Answer the “Tell Me About Yourself” Interview Question With This Formula

By Kristin Wong
Source: LifeHacker

Job interviews can be awkward, especially with open-ended questions like, “So, tell me about yourself.” Where do you start? What do they want to know? Don’t panic, just follow the present-past-future formula, The Muse suggests.

If you don’t know where to begin with this question, the formula can help organize your thoughts. It’s pretty much what it sounds like. Start your answer with where you are right now, then transition into your past experiences and skills you learned in former roles. Finally, explain why you’re excited for the future and the opportunity to interview. The Muse offers an example:

“Well, I’m currently an account executive at Smith, where I handle our top performing client. Before that, I worked at an agency where I was on three different major national healthcare brands. And while I really enjoyed the work that I did, I’d love the chance to dig in much deeper with one specific healthcare company, which is why I’m so excited about this opportunity with Metro Health Center.”

Of course, you want your answer to be genuine and come naturally, and sometimes sticking too closely to a formula can get in the way of that. However, if you look at it as a general guideline more than a concrete template, it’s a really useful way to think about how you’ll approach the question. For more tips, head to The Muse’s full post at the link below.

A Simple Formula for Answering “Tell Me About Yourself” | The Muse