From Meh to Wow How to Answer “ Tell Me About Yourself” in an Interview
From Meh to Wow: How to Answer “Tell Me About Yourself” in an Interview #
Excerpt #
How to avoid the common pitfalls and stand out instead
In my recent 1-1 coaching sessions, I’ve been helping engineers and managers prepare for behavioral interviews. Just like the actual interviews, the first question we start with is “Tell me about yourself”.
After interviewing hundreds of candidates for both Big Tech and startups, I noticed that few responded in a way that made me excited to work with them. It wasn’t an automatic “no hire”, but it was a missed opportunity to impress.
The outcome of interviews is partly determined by your answers, and partly by the overall impression you make on the interviewer. “Tell me about yourself” is an excellent opportunity to start on the right foot and sets the stage for how the rest of the interview will go.
In today’s article we’re covering:
The importance of a strong interview start
Some of the most common mistakes people make
High-level tips for answering this question
🔐The anatomy of a great answer + Recommended formula (paid subscribers only)
🔐Ready-to-use sentence starters (paid subscribers only)
🔐Examples for different scenarios (paid subscribers only)
The importance of a strong interview start #
If you start the interview strong, the interviewer is more likely to view you in a favorable light, even if your answers to other questions aren’t perfect. First impressions are hard to change, so if you nail this question, you set a positive tone and create a sense of enthusiasm about what you might bring to the team.
Besides first impressions, how answer this question gives the interviewer a signal as to how you’ll speak in your day-to-day role. Do you give long-winded answers? Do you know how to communicate the essence of a problem? You’ll likely need that no matter what role you’re applying for.
Lastly, there’s a high chance you’ll encounter this question in at least one of your interviews. It’s one of the most common interview questions, not just in behavioral interviews, but also as an icebreaker in coding, data structures and algorithms (DSA), or system design rounds.
After reading this article, you’ll have a bulletproof recipe on how to answer this question.
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Some of the most common mistakes I see #
Long-winded answers: Going on and on without a clear point can lose the interviewer’s interest quickly. If you lose your interviewer’s attention, they might not remember everything you said. It’s human nature.
Reciting a rundown of their resume: The point of this question is not to repeat exactly what’s in the resume, the point is to guide the interviewer on how to read the resume and draw attention to what’s most important.
Sounding like a rehearsed script: While it’s good to be prepared, sounding too rehearsed can come off as robotic and inauthentic. Try to be natural.
Being unremarkable, monotone, and boring: Engage your interviewer with enthusiasm and energy. Share something about yourself that shows your personality and makes you memorable. Avoid a monotonous tone, it can make even the most impressive achievements sound dull.
High-level tips for answering this question #
Be positive: Focus on your strengths and what you bring to the table. Positivity is contagious and can set a good tone for the rest of the interview.
Be prepared: Write your answer down before the interview and repeat it in front of the mirror. Record yourself and see how long your answer is when spoken.
Tailor your answer: Applying to a FinTech company? Highlight your FinTech-related experience. A product team? Double down on your product experience. Infra? Talk about infra. Mention points that relate to the job you’re applying for.
Keep your answer to at most 2 minutes long.
Next, let’s tackle:
🔐The anatomy of a great answer + Recommended formula (paid subscribers only)
🔐Ready-to-use sentence starters (paid subscribers only)
🔐Examples for different scenarios (paid subscribers only)