Tell Me About Yourself?

In around 90% of all job interviews, this question will be the first one you are asked. 

It should be an easy question to answer, as you are a subject matter expert on yourself. 
However, for most people, this is a question that they stumble on because it is so open-ended that they did not prepare for it or may not know what to say.

It is important to prepare for and practice how you can best answer this question, and there are a few simple steps you can take to make sure you impress your interviewer and create a positive first impression. 

1. Study the job description to understand what they are looking for. Write down three key points that the ad emphasizes (Team player, 3 years’ experience required, excellent communicator, etc….)  
   
2. Write down your top skills and make sure they align with the job requirements. If they do not, then it might be the wrong job for you, or you might need to acquire some new additional skills before you can get this job.  
   
3. You can use a simple method called the “T” method to line up the 3 key skills required with your strengths. For example:

4. Once you have developed the above, you can divide your answer to the “tell me about yourself” question into three parts: 

• Say something interesting about yourself. Dare to be authentic and show a part of who you are. 
• Tell them what you are doing right now. 
• Tell them what you want and why you will be good at it.  
  “I have a love of team sports and I am proud to say that my HS Volleyball team just won OFSSA in my senior year. Having just graduated from high school, I want to continue my career working in an outside environment and feeding my passion for horticulture.  The past four summers I have worked for two different landscaping companies and am looking for an organization that will value my positive outlook and great team-first skills built up from years of playing team sports.” 
  
  Practice and prepare so that you cannot wait to answer this question and impress your future employer!