Tell Me About Yourself – How to Answer this Interview Question?

“I always clear written test but lose in Interview rounds”.”How to prepare for interview?” These are some of the commonly asked questions asked by many candidates.Hence, BankExamsIndia.com will be covering such Interview  questions, suggesting methods to answer them.

You apply for a job, prepare day & night for questions that are related to your field of study hoping they ask you something from it.

But the first question in most interviews is “Tell me about yourself“.

While we are comfortable in talking for long hours about all other things, we face a slight reluctance to speak about ourselves.Freshers & those applying for jobs not related to their education find this situation too difficult to handle.

Hence here is a compilation of some important tips that you can use while answering the ‘Tell me about yourself’ interview question in any organization.

Tell about you: Mention about your background, education, achievements, previous experiences &  abilities.It should also not sound as if you are reading your resume.

If you have graduated just out of college, speak about your achievements that might be useful to the job.

Be Short & Sweet:The interviewer is concerned knowing more about you, not the non-living things.

So avoid giving detailed info of your parents,relatives, school, college, city etc.,like I studied in John college.It was built 100 years ago & has a big library where 1000 people can sit.

Unless you are specifically asked about a certain person, place or location – DON’T go in detail.Keep it crisp.

Project yourself: Highlight your strengths that would be relevant to the job.

For example –

• If it is a bank job, let them know about your communication skills, computer knowledge etc.,
• For software jobs, emphasize on your final year software project by giving details of the work, client, team & result.

Know about the company or organization, their services/projects & the position your applying.Prepare for interview in such a manner that you speak about your abilities in relation to the eligibility for that post.

Along with your academic or professional achievements, describe how those skills could help them.Make the interviewer feel that you are the right person for that job.

Above all, speak slowly & clearly.The best answer for this question shouldn’t take you more than 2-3 minutes.It doesn’t mean that you need to recite everything in a fast pace.Whatever you say should be understandable to the panel/ interviewer/ HR person.

Here is a sample answer:

My name is Priya and I completed B.Com with 85% distinction from XYZ college.I have a natural interest in accounts & it was the reason for me being the college topper in accountancy subject. Due to this, I was chosen to lead our account dept. projects at seminars held at various colleges & companies, which have given me great exposure to current industry standards. With all these experiences, I am confident of excelling as Accounts Manager in your bank.

Remember: The above script is just an example & do not memorize it.Interview questions could make you nervous but answers should not be mugged since an interviewer can easily find out if you are speaking your or reciting answers read from a book or guide.

Follow the above steps, prepare a good answer & say it in your own words. Good Luck !