Best Way to Answer “Tell me about yourself” for Freshers

Most candidates land interviews for the opportunity to work in their desired field of study. Now, the new challenge in front of them will be to convince the interviewer that they are the best candidates for the job and one of the first and most commonly asked questions in an interview is “Tell me about yourself”. 

So what makes a great response to the “Tell me about yourself”? It’s important to remember that there are no right or wrong answers to this question. This question is asked to get a better sense of who you are and why you’re a valuable candidate for the job. Your answer should be tailored to the position you’re applying for. Show the employer that you’ve done your research and you’re the best candidate for the job.

Let’s dig deeper into why interviewers ask this question and the points you should cover while answering them.

Also read – How to answer the “salary expectation” question for freshers

The Interviewer’s intent behind the question

Every article about common interview questions will have “Tell me about yourself” as the first one. As mentioned before this is usually the first question asked in an interview. The resume is the only connection the interviewer has before the interview. Hence this question will help the interviewer in the following ways –

Ice breaker

This is the first conversation you are having with the interviewer. They have probably gone through your resume, but dont know much else about you. Hence, this is a great question to make both you and the recruiter comfortable.

You won’t find talking about yourself very intimidating and it will also give the recruiter a chance to learn more about you. But also it’s important to remember, interviewers are not really interested in your hobbies and interests. They are trying to get a better understanding of your personality. So, it is important to speak confidently about your skills and achievements rather than just about yourself.

If your background fits well with the job profile

As a fresher, your educational qualifications and recent experiences in projects or internships will be the first thing considered. They will want to understand how those experiences helped you identify your passion. This will help them weed out the candidates who are genuinely passionate about the job position and others who are just looking for any job opportunity.

The interviewer probably speaks to over 100 candidates for the same job position, hence the number of people competing for limited positions is usually very high. The answer to “Tell me about yourself” will help the interviewer pick the right candidates.

Evaluation of your communication skills

Communication is an important skill that all employees should possess. As this is the first conversation you are having with the interviewer, the way you speak and your confidence in your verbal skills will be taken into consideration.

As the conversation moves forward you will be able to display your verbal skills further, but as “Tell me about yourself” is usually the first question asked, your answer to it will create the first impression. And we all know what they say about first impressions. 

Points you must cover in your answer as a Fresher

“Tell me about yourself” is probably the easiest question you will get asked in an interview. This question allows you the freedom to express yourself and your passions. But this freedom can also take you in the wrong direction. The answer should be short, precise, and should be framed in a manner that will make you sound like a good fit for the job you are applying for. So are the 3 points you should keep in mind – 

Your most recent and relevant experience/achievements

Your answer will most likely start with your name, your location, and then some information about your education. After that, it’s an open field. You can go in any direction you like. I would recommend starting with your most recent experiences that are relevant to the job you are applying for. You want to be able to grab the interviewer’s attention right from the beginning. Hence you can start with a specific experience you had, that made you realize that you want to work within the particular field. This could be a college project, a lecture, or an internship. 

If you are applying for a job that does not relate to your educational qualification, try and identify the skill you picked up during your experiences that will help you at the job you are applying for and talk about that.

Go into details about points mentioned in the resume

One of the things debated a lot with respect to answering “Tell me about yourself” is whether you should talk about points in your resume or go beyond it.

Here’s how I see it. The interviewer has already gone through your resume, they liked what they saw, and that’s why you got the callback. Hence everything mentioned in your resume is good to go. So talk about the points mentioned in your resume and then give them more information about it.

For example, let’s say you have mentioned a certificate course in your resume. You can talk more about this certificate course, the things you learned, how it enhanced your skills, and how it makes you better prepared for the job you are applying for.

This will help the interviewer relate better and also learn more about you

Hint to why you are particularly applying for that job

The interviewer is not only looking if you are a good fit for the job role but also if you are a good fit for the organization. Hence towards the end of the introduction, you can tell the interviewer why you are applying to that particular organization. It could be because it’s your dream company, maybe something in their job description stood out for you, you heard good things about the organization from your peers or through Glassdoor or something else along those lines.

This will let the interviewer know that you have done your research, and they are just not one of the many companies they have applied for. Hence it will great way to conclude your answer and develop a great first impression.

Sample Answer

You are applying for the role of Sales Development Representative (SDR) at XYZ organization.

Interviewer – “Tell me about yourself?”

Candidate – “My name is <First name>. I was born and bought up in Mumbai. I completed my Bachelor’s in Business Administration from ABC University, last year. During my Bachelor’s I did an Internship as a Sales trainee and that’s actually when I realized my passion for sales and decided to pursue a career in the same. I have always known that I have strong communication skills as well as a knack for research, and now I’m working on developing different technical and soft skills needed to succeed in sales, through workshops and online courses. Recently I took up a course about CRM software and email campaigns as it was mentioned as a requirement in the job description posted by XYZ. I have actually been looking forward to this call, as I have heard some great things about XYZ from my peers and also read some really good reviews about the sales teams on Glassdoor…and that’s what brings me here today and I’m excited to learn more about this opportunity.”

Bonus Tips 

• Have an answer ready before the interview. Do not go in unprepared.
• The question can in other forms like
  • “Tell me about your background”
  • “Take me through your resume”
• As mentioned before, this is your chance to create a great first impression. So speak clearly, speak confidently.
• Keep your answer less than a minute
• Research the company before meeting.

Conclusion

Interviews always come with a certain sense of anxiety, no matter if it’s your first one or hundredth. Hence the most important thing you can do is be prepared and practice. Once you start speaking the same anxiety keeps you alert and helps you answer confidently. 

Successful job interviews require more than just having the right answers to typical interview questions. To impress any employer, you need to make a good first impression. We hope this blog post has given you some useful tips on how to make that good first impression. Thank you for reading, we are always excited when one of our posts is able to provide useful information on a topic like this! We hope this article has given you some inspiration about how to answer the question “Tell me about yourself”.

If you have any other ideas please leave them in the comments section below. We would love to hear them. Thank you for reading, and good luck!