Answering the Question "Tell Me About Yourself" in an Interview 

There are stages when it comes to getting into an organization as an employee. You could have a series of tests, interviews, medicals, and assessment centers. One question that you cannot escape when it comes to interviews is the "Tell me about yourself" question.

This particular question is what sets the ball rolling for other questions and is one of the biggest determinants of whether you get the job or not. When answering, you have to be very strategic and well prepared as it is like an elevator pitch to sell yourself in less than a minute,

During the question to introduce yourself, your interviewer is not expecting a very long answer, rather they want to see your ability to pitch yourself in less than a minute and how well you can do it. They have other candidates they are to interview after you, they would want to save as much time as possible.

You may be wondering what the best way to introduce yourself in an interview would be. In this article, we will be looking at different ways you can successfully do that. First as an entry-level candidate and then as an experienced hire.

How to Answer as an Entry-Level Candidate

As someone who is interviewing for an entry-level role, your interviewer does not expect that you have all the relevant experiences, they just want to see the following.
  • Name: your interviewers will introduce their names and their roles to you at the beginning of the interview and they expect you to do the same 
  • What role you are applying for: your interviewers want to know if you are aware of the role you are applying for. They do not want candidates who just randomly see a job application link and apply for it.
  • Level of education: your interviewers are interested in your education and how it has shaped you in preparation for the job.
  • Prior experiences (not necessarily in big organizations): This does not have to be in a company or a proper work setting, it could be a volunteering position or services you have provided in the course of time.
  • Willingness to learn: Every organization needs employees who are willing to learn, therefore you will be accessed from your response if you have the willingness to learn in your new place of work.
"My name is John Doe, I am applying for the role of a graduate trainee in your organization. I am a first-class graduate of Harvard University from the data analytics department with a CGPA of 4.74/5 and an award of excellence in my department. 

While in school, I interned at XYZ Limited, a financial organization where I learned how to use several data analytics tools such as SQL, Python, R, and Power BI in solving real-life problems and beyond the theories I learned in school. I have also volunteered at ABC Foundation where we focused on making sure that every child is technologically inclined in Africa.

One of my key strengths is the openness to learn aside from my excellent work ethic which has been commended by my peers while growing up. I believe my skills and competencies will make me a valuable member of your team."

In graduate trainee interviews, there are already pre-planned questions prepared for you to answer as there may not be a specific professional from a department in the panel, mostly the human resources team. You will be evaluated based on your composure, your tone, and your outfit among others.

How to Answer as an Experienced Hire Candidate

To introduce yourself as an experienced hire, your interviewer expects that you must have gone through similar interviews in the past. It is expected from them that you go straight to the point, selling yourself to the organization based on your previous experiences similar to what they are employing you to fill.

Let's say you are applying for the role of a data analyst at a company XYZ, here is how you will introduce yourself when you are asked to by the interviewers.

"My name is Jane Doe, a data analyst and business intelligence analyst. I graduated with a first-class degree and an award of excellence from Coventry University in the year 2017 where I studied Computer Science.

In the past, I have worked as a data analyst at ABC where I was involved in projects such as customer happiness, customer segmentation, bancassurance, and employee churn rate. I have also worked at BDE Insurance Limited, where I was involved in customer retention projects such as customer churn, premium prediction models, and product recommendation engines. 

One of my key achievements in my current organization is driving the data initiative which involves data analytics, data engineering, data science, and data governance. I believe my skills, and competencies shown from my previous experiences will make me a valuable member of your team."

Not only have you shown the interviewers who you are, but you have also shown them that you are the best fit for the job from your previous experiences and how well you handled those projects.

Your expectations after this introduction will be that your interviewers will focus on the listed projects from your previous organizations and ask specific questions about them. An instance would be; when you mentioned you were involved in the product recommendation engine project; can you describe it from start to finish and the impact of the project on the organization?

Other Likely Questions in an Interview

  • What are your strengths and weaknesses?
  • What do you understand by the role you applied for?
  • Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
  • How has your background prepared you for this particular role?
  • What do you know about our company?
  • What are your salary expectations?
  • What would be a deal breaker for you?
  • What value are you bringing to our organization?
  • What's your biggest accomplishment?
  • Tell us a time you failed and how you handled it.
  • Tell us when you had a big success and how you reacted.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Your potential employer should ask you questions about your strengths and weaknesses to determine whether your strengths will add to their organization's growth and whether your weaknesses could limit that growth.

You must be careful when answering your strengths and weaknesses questions because your potential employer only wants to employ assets in their organization. Before answering, you need to study adequately about the role you are applying for and about the organization, its goals, core values and vision, and how you can fit in. Afterward, you can align your key values with those of the organization.

An example of such answers is when you are asked about your strengths and weaknesses for the customer service agent role in a financial organization. Their expectation of you is that there are certain traits you should possess and some others that you shouldn't. For a customer service representative, you are expected to have strengths such as great communication, interpersonal relationships, the ability to create conversations and empathy.

The weaknesses on the other hand since the role is a customer service agent role would be the tendency to be too detailed, multi-tasking which can lead to slight mistakes, and struggles to troubleshoot complex technical issues. When stating your weaknesses, ensure that you are not just saying them as things mere weaknesses, but potentials that can over time become your strength. For weaknesses like "the struggles to troubleshoot complex technical issues," you can add that you are a hard worker and take your time to learn these technical issues and become an expert at them.

What do you understand by the role you applied for?

An understanding of the role you applied for is critical when applying for a job and it is also important for the interviewer to know they are not just employing someone without the knowledge to deliver the job.

The proper study of the role you are applying for and beyond should be done immediately after you get the application details. The details are in the job description and responsibilities section. 

Beyond just studying for the role, you should think of how you could be valuable in the organization and how what you are bringing as values aligns with their corporate values.

Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

This question is to determine your idea of your goals, whether you strive for success and growth in your personal life and career, how well you will treat their business in the long run, and whether you will be staying with them for long or just looking for a quick salary.

An example of how you can answer the question is that I see myself growing professionally, taking advantage of every learning opportunity and development engagement, and working hard enough to ensure I climb the organizational ladder.

This response does not only answer the question of how you see yourself in the next five years but also gives them the confidence that you are willing to stay with them for a long time.

How has your background prepared you for this particular role?

The interviewer is interested in how valuable your background will be to the role you will fill in. Your background includes the environment you grew up in, your education, and your professional experiences. In answering this interview question, you should now have completed your knowledge on knowing in depth the role you applied for and about the organization, and then you fit it into your background.

An example of your response on interviewing for the role of an architect in ABC architectural firm, "I grew up in the northern part of my Nigeria, Tarauni local government, Kano State to be precise where the structures in the locality are not aesthetically pleasing, this was a burden I took upon myself to ensure that communities in my region and beyond enjoy the beauty of aesthetically pleasing housing, hence my decision to study Architecture in school which in turn is a motivation to coming to your organization as there is a track record of your work which is visible."

That way, your interviewer knows you are in connection with the realities of your job and that your past had shaped your decision to join the organization and not just a money drive.

What do you know about our company?

A potential employee of an organization needs to know about the organization, sometimes even more than the person interviewing you. This is a rare statement, but a possibility. 

You are to do the necessary research on the internet, the company's site, and all the places you can get valuable information about the organization you would work with. Knowing about the organization tells much about your interest in joining them.

What is your Salary Expectation?


This is a dicey question because there are many ways to answer this, but we will explore the simplest method of maneuvering properly to get your desired pay.

If it is an entry-level role, there is a high probability that the role already has basic pay for all those they want to employ. Giving your interviewer how much salary you expect at an entry-level position may only determine how ambitious you are. If you give way below the stipulated amount that is budgeted for the role, you may be considered under-ambitious. If you mention an amount a lot higher than the amount, you may be regarded as over-ambitious.

For entry-level roles, you should research properly how much staff within the cadre you are applying for earns and mention an exact amount or something around the figure. That way, it also shows the interviewer that you have researched well about them.

For an experienced hire, your salary mostly is determined by your bargaining power. Every organization want to hire the best talents at the cheapest prices, but are willing to pay heavily if you can bargain well enough.

Bargaining is a great skill on its own and could be one of the determining factors of you getting the job. When bargaining, do not just fall for the first figure you are given because there is a high chance it is below the budgeted amount. When asked the question of your salary expectations, you can start first by asking the budget for the role. That way, the human resource person is tasked with telling you an amount. Integrity is part of the core values of a human resource person, which means the figure you are given as the budget is not far from the truth.


There are cases where you are not given a figure and they would be persistent on you giving a figure instead. You can start by giving your initial gross salary, communicate and reiterate the values you are bringing to the organization when employed, and mention an amount that you would be very comfortable with when being paid. 

It is advisable right test the waters with a high amount judging by the standards of the organization and what you feel is the maximum they can pay you for that role.

What would be a deal breaker for you?


This question is an opportunity to also state your values and what you would not be good enough for you when you are employed in the organization.

Here is an example of how you can answer this question: A deal breaker for me is an organization that does not take the growth of their staff as top priority.

In answering this question, you would not need to state very long sentences. A straight to ten points statement is apt for answering it.

Conclusion

The truth about interviews is that you will be successful in some and not successful in others based on the preference of the organization you are applying to. 

Not being successful in a series of interviews should not be a criteria for giving up, rather a learning point to ace your next interviews.

Plan, prepare, succeed.