Even though every position, company, and interview process is a bit different there’s something that you can almost always count on despite your industry, position, or skill set.
Nearly every interview begins with the same question, an opportunity to introduce yourself to the interviewer or panel of interviewers: Tell me a bit about yourself, or a similar version, Tell me a bit about your work, or Take a few moments to introduce yourself professionally.
In this blog, we’re going to answer a few questions:
How can I answer the question Tell me a bit about yourself?
How should I structure my answer when introducing myself in an interview?
What should I say when introducing myself in an interview?
How can I finish my answer to the question?
How long should my answer be?
Should I say anything about my hobbies, family, or interests outside of work?
Although this blog is intended for non-native English speakers getting ready for important interviews in English, anyone (native speakers, too) will find benefit in our guide to answering the question Tell me a bit about yourself.
How should I answer the question Tell me a bit about yourself?
Since this question is almost always how you’ll start out your interview, you should be prepared not only to answer this question, but also to make a positive first impression with the interviewer. According to social scientists, you only have about seven seconds to make a positive first impression, so use your time wisely!
This is also your opportunity to capture the interviewer’s attention and make them interested in interviewing you. Sure, it’s their job to be there and to interview you, but wouldn’t you rather they want to be there interviewing you, instead of simply having to interview you as part of their job?
Starting off strong with your answer to the question Tell me a bit about yourself is a great way to set yourself apart from other candidates by creating a strong first impression, and also by capturing the interviewer’s attention, so that they’re actually interested in your interview.
For every interview question, it’s important to ask yourself What’s the question behind the question? Or, what are they really asking here?
In the case of the question Tell me a bit about yourself, there are a few questions behind the question.
What kind of work do you do?
Why do you do that work?
What kind of work have you done in the past?
What are you doing here?
Why should I continue this interview with you?
Now that we know the questions behind the question, let’s look at how you should organize your answer.
How should I structure my answer when introducing myself in an interview?
You might have seen some information before about the PPF strategy to answering the question “Tell me a bit about yourself”. This structure breaks down the answer into three components:
Present
Past
Future
I like to take this structure a step forward and really level it up so that you can not only completely answer the question Tell me a bit about yourself, but also so that you can use your answer to your advantage. So I suggest that my clients use the APMPF structure.
My APMPF structure divides your answer to Tell me a bit about yourself into five different components, and is especially useful when speaking across language-barriers.
Appreciation
Present
Motivation
Past
Future
Let’s explore a bit further each of the components of the APMPF structure.
What should I say in my answer to the question Tell me a bit about yourself?
My APMPF structure will help you generate a complete, cohesive and persuasive answer that captures your interviewer’s attention and sets you apart from other candidates.
Let’s dive into what you should speak about in each of the sections.
Appreciation
As you know, you only have about seven seconds to create a positive first impression in any social situation, something that’s especially important in a job interview, university interview or interview for medical residency or fellowship in the US.
So, start your answer by thanking the interviewer for taking the time to interview you. After all, these are busy people who are taking time out of their day to interview you, so let’s start by showing some appreciation.
You can say
I’d just like to begin by thanking you for taking the time to interview me.
It’s an honor to be here, thanks so much for considering my application.
Let me begin by thanking you for scheduling this interview, it’s really a pleasure to be here and to be considered for the position.
You don’t have to say much, just make sure that the interviewer knows that you appreciate their time.
Present
After thanking the interviewer for his or her time, give a superficial overview of your current job. Tell the interviewer where you’re working, your position, and some of your daily activities.
You could also talk about a recent project you completed, the team you manage, or a problem you’re working to solve.
It’s important to keep your explanation brief. Remember, the interviewer can always ask you for more information, but can never ask you for less information. Imagine that here, you’re giving the interviewer ideas for what to ask you more about.
Additionally, stay positive. It’s not the time to talk about problems you have at work, your reasons for wanting to change employers, or explain the problems you have with your manager.
Just give a brief, surface-level overview of your current job. If you’re unemployed or a recent graduate, speak about your most recent job or the academic program that you completed.
Motivation
After you’ve spoken about your present, briefly speak about your motivation for doing the work that you do.
This needs to be short and direct, don’t deep-dive into your reasons for doing your work, and don’t speak as a philosopher. Just briefly explain why you enjoy the work that you do, focusing on the work you'll do in your next job. For example, you could say:
I love software engineering because it allows me to hone my skills as a problem solver. I absolutely love puzzles, and through my work I get to have a new challenge, a new puzzle to solve every day.
I enjoy working as a document controller because I’m passionate about helping people. Part of my job as a document controller is to always be ready to help people in every department of the company, and it’s something I really love.
Compassion has always been a driving force in my medical practice. I love working with patients because I’m able to provide compassionate care in each patient interaction.
Your motivation statement is a great way to answer the question “What makes you different from other candidates?” before it’s even asked. By keeping this part of your answer brief and direct, you’ll make yourself a rememberable candidate who’s motivated to do their work.
Past
After speaking briefly about your motivation for doing the work that you do, it’s time to address your past experience.
It’s important here to not go deep into your past experience; remember, we want to keep this answer under 3 minutes.
So, briefly speak about the previous positions you’ve held, or your education. Instead of describing each position fully, or giving a point-by-point description of your educational background, keep your details limited to those that are most relevant to the position for which you’re applying.
Future
After you’ve given a brief overview of your most relevant past experience, speak about what you’d like to accomplish in the future.
There are a few different topics you could address here.
Speak about why you’re interested in the position for which you’re applying
Speak about why you’re interested in working with the company
Speak about how your values align with the company’s values
Speak about goals you have for the future
Speak about how this position will help you develop as a professional
Speak about what you hope to bring to the company if hired
Definitely don’t address all of the bullet points above, but as you’re preparing, select a few that are most relevant to you and the position. I find that almost always speaking about the first two bullet points make a great answer.
How can I finish my answer to the question Tell me a bit about yourself?
Almost all of the coaching clients I work with who are preparing for important interviews in English ask me “How can I finish the answer?”
It may seem a bit elementary to answer this way, but the best way to finish your answer is to simply stop speaking.
By the time that you’ve gone through each of the components of the APMPF structure, you’ve given a comprehensive and interesting answer, so there’s no need to say anything else to indicate that you’ve finished your answer.
Remember, 60% of our communication is non-verbal, so simply stop speaking, close your mouth, and fold your hands on the table to signal that you’ve completed your answer and are ready for the next question.
How long should my answer be?
Remember that even though you have a great deal of respect for your interviewer, your interviewer is still a human with a limited attention span.
I encourage my coaching clients to keep their answers under 3 minutes, and never over 4 minutes for this question.
Anything over three or four minutes can become distracting and detail heavy.
Remember, a good answer is easy to understand, not loaded with details and difficult to unpack. Good communication is simple communication.
Should I say anything about my hobbies, family, or interests outside of work?
Generally, I discourage people from speaking about their personal interests, including their hobbies, family, or interests outside of work.
If you’re interviewing with a company in the USA, you should definitely familiarize yourself with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s list of forbidden topics to speak about in an interview.
But, if your hobbies or interests align with the company’s vision, values, work, or clients, you can definitely speak very, very briefly about them.
Ultimately, it never hurts to have one sentence at the end of your answer that shows you aren’t a total workaholic who’s going to burn out after 2 months of employment. You could certainly say something like “I love playing a round of tennis after a long week at work to burn off some stress.”
However, remember that this is a professional interview, so keep your focus on your professional activities.
Use your answer as an opportunity to plant seeds for follow-up questions later in the interview
If there’s something that you definitely want to speak about in the interview, be sure to mention it towards the end of your answer to the question Tell me a bit about yourself.
For example, if you’re applying for a marketing position and have brought a marketing proposal, now is the time to add this to the interview agenda.
You can say something like, “I know that this position would be working with clients in the outdoor footwear industry, so I’ve drafted a marketing proposal that I’d love to speak about later in the interview.”
Definitely don’t wait until the end of the interview to speak about this; you might not have enough time. If you’ve prepared some extra, non-required work before the interview that you want to present to the interviewer, be sure to mention this during your introduction.
Conclusion
When you’re getting ready for an important interview in English, it’s crucial to have a professional introduction ready to go.
Whether you’re asked, “Tell me a bit about yourself,” or “What kind of work to do you?”, “Take a few moments to introduce yourself professionally,” or some other question, nearly every interview begins with the interviewer giving the interviewee an opportunity to introduce himself or herself.
Your answer is your opportunity to create a positive first impression, to capture the interviewer’s interest, and to set yourself apart from other candidates.
You can create an effective answer by following my APMPF structure. The components of my APMPF structure are:
Appreciation
Present
Motivation
Past
Future
It’s important to keep each part brief; don’t detail-dive. Remember, the interviewer can always ask you for more information, but can never ask you for less information.
Keep your answer around 3 minutes; an answer should never be more than 4 minutes long.
Remember, keep your content professional, and avoid any topics that are on the EEOC’s list of forbidden topics if you’re interviewing for a position inside the US.
You can also use your answer to “plant seeds” for possible follow-up questions. If there’s something you definitely want to speak about during your interview, then use your introduction as a way to “plant the seed” to be asked to speak more about that topic.
And of course, if you’d like to practice your answer to the question “Tell me a bit about yourself” consider my coaching programs!
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