tell me about yourself this is usually
the first question you will hear in an
interview giving a good answer means
that you will create a strong positive
impression on the interviewer in this
video I will give you a three-step
formula to give the perfect answer to
this question every time so let's talk
about it so you go into the interview
room shake hands with the interviewer or
interviewers if there's more than one
person and you sit down and then comes
the question tell me about yourself how
do you begin well the best way to start
your answer is with a one-sentence
introduction this sentence should
summarize who you are for example if I
were applying for a teaching job I would
say I'm an English teacher and teacher
trainer with seven years experience in
the ESL industry ESL means English as a
second language
notice that this sentence tells you that
I am an English teacher I'm also a
teacher trainer meaning that I train
other teachers and that I have seven
years experience in the field so it's a
good summary of me as the candidate for
the job now if you just graduated from
college and you're applying for your
first job you can say I am a recent
graduate with a BBA in operations
management for example so this is the
introduction after this you should say
three to five sentences about your
achievements these sentences should show
why you are a good fit for this job
this part is where you impress the
interviewer if I were a candidate I
would talk about my successes as a
teacher I would say that I specialized
in teaching business English to
professionals I'd mentioned the fact
that I have trained executives from
multinational corporations I'd then say
that the success of my training programs
have made these clients repeat customers
meaning that they have come back to my
company for more try
finally I would mention that I do
teacher training helping English
teachers to deliver better lessons in
their classrooms these are my strong
points when you prepare your answer
think of three to five points about your
achievements if you are a recent
graduate mention your accomplishments in
college like your projects and your
other academic successes now at this
point the interviewer must be impressed
with you they will have gained a good
deal of respect for your skills but they
might be thinking well you've done all
this and you sound like a real
professional but why do you want to come
and work here in this company so your
closing statement should be your answer
for why you want this job and here it's
never good to say I hate my boss or all
my coworkers are plotting against me or
something else that's negative about
your present job instead if you're
changing jobs you should make it sound
positive I might say I'm very happy in
my current job but I'm looking for a
more challenging role one where I can
use my skills in a managerial position
that's why I want this job or if I were
a recent graduate I would say I'm
looking for a job where I can put my
education and skills to use where I will
be challenged to grow and learn and
contribute to the success of the company
and with this closing statement you end
your answer okay now that you know the
formula let me show you my complete
answer as an example imagine that I'm
applying to be a senior English teacher
at a language school I go in for the
interview and the interviewer says tell
me about yourself here's my answer I am
an English teacher and teacher trainer
with seven years experience in the ESL
industry I specialized in teaching
business English to professionals and
have trained executives from a number of
multinational corporations my training
programs for these companies have
focused on making their executives
better communicators particularly in
working with their overseas colleagues
and customers thanks to the
of these programs many corporate clients
have become repeat customers for the
company I work for aside from teaching
business English I have also delivered
workshops for teachers aiming to help
them teach English with a more practical
communicative skills based approach
needless to say I'm very happy in my
current job it's extremely fulfilling
but I'm looking for a more challenging
managerial role where I can apply my
teaching expertise and that's why I'm
here today so remember the formula start
with a strong introduction then talk
about three to five of your achievements
and finally end with a statement on why
you want this job before we close this
lesson just a couple of quick tips when
you answer this question it's not good
to talk about your family or your
hobbies or other interests because all
that information is not important to the
interviewer he or she is only trying to
decide whether you are a good candidate
for the job and if they want to know
about your personal life they can ask
you later in the interview second in
some interviews instead of the question
tell me about yourself your interviewer
might say walk me through your resume or
walk me through your background
this means the interviewer is asking you
to start with your first job or your
education and then go through your
experience ending with your current role
in that case spend just a little bit of
time talking about each job still
focusing on your achievements what
difference you made to the companies you
work for and what skills you acquired
there spend the most time talking about
your accomplishments in your current job
or your more recent educational
qualification if you're a recent
graduate alright remember that the key
to giving the perfect answer is to focus
on your achievements keep your answer
relevant speak naturally
and conduct yourself like a professional
if you can do this I'm sure you will be
very successful in your job search if
you have any questions at all feel free
to ask me in the comment section below
if you like this lesson
it a thumbs up by hitting the like
button if you're new to my channel make
sure to subscribe by clicking the
subscribe button to get my latest
lessons right here on YouTube
happy learning and I will see you in
another lesson