More than half of recruiters admit to asking this as a first question in an interview. This question is intended as an ice breaker but feels vague. Here’s what to say and what not to say.

Q: How do I answer the interview question “Tell me about yourself?”
A: Chances are you’ve been asked this question in a job interview before and chances are you will be again. More than half of recruiters admit to asking this as a first question in an interview. This question is intended as an ice breaker but feels vague. They aren’t looking for your life story or for you to recite your résumé. But the question is autobiographical, so elements of who you are as a person and what you’ve done (and are interested in doing professionally) should be included. And while you don’t have to have a tight 30-second elevator pitch style answer planned, you also shouldn’t ramble on for several minutes. Here’s how I might answer this question:
“I’m one of those rare people who have always wanted to know what they want to do, although that’s evolved a lot over the years. I’ve been working in journalism for nearly 20 years, mostly on the digital side. I’ve been at Fast Company for 11 years, where I started as the editor of the Work Life section and redefined the coverage of the topic, including launching the company’s podcasting arm with The New Way We Work podcast that I’ve hosted for six years. In 2018, I became the deputy editor of Fastcompany.com and led our News and Work Life sections and overall strategy. During the pandemic, I moved back to my home state of Michigan. I’ve found that working outside of New York has increased my access to stories that often get overlooked by journalists based on the coasts, which we’ve found have a lot of success with readers.” 

In a real life situation, I’d likely go into a little more detail than I did above, but that statement gives the interviewer a lot of jumping off points for further discussion. It tells them a little about who I am as a person. I also acknowledge the elephant in the room right away by saying that I would likely be a remote candidate, but highlight how it’s a strength.

Since I’ve been at my job for a long time, I focused on one company on my résumé, but if you’ve moved around a bit more, your answer might draw the connections between your roles—something they might not get on their own from reading bullet points on your résumé. 

When thinking about what you will say to this question, think about how your answer can be the start of a deeper conversation, leading to a stronger relationship with your interviewer. According to public speaking coach Eileen Smith, you should keep three themes in mind when crafting your response: Engage your audience, establish credibility, and tell your interviewers why they should care. 
Open-ended interview questions can feel tricky, but they are also an opportunity to highlight exactly what you want to share, what makes you look your best, and what is most important to you. 

Fast Company