How to Answer “Tell Me About Yourself?”

“Tell me about yourself” is a question you will undoubtedly be asked many times in your life. At a job interview, on a first date, and really almost every time you meet someone new.  As such an open ended question it is hard for many people to answer. Since it is asked so frequently though, you should work on having an answer prepared. 

To answer the question “tell me about yourself” you first need to realize the question is really just a summary of many smaller questions put together. So let’s break it down into the small questions that are easier to answer. For example: 

• Where did you grow up?
• What do you do for fun?
• What do you do for work?
• What are your dreams/ goals for the future?

You can add and remove questions as they relate to your specific situation, and your specific listener. The key trait of these questions is that they are easy to answer because they are fact based with one clear answer. When you summarize these answers all together you get a more complete picture of who you are and a comprehensive answer to the main question “Tell me about yourself.”

So as an example if I was asked in an interview to “tell me about yourself” I would say something like. “Well I grew up in northern Virginia and have lived here my whole life. I really love playing soccer and doing martial arts in my free time. I studied marketing in school and just completed a great internship where I got the chance to learn a lot about digital marketing specifically. And I’m hoping to buy my first house next year.” 

The goal is to share some basic facts about yourself and hopefully find some common ground to connect with your listener. Even a short and simple story like that about yourself will allow your listener to open up more and connect with you easier.