Tell Me About Yourself
By Ginger Campbell, National Program Coordinator/Work Search, AARP Foundation
One of the most common questions or requests from a potential employer during a job interview is, "Tell me about yourself." If you have been on more than one or two job interviews, you know the drill. The challenge is, how do you answer this? After all, the employer has already read your job application and your resume. So what does "Tell me about yourself" really mean?
Let's begin with the definitely do not do's. The employer is not interested in where you were born, how many children or grandchildren you have, if you are married, single or in one of those in-between stages, your favorite color or taste in music, or favorite foods...you get the picture.
What the employer is interested in is, how can you fill the position better than any other applicant; what can you do to make his or her life easier; how will your special skills enhance the current staffing, or the production level of the company; will your sense of responsibility and loyalty be noticeable to customers and staff alike; is honesty your policy in the workplace? Tell the employer how your previous work and life experiences lend wisdom and maturity to the position for which you are applying. Explain to the employer how your ability to work independently, as well as an effective team player, will allow him or her to focus on their duties and responsibilities.
Those are the answers that the employer is looking for when the inquiry is made, "Tell me about yourself." If you have never been asked to respond to this, it could take you by surprise. But a job application or a resume does not tell all, and most of the time the top three of four people being interviewed basically have the same technical skills for the position. Therefore, more information needs to be extracted from the applicants to make the final determination.
In addition, personal information exchange at work may not be appropriate even after you get a job. Keep your eyes and ears open and consider just how much everyone around you shares and stick with that level of interaction only. "Tell us about yourself" may mean the same thing to co-workers as well as the employer.
Prepare ahead for job interviews since "Tell me about yourself" is not the only open ended question that may arise. Some employers actually ask you to write a paragraph or two about yourself before the interview. It isn't a trick or a way to take you off guard; it is simply a way of sifting, filtering and sorting in order to find the "just right" employee. This would also be the time to focus on your skill and attributes.
Ginger Campbell has worked for the AARP Foundation for 32 years. She was a Project Director for the Senior Employment program for 30 years and helped over 5,500 mature job seekers in Humboldt and Sonoma Counties in. Northern CA. She is now the National Program Coordinator/WorkSearch SCSEP.