3 Steps to Answer the Dreaded Question: “Tell Me About Yourself”

Recently, an Excelle community member asked me how to successfully answer the dreaded “Tell Me About Yourself” interview question. (See full question here.)
My Response:

The dreaded, “Tell me about yourself,” question stumps a lot of folks. People of all ages and experience levels blow this one. So, I’m thrilled you are concerned about the best way to answer it.

First off, please know they are not asking you for a boring chronological re-cap of your professional history. That is the quickest way to lose their interest! What an employer is really asking is, “Why should I hire you?” That being said, here’s my 3-step process for giving them an answer that gets their attention.

STEP 1: Explain what business problems you LOVE to solve.

Enthusiasm for solving a business problem they need help with is the quickest way to get a hiring manager’s attention. Let’s face it, they aren’t hiring you for the heck of it. You need to explain how you can make things better for an employer.

STEP 2: Provide examples of your experience to show them how you know this is a good problem to solve.

Companies hire people who can either save and/or make them money. So, when you provide examples from your personal or professional past that demonstrate the value your problem-solving skills provide, you are proving your worth. It also shows you are thinking like an employee who understand that their job is to make things better for the company.

STEP 3: Explain why you want to leverage your problem-solving expertise for the employer.

Let them know how you hope to grow your skills and abilities by taking your problem-solving skills to the next level. This lets the employer know you plan to focus on being successful and expanding your value to the organization if you get hired. Employers love candidates who clearly plan to hold themselves to a higher standard.

If you follow this 3-step guideline, I guarantee you’ll create a compelling story that will have the employer sitting up and taking notice. This is your chance to sell you value – don’t pass it up!