how to answer “tell me about yourself” in a job interview

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.

It’s common for job interviews to open with a question that sounds simple on its surface but which many job seekers find difficult to answer: “Tell me about yourself.”

Job seekers often aren’t sure exactly what interviewers want to know when they ask that question. Are they requesting a full history of your life? Should you include personal details, like where you grew up and your family life, or are you supposed to focus exclusively on work? And how detailed should you get – a 30-second overview that hits the highlights, or something more involved?

But once you understand what your interview is looking for, this question gets much easier to answer. At New York Magazine today, I talk about how to do it.