“So, tell me more about yourself…”

This is the one question we just never know how to answer. Whether it’s a first date, a potluck dinner or even worse… an interview! If the question, “Can you tell me more about yourself?” makes you forget your own name – welcome to the club, you’re not alone.

Understandably, there’s a lot on your mind in an interview. You know you want this job big time, you know your resumé is impressive, you know your experience and portfolio are your biggest flex and you know that this position has your name written all over it but – oh wait, you don’t know how to correctly answer the innocent “tell me more about yourself” question.

This is exactly why #UseParallel is here today, to serve you a script and a structure to respond in a fashion that ensures success (and not silence).

Let’s get into it!

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Start off with a sweet intro

This is where you can be as broad as you’d like, but make it catchy and personable, while hinting towards the attributes that make you perfect for the role. Maybe it’s:

“My friends gave me the nickname, lil’ Steve because I’m always wearing turtlenecks busy trying to solve something.”

Roll out your education and experiences

For instance: If you didn’t, or couldn’t, go to college give them a taste of the story behind your reasoning. Let them have a peek into the person behind the portfolio.

“I always aspired to go to college, but when my mother fell ill I prioritized staying close to home and furthered my education through local apprenticeships instead. Her falling ill also moved me to embark on this journey to [insert relation to the job position]”

Talk about your career and personal development

You can do this through the experiences you have had. Briefly touch on a specific situation at work that was significant in your career or personal life.

“Actually, I was initially interning at Nike as a Copywriter, but one afternoon I was catching up over coffee with Ash from the design team and showed her my illustrations. This was a pivotal moment, as it made me realize how much I wanted to chase a career in design – and it built the connection that helped me land my former role.”

Dig into your key strengths

Everyone loves a self-aware king/queen! So, come on... talk about soft skills and strengths that you gained way back – particularly if the experience can hint at you being a “natural fit” for the role you’re interviewing for. If they’re looking for a team player, maybe it’s something like this:

“Growing up in a single-parent household with three siblings meant that I learned very quickly how to compromise and keep the peace. If we wanted the responsibility of being left alone unsupervised, fighting over the remote wasn’t going to help our case!”

Hot tips & tricks:

• Be prepared by rehearsing your answer to this question! It’s pretty popular so it will likely come up

• When responding, focus on the question asked to avoid deviating out of panic

• Speak slowly so that you remain calm and have time to think things through

• Maintain eye contact, if you struggle with this, our tip is to look at the spot right between their eyes

• Instead of using big words to sound smart, use simple words in a strategic way because that is much more impressive

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Interviews are nerve-wracking enough, but hopefully we’ve made it a tad easier for you when it comes to saying the right thing, at the right time, to the right people. It’s a cliché – but if all else fails remember to be yourself – because everyone else is taken. The job is already yours, claim it!