“Tell me about yourself”  one of the most frequently asked interview questions, most interviewers will start the interview with this question.

For some, this is the most challenging question to answer.   Usually the interviewers use this question to put you at your ease.   Yet it does exactly the opposite.

The real question is actually : What does the interviewer really want to know and what information should you add?

Below are a few tips and guide lines on how to answer this question:

• Introduce yourself
• Keep your answers short, interviewers don’t want to listen to your life story
• Describe what you do at work (or school)
• Highlight your most important accomplishments
• Don’t answer this question with  “What do you want to know?” – this will show that you haven’t prepared properly for the interview
• Stay focused
• Be confident – Interviewers can immediately see when you are nervous
• Share Your Expertise
• Be careful not to overwhelm the interviewer with too much information
• Tell what your current status is (i.e. last job title or student status)
• Mention why you decided to apply for this position

“Tell me about yourself”  is actually a very powerful question that you can use to your advantage, this question offers an opportunity to describe yourself positively and focus the interview on your strengths.

Good luck!