Tell me about yourself
Because this interview question is open ended, most people freeze. They search for the right answer and often come up with name, rank, and serial number.
I’m Alan Snail, 12th grade, 17 years old.
This response tells the interviewer nothing he/she doesn’t already know.
Purpose of the Open-ended Interview Question
The purpose of the “Tell me about yourself” question is to open the interview with a few topics generated by the student. There is nothing worse than the following.
Interviewer: Do you have a favorite book?
Student: No.
Interviewer: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Student: I don’t know.
Interviewer: What do you do in your spare time?
Student: Nothing. Sleep I guess.
Interviewer: What was the last movie you watched?
Student: I don’t watch movies.
The poor interviewer is just searching for a topic to have a conversation about and the student is shutting down every avenue.
Your job as the student is to be an active partner in the interview. But most students don’t understand the rule of Improve is to always say “yes”. Yes doesn’t mean lie. It means to go with the suggestion and make it work for you.
While I don’t have a favorite book, a book I enjoyed is…
While I haven’t thought much about it, I hope to be working in ____ field and living in ______.
I don’t have a lot of spare time, but I do make a point of visiting my grandmother every week to play cards with her.
I don’t watch movies often, but a series I am enjoying is…
Back to Tell Me About Yourself
The response you should be giving to this question is 3 to 5 topics that you feel comfortable talking about. Then the interviewer can ask further questions and you (hopefully) can elaborate on them.
For example:
I moved to Canada when I was 9 from South Korea with my parents and younger brother. I play piano and recently finished my 9th grade exam. I never drink coffee, but have a tea addiction. I have a pet rabbit named Bugs. I have applied to ____ school to study economics because the world is run through economic processes and I want to understand these systems better.
OR
I am the eldest of 4 kids and we have lived our whole lives in a house my grandfather build in Bayfield. I play soccer and basketball, but I am thinking of trying fencing at university. I am the president of my school’s robotics club which takes up most of my free time, but I have learned a lot about managing people and working on deadlines. I applied to ______ school because tis engineering department gives me so many options to explore before I decide on my major.
Now the interviewer can pick from a variety of topics and get the conversation started. You need to help the interviewer learn about you. Otherwise the interviewer will just write a generic report that won’t help your application.
Your Assignment
Create a list of facts about yourself that will be the basis of your answer to tell me about yourself.
- A piece of information about your family/home life
- Two Hobbies or activities that you enjoy
- Something special or different about you
- Something about the school you are interviewing with and why you chose that school of that program (major)
Follow Up Interview Questions
Remember that these need to be topics that you can answer follow up questions about. And again, the answer to these questions should not be “no”. No kills the conversation. If you are unsure, pivot the question to something you do know.
You play piano- what is your favorite piece of music to play?
You have a pet rabbit- why do you have a rabbit and not a dog or cat?
You play soccer- Do you follow a professional team?
You have a tea addiction- What is your favorite brand or blend of tea?
