The question: "tell me about yourself"????

acmj2007

what are they looking for in an interview?
how much info are you supposed to give?

as they have all your work record in foront of them already

is it a case of...

I live in X and I like playing tennis?

HELP!!!

axer

I would keep it aimed towards the job at all times. Mention that you are passionate about "dog walking" or whatever you are going for. They want you to tell them since you generally find out more by asking the candidate rather than just looking at their CV.

acmj2007

thanks axer:)

BC

They are also trying to find out what kind of person you are. Are you chatty, can you converse easily or are you the sort of person who gives one or two word answers. Employers are usually looking for someone who can fit easily into a team so they want to figure out if they think you will gel with other members of the team. You'd be amazed at some of the things people say in answer to that question. Just be yourself!

Otis Driftwood

If they ask you specifically about your personal life,its always good to throw in somethings that involve being part of a team.It could be something like you played football for whoever and you were involved with organising training/matches etc.Anything that shows you have gone beyond the call of duty for the better of the group on a whole.It shows you are willing to pitch in whenever neccessary and are happy to do it.Natural passion and enthusiasm shines through and its easy to know when someone is being truthful about such things.

Thumpette

Be careful of this question that you dont ramble way off the point- ive seen it 9and done it) myself loads of times. Be chatty and open but keep it fairly short and to the point as well.

acmj2007

:)Thanks everyone

Kaybe

My advice would be to have a simple little blurb about your work history prepared - a little overview if you like so that you can answer this common question.

Quite frequently, at the beginning of the interview after introductions, pleasantries and housekeeping are dealt with, the interview is started with one of these type questions:
So - tell me about yourself?
Can you give me a brief overview of your CV?
Why don't you start by walking us through your work history?

All of the above are the same question, and if you have your little blurb about yourself prepared, you can roll it out in answer to any of these questions. The advantage in having it prepared is so that you ensure that you say enough, but not too much. If they want an overview, make sure it's just that - if the interviewer wants to pick up on one particular job or role they will ask follow up question.
MOST important... when you get to the end of your 3min blurb, shut up! don't feel compelled to keep going...just sit there and look them pleasantly in the eye and wait for the next question.

At all costs, do NOT hit off into a spiel about "Well, I'm 35 and I'm married to Mary for 5 years, and we have 2 kids, and I LOVE golf etc etc etc"
(Believe me, I've had some people do this, so I tend to phrase my question as one of the last two above, rather than the first one!)

razorblunt

Make sure you hit any gaps or "negative" things about your CV, like I changed courses but I always mentioned it and explained it before they did.

axer

Also there is no problem bringing in notes (brief) into an interview and a copy of your own CV. I marked out things on my CV that I wanted to highlight etc and brought it in with me when I went for interviews. I found it helped focus what I wanted to say.

narwog81

A "competency" based approach towards the question would be a good angle.

Most positions in a firm will have a specific job description for that role which will name the traits, skills and competencies required by the person seeking to fill the role.

If you can analyse the job you are seeking from the employers point of view and identify these "competencies", then you can allude to them wherever you have room to manoeuvre during the interview. the "tell me about yourself" question is perfect for this.