Tell me about yourself

Simple question. Also, the first and most likely question to be asked in your job interview. A student from IIT-KGP asked me about what should be the approach to answering this question.

He said, there were two options he was considering

1. Personal story : Where he has come from, family background, why did he choose to do engineering, what are his interests and passions that he pursued and is pursuing at college and finally a bit about his professional / academic experience
2. Resume story: A brief introduction about self, followed by an academic trajectory so far and relevant work experience gained and finally why he was interested in the role offered by the company

He mentioned he was in favour of option 2 since that is what the interviewer would be more interested in to judge how qualified the candidate is for the role.

I am of the opinion that the first approach is better — your personal story — and this is why

1. Opportunity to break the ice- Job interviews are formal processes. Inevitably, there is an asymmetric power structure between the interviewer and interviewee where one is evaluating the other. This question allows you to break the ice and make the setting more informal. By speaking about what you’re interested in, it gives an opportunity to the other person to relate to you and maybe even connect with you. For example, in one of my interviews, I had mentioned that reading science fiction as a personal interest. The interviewer did too, and we had a brief discussion on some Isaac Asimov stories. [If you’re not a convert already, this will be the best 15 minutes of your day]
2. Your personal story is new information, your resume is not— The interviewer already has your resume before you’ve stepped in and most likely taken a look at it. What he does not know is your personal story — your background, your interests, and your motivations.
3. You can talk about your life goals and substantiate it — Your resume does not tell WHY you did what you did. For example, you can talk about how you’re passionate about helping others and that’s why you chose to become an ISMP mentor. [ISMP = Institute Student Mentorship Program @ IITs, senior students counsel struggling freshmen on academic issues]
4. The interviewer can always ask a follow up question — Incase the interviewer is interested in learning more about your resume (which in most cases he would), he can dig into that in a follow-up question
5. The interviewer will remember you for your story — When you’ve done well in your case interviews and as have many other candidates , the interviewer will recall your personal story and differentiate you based on it.

There are some guidelines you can follow

a. Keep it short (< 2 mins): You don’t want to go into a long monologue where the interviewer is forced to stop you

b. Your personal story should still be relevant to the interview: For example, you do not want to go into a detailed discussion of why you do not believe in God.

c. Avoid controversial topics unless you really want to get into them

Here is an example of what I used,

Hi, I am Saransh. I have lived all my life in Mumbai and have done my schooling and now even college from here. My mom is an artist and dad works with the government. I’m currently doing my undergrad in chemical engineering. When I joined IIT, I chose it for the institute rather than the branch. I told myself that I’d give chemical engineering two years and if it does not work out I’ll get into finance and consulting sector, just as some of my older relatives had. [This only happens in India] So I interned with an Investment Bank, and even though they made me an offer, I was more interested in a management consulting role because of the opportunity to get diverse business exposure. Apart from this at IIT, I have been an avid debater participating in both national and international competitions. I also love scuba diving and reading science fiction. So yeah, that’s about me.

In the end, this is a subjective call. You should go with an approach you’re most comfortable with. The idea is to not seem too stiff or rigid. Even if you do, this is by no means a deal breaker. I have met a person who had a very mechanical answer which involved going through his resume points but did extremely well in his case interviews and made it into a top tier firm. Also, small talk does not come naturally for everyone and hence you might prefer the second approach.

Whichever you take, practice your answer in advance so that you avoid fumbling during the interview when asked — unless you’re sure you won’t.

Do share your thoughts in the comments section below and maybe your own version of the answer too :)

~Saransh Garg

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