How To Answer ‘Describe Yourself'

How To Answer ‘Describe Yourself'

Whilst a question on sharing more about you could come across as a life story opener, an employer is looking for something completely different.

From candidate feedback, ‘tell me more about you' is one of the most frequently asked interview questions and the chances are you are going to answer this for your next interview.

Let’s help out with some advice from some of the team.

Lindae Fyffe, from the Recruitment Consultancy team, highlights what people stumble on, “Employers are not looking for a five-minute story that is all about you and your life accomplishments. The key is to share your merits but in the context of the role you are applying for. For instance, if someone is applying for a project manager role, bring everyday life into the potential role. It could be organising and managing the day from getting the family ready to taking children to after-school clubs. If a company has values around togetherness or a family ethos, identify how your everyday compliments the company you are with.”

Anna Wieczorek-Zaremba, Key Account Manager identifies the question as a way for an employer to understand how relatable you are, “Honesty is so important to remember. Employers want reliability, think about how you can transfer your skills and examples from previous roles to where you are looking to do. Remember, the question of ‘tell me more about you”’ is about how your experience and skills are appropriate to the role you are being interviewed for.

From a recruiter's perspective, this is a question that employers do feedback to us. Rob Bruce, Senior Recruitment Consultant shares his experience, “One of the team had a candidate declined at a second interview stage and this question was asked. Rather than highlighting how their life experience can support the business, the focus became what the client does. Remember, you need to understand how you can make a workplace better by having you as a part of the culture.”

“A piece of advice from me. Whilst ‘describe yourself’ is more than likely to be asked, recognise ways that can make the whole build-up feel relaxed. If you are being shown around a workplace, ask questions, don’t wait to be interviewed. You can even divert to common interests if you are in a room and there is a football shirt on the wall. The job interview can be a nerve-wracking time, turn it into your favour.”

Being asked to describe yourself can put anyone on the spot. Accept that this question is more than likely to be asked.

Plan in advance what you would say, even write down how you would answer and then practice. Learning how you would describe yourself is one of the most common parts of the interview you are going to encounter. With a bit of preparation, you can answer this with poise and confidence.