Madeline Mann, founder of career coaching business Self Made Millennial, says there are no easy questions when it comes to job interviews.
“Tell me about yourself” seems like a simple prompt, but “it’s probably the question that people have the most trouble with because it can be interpreted in so many different directions,” Mann says.
The purpose of the question is usually “just to break the ice,” but that doesn’t mean job seekers shouldn’t take it seriously.
Their answers will “set the tone” for the rest of the interview, she says. But instead of briefly highlighting their career accomplishments, some people veer into personal details and hobbies.
Regarding this interview question, Mann, who is also the author of Reverse the Search: How to Turn Job Seeking into Job Shopping, advises job seekers to keep their answers “highly relevant” to the role at hand.
She also offers her favorite three-part formula in a way that “answers this question beautifully every time.”
How to answer “Tell me about yourself”
Start with a short opening sentence that directly links your past experience to the role you are seeking. Candidates should aim to “fundamentally match themselves to the job description,” Mann says.
For accounting jobs, Munn says, it can be as simple as, “I have worked as an accountant for a growth-stage startup for the past five years.”
Repeating keywords in the job posting can have a positive psychological impact on the interviewer. The interviewer’s brain “immediately decides, ‘Okay, this is the right person,'” she says.
Next, Mann recommends “touching on” some of your key accomplishments from past jobs.
The results you share need to be quantifiable and “immediately relevant to the role you’re in,” she says.
Candidates can say things like: “In my most recent job, I was the accounting manager for startup X, where I grew the accounting team from one to four people. Before that, I worked at company Y, where I was responsible for all accounting and budgeting and was able to reduce costs by 20%.”
Even if your past roles aren’t directly related to the job, you should highlight any overlap, she says. For example, a former executive assistant who applied for that accounting position could highlight that she worked with leaders on budget management.
Finally, state, “The reason I was so interested in interviewing you is…” and then “fill in the blank with why this role is the perfect next step in your career,” Mann says. She suggests something like, “I would like to be in charge of accounting for a Fortune 500 company.”
She says this last step is very important because it prevents you from rambling and gives your answer a neat conclusion. “It’s really a bow,” she says.
“They know exactly how your background fits into what they’re looking for and why they think it’s the next step.”
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