How to Answer “Tell Me About Yourself” - Tips & Answers from Recruiters

1. Candidates should understand the industries and companies they’re applying to

For highly formal, corporate jobs, these companies might appreciate a more polished answer that focuses on professional life. Job seekers could focus on the length of time in the industry or key roles. On the flip side, a young tech startup might be looking for more personality and uniqueness. Candidates should maybe include answers for, “What do you do in your free time? Do you have any special hobbies or skills?” Different workplace cultures might influence the type of answer job seekers give to this question.

Wyatt Carr, a recruiting manager at Advantis Global, says, “Prior to any interview, make a quick search on LinkedIn for your interviewer to learn more about what they do, the position they hold and have held, and any common interests you can use to break the ice.” Researching the company beforehand is important!

2. Upload the answer on LinkedIn

Practice the elevator pitch of your background, resume, and standout experience by crafting 3-5 sentences in a LinkedIn profile description. This will appear right under the About Me header, and it’s often the first thing people read. Putting your “tell me about yourself” answer here helps you see it in real life, and through a recruiter and other connection requests, you can see how well people respond to it.

3. Practice answers out loud

If candidates feel like they’re stumbling or they can sense their answer has gone on too long, it’s time to switch it up. Saying it out loud is very different from typing out an answer on a computer, so make sure the story sounds intriguing when it’s told.

4. Focus on past, present, and future

To build a generic answer that fits any company or situation, build an answer around the past, present, and future. Start a story with background, share more about a current role, and then highlight future career goals or motivations for switching roles. Mention any awards, education, or certifications gained along the way.

Here are some strong “tell me about yourself” examples using the past, present, and future framework:

“I first became interested in computer science during college. I loved my classes and eventually sought a summer internship at IBM. After college, I worked as a data scientist at Adobe, crunching numbers and turning those into business insights. Now, I’m looking for a leadership role in Data Science and hoping to expand my management skills, helping a tech startup grow a team from scratch.”

“I was excited to apply for this role because it seems like a unique blend of my technical and creative skills. Right now, I’m working at a small B2C company, focusing on product marketing and bringing new product lines to life. I love the challenge of turning user research and data into physical products people can purchase at a store! In the future, I aim to migrate into a B2B company because I’m excited to bring my product marketing skills to a larger enterprise organization.”

“The future of e-commerce excites me a lot - I was reading about Shopify’s plans for merchants selling in the Metaverse, and I’m looking to join a team that is on the cutting edge of these innovations.”

After working on the “tell me about yourself answer,” don’t forget the ever-popular, “Why do you want to work here?”

With a strong, polished “tell me about yourself” answer in hand, it’s time to start applying for new roles. At Advantis Global, we work with a large range of companies, from Fortune 50s to startups, that are looking for both permanent and contract-skilled tech talent. For ambitious job seekers, our team can help land any kind of job at their ideal company.

Often, candidates are looking for an industry or position change, and we help them make their expertise shine to make the change they want, which often results in a higher-paying position. Candidates can also get interview coaching and advice from recruiters. Submit your resume or apply for a job to get connected.