palm readings- they need to know how you did in your last jobs.
This is your chance to speak in more detail about your accomplishments in your previous jobs. We can’t reasonably put every good thing we’ve done at work on our CV, but we can use this time to talk about them. Maybe you lead a team to have the most profitable quarter in the company’s history, maybe you created a platform that streamlined company communication. Whatever it is, this is your chance to talk about it.
You can also talk a bit about where you want your career to go- and specifically what you feel you could gain from working for the company interviewing you. You don’t want to go into huge amounts of detail, but you should pick something you feel like you can learn from the company, and explain why you think you’d be equipped to learn that here.
The next thing to do is to weave positivity into all of your stories. When talking about accomplishments, try saying “we” instead of “I.” This shows that you are a team player, able to talk about your accomplishments, but not trying to steal credit from other people. This is also a good chance to talk about your previous bosses in a positive light. If you have funny anecdotes that make both you and your bosses look good, this is a place to use those. By telling your interviewer about yourself, you can show them your good qualities.
Finally you want to stay focused. Do this by maintaining eye contact, and reading if your interviewer is getting lost in your answer- and by preparing your answer before you walk in the door. If you do these two things you should have no problem answering in the right amount of time, and staying on track through your answer.
Like all interview questions, this seems scary but can make your interview. Prepare an answer based on these tips and you will have them itching to learn more about you (through working with you!).