Tell about yourself in english
Tell about yourself in english
“Tell me About Yourself” How to Introduce Yourself at a Job Interview
“Tell me About Yourself.”
“Tell me about yourself.” This is a common question that has the potential to be extremely nerve-wracking, depending on the situation. You’ll hear it at parties, on dates, when meeting someone for the first time and most especially at job interviews. So, how do you introduce yourself in these situations – especially a job interview? In this post, we’ll focus on how to introduce yourself in a professional manner.
What to talk about
Perhaps the first thing to understand is in professional situations, such as a job interview, there are appropriate things about yourself that you can discuss and highlight. And there are things that are better left not mentioned. Let me break it down for you:
Appropriate
“I’ve been an English teacher for 15 years now. ”
“I’ve taught the language in different parts of the world, like Japan and Korea. ”
“Aside from English, I also know how to speak and write in Japanese and French.”
“I was recently awarded ‘Teacher of the Year’ in the current school where I am teaching.”
“I’m very organized and I can work with minimum supervision.”
You can add some positive personal qualities, too. But do not overdo it. Mention qualities that are relatable to the job you are applying for.
“I love to read. I’ve been an avid reader since I was a child. And I also love to write short stories.”
Now, how about the inappropriate things you should NEVER mention in a job interview?
“I left my previous job because I did not like my boss.”
“My skills and experience may not seem much…”
“I have very strong views on (religion/politics/economy)…”
“I need this job so I can pay off an overdue student loan.”
Be Confident – but not too confident.
Here’s how you should answer that job interview question: with the right amount of confidence. It’s okay to be confident – in fact, it’s imperative! However, be sure to have concrete evidence of your accomplishments to back up your confidence. You don’t need to outwardly say that you’re amazing – it should already be implied in what you have accomplished. Oftentimes, when people say that they’re amazing, they forget to back it up! Have you ever seen a person who brags, but doesn’t have the evidence to support the wonderful things they have to say? You’re less inclined to take them seriously, right? Don’t be that person! So, when they ask, “tell me about yourself,” don’t be afraid to be confident, but be indirect about it. Show what makes you amazing, rather than simply telling them that you’re awesome.
It also goes without saying, that you should also present yourself as someone confident. Look presentable, clean, orderly, and dress appropriately. How you look at a job interview can increase your confidence in yourself. That in turn, will help you present yourself in the most positive light.
Don’t Get too Personal and too Emotional
It’s good to be passionate about certain things, but again, topics such as religion, age, and other personal attributes, should never be mentioned in a job interview. In the United States, there are various discrimination laws that prohibit employers from discriminating with regard to age, race, religion, disability status, and more. That being said, these points should never be mentioned in a job interview, no matter what.
Also, avoid other personal things such as your favorite color, your hobbies (unless they relate to the job), and your family life. When the interviewer says, “tell me about yourself,” they’re not asking for these information. These points are irrelevant to the job interviewer, and the job.
You should also refrain from sounding and being too emotional. A job interview is not a heart-to-heart talk, or a counseling session. It’s best to remain composed and professional.
Do Your Research (and Don’t Be Negative)
It is a fine idea to do as much research about the company as you possibly can. Showing you’re very knowledgable about the company will impress your interviewer. It will also show that you’re truly interested and invested in the job opportunity. Whatever you do, do not be negative about the job opportunity, or even past jobs! Saying negative things about your past job may be an immediate turn-0ff to the employer. Not only is this behavior inappropriate, it’s also quite unprofessional. No one wants to work with someone who says negative things for someone they worked with or worked for. After all, what is there to say that you won’t talk negatively about this company after you leave?
What to say about yourself? Just positive, professional, and factual things
When doing a job interview, use this as an opportunity for you to shine. Tell an achievement-oriented short story! In this video, Vanessa described a situation in which she was approached by a student who required extra help, and how her help impacted the student to the present day. Sevdha described herself with regard to her achievements as well. Sevdha gave concrete examples of how her involvement with the job resulted in an increase in sales, along with providing a measurable number increase.
Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to check out more videos at Go Natural English, and click here to learn about 12 conversation killers: what NOT to say when starting a conversation!
So… tell me about yourself! With these tips and points in mind, feel free to comment and tell me a little bit about how you would answer the question, “tell me about yourself,” at a job interview.
How to introduce yourself in English
Self-introduction in English with translation, sample essay
A correct and competent story about yourself helps to create a good impression in an unfamiliar society, to reveal yourself from the best side and show your merits, as well as demonstrate communication skills.
Sometimes it is not so easy to cope with such a task due to psychological and social factors. If the speaker experiences difficulties, briefly speaking about himself in his native language, then when communicating in a foreign language, in addition to the language barrier and insurmountable excitement, he faces even greater difficulties.
In such situations, not coping with the excitement, the speaker runs the risk of showing himself not from his best side. Therefore, it is extremely important to be able to correctly present your biography and clearly understand how to tell about yourself in English.
When do you need a monologue about yourself?
Depending on the circumstances and purposes of communication, your story about yourself in English may differ slightly.
So, if you are applying for a position, the impression depends on the first step and on every word spoken. In such situations, you need to know how to correctly present information about your professional qualities and skills, as well as what aspects of your personality to focus on.
If you introduce yourself to a new circle of friends, like-minded people, colleagues, it will be appropriate to focus on personal qualities.
What should be included in the story?
When you first meet, you must mention the main information about yourself. A classic autobiography in English includes a performance (like «my name is»). Further, your monologue will also differ slightly depending on the audience and listeners.
When it comes to an interview, after the presentation, you need to start the story with education (where, when and how), include information about existing work experience and skills. An important point is the mention of personality traits and their impact on work. Often during interviews, candidates are asked why exactly they should take the post / position. Therefore, you can finish your story about yourself in English with a couple of sentences on this topic.
If you are preparing to introduce yourself for a new campaign, your essay on yourself may be less formal and more lively. If you have a mutual friend, you can explain how and where you met. Tell where you are from, what are your hobbies.
Depending on the purpose, your monologue will be limited in time. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss this issue in advance in order to keep within the allotted time. For example, your essay at school will include about 10 sentences and will only take a couple of minutes, and an interview or exam at the university will be more capacious and meaningful.
Essay outline about yourself
So let’s move from words to action. This is what a standard plan for introducing yourself should look like:
1. General information (name, surname, age)
A typical monologue in English begins with the words let me introduce myself (let me introduce myself), I would to speak about my biography (I would like to introduce you to my biography). Then comes my name is, I’m 35 years old.
2. Place of residence
When talking about where you live, you can use the phrases I’m from; I live in (I live in); I was born in (I was born in); My hometown \ home village (my hometown \ village), my biography begun in (my biography began in)
3. A family
At this point, you should talk about parents, sisters / brothers, husband / wife, children, and what they do. Use the following phrases in your essay about yourself:
4. Education
This part of the monologue should answer the question: where do I study? When talking about education, use the following phrases:
5. Job
At this point, it is necessary to tell where I work, what professional skills I have. The following phrases will help you:
6. Personality traits / character
To describe a character, there are a huge number of adjectives. To introduce yourself in English, phrases such as:
7. Hobby
To give a deeper understanding of yourself, tell us what you are passionate about. Text about yourself may include the following phrases:
Business letter in English: how to write, phrases, examples
In what situations may you need knowledge of how to write a business letter correctly?
In each of the situations suggested (and there may be many more), you must observe business etiquette. Why is it important? Because your letter represents YOU, makes it clear that you are a professional and not a teenager who writes with mistakes.
In the article we will analyze how to write an official letter in English, we will give specific examples and phrases with translation. You will learn that there are several types of formal letter, and that in email correspondence (e-mail), it is also worth following some rules of writing.
Letter structure
Any business letter should indicate at once 2 addresses (recipient and sender) and the date when you compose this letter.
Here’s an example format:
Beginning of the letter
Always start a business letter with a greeting. A letter without a greeting or with a greeting, but in an informal style, will seem rude and familiar to the recipient. Here are some good examples of how to formally say hello:
Good morning / Good afternoon,
Hi
If you are unsure of the correctness, try doing some «internet investigation» to find the name of the contact person. Investigation has not yielded results? Then contact the following (this is an extreme case, and we still do not recommend using it):
To whom it may concern, On demand.
In the same part of the letter, you should introduce yourself: who are you, what company are you from, what do you do, what do you offer, why do you write and what is your overall goal?
Phrasal cliches to start a letter
«Body» of the letter
An ideal business letter should have 3-4 paragraphs, and they should all fit on one page. Most importantly, be very clear and concise. Support your “narrative” with facts and figures.
Phrasal cliches
| Our new product / service will be released next month and we are excited to share with you ___. Our new product / service will be presented next month and we are happy to share with you. |
| I’d to include a quick story of how [product / service] helped [another company] to ___. I would like to share a short story of how |
| If you’d to test this service, I would be happy to work with you and provide you with an overview. Just contact me at _____. If you want to use the service, I will be glad to cooperate with you and provide you with an overview. Just contact me. |
| After much consideration, we have decided to ___. After much deliberation, we decided. |
End of letter
Having finished describing all the bright prospects for cooperation (as an option), you should correctly complete the letter. If you don’t, you will be considered unprofessional and rude. You can also thank the recipient (be sure to find out why) and add some polite phrases.
Phrasal cliches for goodbye
| Thank you for your patience and cooperation. Thanks for your patience and cooperation. |
| If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to let me know. If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate and let me know. |
| Regards / Kind regards /Sincerely |
Telling Yourself in an English Job Interview
A job interview can be attributed to the most important events in our life. And in order for this event to go off with a bang, it is extremely important to properly prepare for the questions we are asked.
One of the most popular questions on a job interview, one might say, an indispensable attribute of it, is the traditional question: «Could you describe yourself?» («Could you describe yourself?») And its variants: «Please describe yourself», «Tell me about yourself», «Walk me through your background», «What should I know about you?»
This question is a great opportunity to present yourself and tell about yourself in English. This is your chance to make a profitable first impression on the other person (perhaps your future employer)!
In addition, it is a useful exercise for those who seek to «know themselves», critically reflect on their achievements and failures, draw conclusions and reach a new level of development.
A common mistake is talking about personal
However, many untrained job seekers get lost, begin to talk in detail about themselves in English, about their private life, children, pets, hobbies, etc. (more about how to talk about a hobby).
Therefore, concentrate on your professional qualities that are useful to the employer (and to find out which of your merits the employer will appreciate, optimize your story about yourself in English by studying the company profile and a detailed job description in advance).
3 ingredients for a successful self-story in English:
1. Introduce yourself and indicate who you are professionally.
| Correctly: | |
| I’m an HR manager with 8 years of experience for Fortune 500 companies. | I am an HR manager with eight years of experience in the top 500 companies in the United States. |
| — Brief but informative. Not right: | |
| Well, I grew up in Cincinnati. | Well, I grew up in Cincinnati. |
| As a child, I wanted to be a fireman, then later became interested in dinosaurs. | As a kid, I wanted to be a firefighter, but then I became interested in dinosaurs. |
| I excelled in the sciences from early on, placing first in my fourth-grade science fair. | From an early age, I excelled in the sciences: in the fourth grade, I won first place in a natural science exhibition. |
| Funny story about that | I’ll tell you a funny story about this |
| — Too much unnecessary information. |
2. In a nutshell, tell us about your education relevant to the selected vacancy (for example, if you are applying for the position of a system administrator, you do not need to mention the completion of astrology courses).
3. Briefly describe your professional experience. Mention especially the most reputable and well-known firms in which you have worked.
| Correctly: | |
| I have spent the last six years developing my skills as a customer service manager for Megacompany Inc., where I have won several performance awards and been promoted twice. | For the past 6 years, I have been cultivating my customer service manager skills at Megacompany Inc., where I have received multiple awards for excellence and two promotions. |
| — The emphasis is on experience and recognition of professional achievements. Not right: | |
| My first job was as an administrative assistant for Macy’s in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. | My first job was as an Administrative Assistant at Macy’s in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. |
| I learned a great deal in that role that served me well over the next 12 years. | In this position, I learned a lot that served me well for the next twelve years. |
›Learning a language› Vocabulary ›Topics› How to write a story about yourself in English, as well as ready-made examples
Foreign languages are primarily studied for communication, so it is extremely important to learn coherently and speak freely. And one of the leading exercises of this kind for beginners is telling about yourself in English.
Such an essay includes in the work all the baggage of acquired knowledge (vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation) and allows you to quickly learn how to express your thoughts in English. Of course, the task is difficult, so today we will learn to talk about ourselves in English.
Here are some tips for writing text, we will study standard phrases and speech clichés, and, for example, consider samples of stories about ourselves in English for children, students and adults. So let’s get started!
What to include in a story about yourself in English
Let’s start the analysis with general recommendations on the content of the text, since the first difficulty for any student is the question of what to tell about me. In fact, there is nothing complicated here, and there is no need to invent some fascinating story of your life.
To compose an essay about yourself in English, it is enough to focus on the standard structure, which one way or another occurs in any text on this topic.
If we generalize the examples of essays and deduce a certain pattern, then the template for a story about yourself in English looks like this:
That’s all. In fact, the essay simply requires detailed disclosure of the five points listed above. Moreover, it is desirable to do this rather succinctly.
In other words, an excessive heap of phrases, epithets and uninteresting information can significantly spoil the impression of your independent essay “business card”.
At the same time, it is clear that in one or two sentences, a story about yourself in English will not work even for grade 1 of school. Here you need to find a middle ground, i.e. to describe your life as interestingly, competently and, so to speak, without spreading thoughts along the tree. The optimal volume for a story about yourself is 10-20 sentences, depending on the situation and the audience for which the essay is designed.
English phrases for composing a story about yourself
So, what is an essay about your life in English in terms of content, we told, now let’s move on to the difficulties of grammar and translation. After all, it is not enough to write an interesting essay, you also need to submit it correctly.
Typical words and phrases of the English language, which are often found in the stories of schoolchildren, students and adults about themselves, will help us to correctly form the story.
And in order to make the information readable and easy to perceive, we have divided speech clichés into several thematic subsections. Let’s take a closer look at each of them.
Information
This is the opening paragraph of the essay, in which you greet your listeners / readers and briefly say the most important things about yourself. As a rule, this is the first and last name, age, city and country of residence.
Compiling such a short story about yourself in English takes a separate paragraph, which includes only a couple of sentences. Writing it is easy, but still, each style of storytelling has its own characteristics.
Therefore, here are some introductory phrases for a story about yourself in English with translation.
| English expression | Russian translation |
| First of all let me introduce myself. | First of all, let me introduce myself. |
| Let me introduce myself, my name is | Let me introduce myself, my name is |
| Let me tell you a few words about myself. | Let me tell you a few words about myself. |
| My name is | My name |
| My surname is | my surname |
| I was named after my great-grandfather. | I was named after my great grandfather. |
| You can call me | You can call me |
| People usually call me | People usually call me |
| I was born in (year) | I was born in (year) |
| I was born on the (date) | I was born (full date) |
| I am years old. | Me (years). |
| I am (age) | Me (age) |
| I will be (age) next summer. | I will be (years old) next summer. |
| I will be (age) in two weeks. | I will be (years old) in two weeks. |
| I was born in Russia in (city) | I was born in Russia in (city) |
| I am from (country, city) | I’m from (country, city) |
| I come from (country, city) | I came from (country, city) |
| I live in (country, city) | I live in (country, city) |
| My hometown is located | My hometown is located |
| My hometown is (description) | My hometown (characteristic) |
Family
You should not, of course, strongly devote listeners or readers to the history of the family and describe in detail everyday situations, but in short you need to write a story in English about relatives or close friends.
Most often, the essay reports on the age of relatives, their qualities, professions and hobbies. Again, a single paragraph of text with several sentences will be enough to tell the story of a family.
| English expression | Russian translation |
| Now let me tell you a little about my family. | Now let me say a few words about my family. |
| I live at home with my parents. | I live in a house with my parents. |
| I live with my husband (wife) and children. | I live with my husband (wife) and children. |
| My family is small. | My family is small. |
| My family is big. | My family is big. |
| My family is not very large. | My family is not very big. |
| I have a big family. | I have a big family. |
| I have a mother, a father, an elder sister and three younger brothers. | I have a mom, dad, an older sister and three younger brothers. |
| I come from a small (large) family. | I am from a small (large) family. |
| There are (number) of us in the family. | We are in the family (number, for example, five, four). |
| I have a lot of relatives. | I have many relatives. |
| My parents have one more child (or number children), besides me. | Besides me, my parents have one more child (or (number) more children). |
| I have neither brothers nor sisters. | I have no brothers or sisters. |
| My father’s name is | My father’s name is |
| My mother is a (profession) | My mom is by profession (profession). |
| My elder brother (sister) is married. | My older brother / sister is married. |
| My mother / father / sister / brother s | My dad / mom / sister / brother likes |
| All members of my family | All my family members love |
| All members of my family (description) | All members of my family (description, e.g. kind, helpful, etc.) |
| My family always supports me. | My family always supports me. |
| I am happy to have such a friendly family. | I am happy to have such a close-knit family. |
Education and work
Also, you cannot compose a story about yourself in English and not share information about your current place of study, work or your profession. The following phrases will help you write this paragraph.
| English expression | Russian translation |
| I go to school / gymnasium / lyceum number | I attend school / gymnasium / lyceum room |
| I am a pupil of (number) form. | I am a student (number) of the class. |
| I am in the (number) th grade now. | I am currently in (number) class. |
| My favorite subjects are | My favorite subjects are |
| I am good at | I am doing well in |
| I try to get on well in all the subjects. | I try to do well in all subjects. |
| I’m doing quite well at school. | I study well at school. |
| After school I plan to enter the University. | After school, I plan to go to university. |
| I would become a (profession) | I want to get a profession (profession name) |
| I want to be a (profession) in the future. | In the future, I want to become (profession name). |
| I finished school in (year) | I finished school in (year). |
| I am a student. | I am a student). |
| I am a student of the faculty of economics. | I am a student at the Faculty of Economics. |
| I study the history of East Asia. | I am studying the history of East Asia. |
| At University I study many subjects. | I study a lot of subjects at the university. |
| I am a third year student of (University / Instinute) | I am a third year student (name of university, institute) |
| I am in my first / second / third year. | I am a freshman / sophomore / third year student. |
| I graduated from University in (year). | I graduated from university in (year). |
| My major is | My speciality |
| [/ sayit] I graduated with honors. [/ sayit] | I graduated with honors. |
| Now I am looking for an appropriate job. | Now I am looking for a suitable job for myself. |
| I work as a (profession) | I work (name of profession). |
| I work for (the name of the company) | I work for (company name) |
| I am unemployed at the moment. | At the moment I am unemployed. |
Personal qualities
Be sure to include a list of personal qualities and character traits in the text about yourself in English. But this must be done quite carefully so that the impression is not created that the speaker in the story in English praises himself or, conversely, suffers from low self-esteem. The table below will help you find the right words for your essay.
| English expression | Russian translation |
| As to my appearance | As for my appearance |
| I have blue eyes and dark hair. | I have blue eyes and dark hair. |
| I am quite tall. | I’m pretty tall. |
| I am slim. | I’m slim. |
| My hair is curly. | I have curly hair. |
| My eyes are brown. | My eyes are brown. |
| I know that telling a lot of nice words about yourself is not modest but I am | I know that it is not customary to say a lot of good words about myself, but I |
| My friends say that I am quite handsome. | My friends say that I am very handsome. |
| My friends find me rather attractive. | My friends find me pretty attractive (oh). |
| As of my traits of character | Talking about my personality traits |
| My best qualities are | My best qualities are |
| cheerful | hilarity |
| responsive | responsiveness |
| creative | creativity, fantasy |
| faithfull | loyalty, devotion |
| ambition | ambition |
4 tips for public speaking
To begin with, let’s talk about the general rules for conducting a presentation of a company or project and preparing for an exciting event for many. So, we suggest you take on board four useful tips.
Presentation Phrases in English
Now let’s move on to more private things and talk about what phrases to use for the speech so that the presentation in English sounds harmonious. The options for the statements will be grouped in order according to the typical structure of the speech.
Greeting and introducing yourself
| Dear colleagues! | Dear colleagues! |
| Good morning / afternoon ladies and gentlemen! | Good morning / good afternoon ladies and gentlemen! |
| Let me introduce myself. My name is | Let me introduce. My name is |
Designation of the topic, purpose, duration of the presentation
| The topic of my presentation is | Topic of my presentation |
Russian names in English: we write and pronounce correctly
Sooner or later, many of us face the question: how to write down our surname and first name so that those who do not speak Russian can read them.
For many, this is a serious problem, since they are sure that Russian names in English cannot be displayed without knowing it at a decent level. This is just a delusion.
It is enough to master the simple rules of transliteration and practice a little, writing down the names of friends and acquaintances. We assure you that soon it will not be difficult for you to translate any Russian name into English.
What is transliteration
English is one of the most common languages in the world, and to one degree or another every inhabitant of the planet comes into contact with it. This language has long become a means of communication between businessmen, politicians, economists, specialists in the field of culture, computer technology and international tourism.
It is not surprising that a person who speaks English feels more free not only abroad, but also within his own country, because he can read professional literature or conduct direct negotiations with foreign partners.
Any document that will be presented outside the country is subject to translation into English, and the ability to write down your name in Latin will be useful to everyone.
For the uniform display of Russian names in English, a special system of transliteration rules has been created.
For children starting to learn English, the teacher often gives for communication in the classroom the equivalents of Russian names adopted in the USA or Great Britain. This is how Nick, Alex, Helen, Julie and Natalie appear in Russian schools. The teacher does this so that the children are immersed in the atmosphere of the countries of the studied language, but many, even after graduating from school, continue to think that this is how their name sounds in English.
As a result, when faced with the need to fill out a questionnaire or other form, some people struggle to remember which English name is most suitable for this. But there are also surnames! There are some anecdotal cases when they were also translated.
All this is completely unnecessary trouble, for official documents you just need to correctly display your first and last name using transliteration rules.
Simply put, you need to write down your data so that a native English speaker can, after reading the Latin letters, understand how to pronounce your name.
Do not deviate from the rules of transliteration when it comes to filling out official questionnaires or resumes for foreign employers. Striving to bring your name closer to what is more familiar to native English speakers can work against you. Agree, the applicant, who in all seriousness introduces himself as Andrew Petrovich Ivanov, is less credible than just Andrey Petrovich.
Read related material: Best Ways to Learn English
Rules for spelling Russian names in English
The US State Department has developed a special system that regulates the translation of Cyrillic letters into Latin. It looks like this:
The table is provided with comments to facilitate transliteration:
Read the material on the topic: How to get rid of the Russian accent in English
Russian names and surnames in English
Both before and in our time, various transliteration methods are used to translate Russian names into English. We have already mentioned the possibility of writing the same Russian name in English in different ways, this mainly comes from different variants of the reflection of the letters E, E, Yu, Ya.
Examples: Julia (Yulia, Yuliya, Julia, Julja); Dmitry (Dmitry, Dmitriy, Dmitri, Dimitri); Eugene (Yevgeny, Yevgeniy, Evgeny, Evgeni, Evgeniy, Eugeny); Tsvetaeva (Tsvetaeva, Tsvetayeva, Cvetaeva); Zhukovsky (Zhukovsky, Zhukovski, Zhukovskiy, Jukovsky).
But there are cases that require special attention. Individual Russian names in English are written in compliance with special rules.
It is preferable to convey the combination of Russian letters KS not by the Latin X, but by the combination KS.
To emphasize the softness of a consonant, an apostrophe is used.
We figured out the names, but what about the Russian surnames? In general, the same transliteration rules developed by the US Department of State, which we cited above, apply to their recording.
When transliterating names and patronymics, it is necessary to be consistent in choosing the method of transmitting Russian sounds in Latin letters. So, using a system in which the letters «u» and «I» are written as ju and ja, do not deviate from this principle when filling out a questionnaire or other documents. Choose a single option for transliteration and stick to it wherever your information is required.
Tell me about yourself: How to introduce yourself in English: Tips and Phrases
Meeting someone for the first time is important. This first meeting can be especially difficult in a foreign language with a different culture.
This post is going to be all about how to introduce yourself in English. That’s right, I am going to discuss the different possible ways to greet someone and how to answer: tell me more about yourself!
Formal interactions require a less relaxed behavior following customs and procedure.
Email Greetings: INFORMAL, FORMAL and FOLLOW-UP Greetings
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In formal interactions, it is best to offer a handshake to the other individual.
Once they offer their hand as well make sure you give a firm handshake.
Some people give what is called a dead fish handshake. This feels like the person is holding a dead fish when they give you a handshake.
Your hand should be firm and you should apply a slight pressure to their hand when shaking hands. Eye contact is very important and should be maintained during this time.
Once physical contact has been made a verbal greeting is appropriate. There are many different ways to give a greeting and introduce yourself for formal settings.
Generally, other people will respond and give your their name as well.
If they don’t give their name, then you should ask them.
In informal settings, we can be more relaxed. These are interactions that are more casual.
As a rule, we should always be polite when meeting new people. A handshake is always appropriate, but you might need to adapt to what the other person insists on doing. For example, they might want to hug or bump fists.
Follow their lead to avoid an awkward situation. After all, when in Rome, do as the Romans. Be sure to smile during this interaction. Don’t make it look like it is your first time on Earth.
There are many different ways to give a greeting and introduce yourself for informal settings.
Generally, other people will respond and give your their name as well. Once again, if they don’t give their name, then you should ask them.
After anyone gives you their name for the first time, you should say it back to them as a courtesy.
This should be done regardless if the setting is formal or informal. In repeating back their name, you are less likely to forget it later.
From this point, the conversation is up to you. You can ask questions about how they know your friend or someone might mention something about their work. You could ask a question about that. The scenarios are endless.
When a conversation happens it would look like this:
A: Hello.
B: Hi.
A: Are you enjoying the class?
B: Yes, it is okay.
A: I am Brian, what is your name?
B: My name is Marilia.
A: Marilia, where are you from?
B: I am from Brazil, and you?
A: I am from the United States. How long have you been in the country?
B: I have been for just one month.
A: Are you here on business or for fun?
B: Neither one, I am here just to take this course.
A: We have fifteen minutes for the break. Do you want to go get some coffee?
B: Sure, that’s sounds great!
However, if someone asks you to introduce yourself in a meeting situation, then the response is a little more complicated.
Usually, what they are waiting for is five to six sentences for other people in the room to acquire facts about you so that they have an idea about who you are and your personality.
For example, you could give your name, your age, your occupation, where you are from and something that you like.
My name is Brian Thornton. I am thirty-five years old. I am an English teacher and blog writer. I am from New York City and I love to travel.
You could ask a question about that. The scenarios are endless.
That does it for this blog post. Also be sure to leave a comment below! Did I forget anything?
Free English Lessons
In this lesson, you can learn how to answer the question ‘tell me about yourself.’ You’ll see how to answer this question in different situations, including in job interviews, university application interviews, English exams, or at work.
QUIZ: How to Answer “Tell Me About Yourself”
Test your understanding of the vocabulary and ideas you saw in this lesson! The quiz has 20 questions, and you’ll see your score at the end.
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| Pos. | Name | Entered on | Points | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Table is loading | ||||
True or False: if someone asks ‘Tell me about yourself’, your answer will be different in different contexts.
True or False: you should answer the question with as much detail as possible.
True or False: the person who asks ‘Tell me about yourself’ might not listen carefully to the answer.
True or False: you shouldn’t talk about the past or the future; just mention what you’re doing now.
Which is the most important thing to talk about if you are asked ‘Tell me about yourself’ in a job interview?
Complete the two-letter abbreviation that is missing from this sentence.
Match the two halves of these sentences.
Sort elements
Match the two halves of these sentences.
Sort elements
If you say ‘when I graduate’ at an interview for university, what are you going to mention?
If you say ‘I’m doing a course in online marketing next month’, what time period are you referring to?
Write the missing word.
My best at school were maths and physics.
Which is the correct end to the sentence?
True or False: if you are asked ‘Tell me about yourself’ in an English exam, just talk about work and studies – not general interests.
Write the missing words.
I work Deloitte an auditor.
The first gap has two possible answers. You only need to write one.
Which is the correct end to the sentence?
Look at this answer to the question ‘Tell me about yourself’ in an English exam.
Well, actually, I was born in Munich, but I consider myself Austrian, because my parents are from Salzburg, and they moved back there just after I was born.
Are the words ‘Well, actually’ appropriate?
True or False: conversations with new colleagues at work can be less formal than what you say at a job interview.
Match the statements with the contexts in which you would say them.
Sort elements
Put this answer to ‘Tell me about yourself’ in the right order. (Some of the punctuation has been removed, to make you think!)
In which context would you expect to hear the model answer in the previous question?
Read the Full Script
‘Tell me about yourself.’
This question makes people nervous. What can you say?
Honestly, this is a bad question to ask. If I was giving someone a job interview, I would never ask this question, because it makes people uncomfortable.
But, you might hear it, and need to answer! Maybe in a job interview, or an interview for university, or in an English exam, or somewhere else.
In this lesson, you’ll see answers to this question for four different situations.
One: in a job interview.
Two: in a university interview.
Three: in an English exam. This is the most general example, so if you just want a general way to respond to ‘tell me about yourself’, watch this section.
Four: when introducing yourself to new colleagues.
Before we look at our sample answers, let’s see four general tips.
First, think about the context you’re in. ‘Tell me about yourself’ doesn’t mean ‘Tell me everything about yourself.’ You need to choose where to focus.
For example, in a job interview, you should focus on your professional background.
In an English exam, you’ll probably give a more general answer.
Secondly, keep your answer short and focused. Our sample answers are mostly around three or four sentences. This is a good length to aim for.
Thirdly, remember that this question will usually be asked at the beginning of an interview. In most cases, the interviewer won’t pay much attention to the content of what you say, so don’t worry about it too much. The most important thing is that you can answer confidently and coherently.
Finally, here’s a suggestion for a general structure: make one or two sentences about your past, one or two sentences about your current situation, and one or two sentences about the future.
Now, let’s see some examples!
1. Job Interviews
In this answer, you talk about your current situation, and then add details about your background.
It’s a simple answer, but that’s fine. It’s focused and clear, and it gives your interviewer the chance to ask for more details if he or she wants.
Let’s see one more example:
This answer is a little more detailed. It also doesn’t really include information about the future. That’s OK – the past-present-future idea isn’t a template which you *have* to follow; it’s just a way to organise your ideas.
Let’s look at some language from these examples.
In sentences three and four, after ‘in’, you need to name a sector. For example, ‘I’ve been working in the education sector for seven years.’ If you want to name a company, use ‘at’. For example, ‘I’ve been working at HSBC for a year and a half.’ Learn more about this topic with our lesson on talking about your job in English.
Could you complete these sentences to make them true for you? Pause the video and try it now! Say your sentences out loud.
Next, let’s look at university interviews.
2. University Interviews
This answer gives more details about the speaker’s past experience, and less information about the present and future. As you heard before, this is no problem! Don’t feel that you need to have a certain number of sentences about the past, or whatever. Different answers will fit different situations. Be flexible!
Let’s see one more sample answer.
These answers are specialised; they focus on particular subjects. But, there are several pieces of language you can use, whatever you study. Let’s look.
Of course, you can change these phrases to fit your situation. For example, if you’re still at school, you’ll probably say ‘are’ or ‘have been’ in number two, instead of ‘were’.
Now, it’s your turn to practise! Use these four phrases to make your own answer, using your own ideas. Pause the video, and say your answer out loud now.
How was that? You might need to practise a few times to get everything fluent. Take your time and practise as many times as you need. Learn more about this topic with our lesson on talking about your studies in English.
Next, let’s see how to answer ‘tell me about yourself’ in a more general way, for example in an English exam.
3. English Exams
Honestly, in most English exams, you’re not likely to be asked this question. In common international exams, like IELTS or the Cambridge exams, questions are more focused.
But, it’s possible. Or, you might need to answer the question ‘tell me about yourself’ in a different situation. Let’s look at a more general answer to this question:
You can see that the answer is more general and personal, rather than focusing on work or studies.
Let’s see one more:
This is the longest of our sample answers, but it’s still quite short: about 100 words. Remember that you don’t want your answer to be too long. Keep it short and focused!
If you’re asked the question ‘tell me about yourself’ in an English exam or general situation, let’s see some language you can use to build an answer.
In number two, you put a company after ‘for’, and your position after ‘as’. For example, ‘I’m working for Google as a tester.’
Let’s try together. Make your own answer, using these four phrases. If you want, add more sentences or details to your answer. Pause the video, and make your answer now.
How was that? Easy? Difficult? If it’s difficult, read the sample answers – you can find the text on our website. Use the sample answers as a model, and change the details so that you’re using your own information.
Let’s move on to our last section.
4. Introducing Yourself to New Colleagues
Sometimes, if you start working in a new company, you’ll have to introduce yourself at a meeting.
Here, your answer should focus on your professional background, like in a job interview. However, you’ll probably use a more conversational English tone.
Let’s see our first sample.
If you work in a larger company, you might need to introduce yourself to colleagues even if you’ve worked there for some time, for example, if you’re starting a project with people you’ve never worked with before. Let’s see how that could look:
Here’s your final challenge: imagine you’ve started a new job, and you have to introduce yourself to your colleagues in a meeting. Make an answer to introduce yourself. You can use all the language you’ve seen in this lesson. Try to make your answer three or four sentences long. Say your answer out loud.
Could you do it? If so, great! If not, keep practising! You can also review the lesson and the sample answers to get ideas.
Now, we hope that hearing the question ‘tell me about yourself’ won’t make you feel so nervous!
So, tell me about yourself. Practise your answers and put them in the comments, and share them with other students.
Tell me about yourself: how to answer this question (with examples)
You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
And even though it’s a bit of a cliché… it’s true.
There are questions that are guaranteed to come up in all your job interviews – regardless the firm (McKinsey, The BCG, or Bain & Company), the position (Associate, Senior Consultant, or Project Manager) or the candidate’s profile (young graduate, MBA, experienced candidate).
At the top of this list, there is Tell Me About Yourself.
Or a similar question such as:
Since the first question to be asked in an interview is often Tell Me About Yourself, it’s your big chance to make a first impression.
In fact, the Tell Me About Yourself question is an opportunity – an opening to set the tone of the job interview and emphasize the points that you want your dream consulting firm to know about you.
Don’t waste the opportunity by simply diving into a long recitation of your resume. This also isn’t the time to mention that you love flamenco dancing and bingo.
In this article, I’ll show you the CareerInConsulting Formula for crafting your perfect, concise and enthusiastic response to the Tell Me About Yourself question.
Also, you’ll get some examples to inspire you.
Table of Contents
Learn Why Interviewers Ask «Tell Me About Yourself»
First, it’s an easy and open-ended way to start the conversation.
Your interviewer is hoping that this question will get you talking. This question is almost always asked first, perhaps right after some chit chat about traffic and the weather.
Therefore, your answer will dictate the interviewer’s first impression of you, and will set the tone for the entire interview, letting you lead with your strongest selling points.
In other words, your interviewer want to know:
To conclude, the interviewer’s expectations are well explained in this video about the experience interview from McKinsey’s website (click on the image to launch the video):
Begin Your Answer By Giving An Overview Of Your Background
Management Consultants always step back from the details and look at the big picture.
Because they don’t want to waste their time on meaningless details.
For instance, a good overview includes:
I am a Mechanical Engineer by training, and I hold an MBA from HEC Paris. I have 5 years of work experience as a Project Manager in the Oil & Gas industry. In this role, I manage all aspects of the projects for which I’m responsible: budget, team members, communication with clients and quality of deliverables.
I grew up in Paris. As a child, I originally wanted to be a fireman. In college, I excelled in Sciences and won the first price in my school science fair. Funny story about that…
Explain Why You Choose Your Major (For Undergraduates Only)
If you are a young graduate (with less than 1x year of work experience), tell your interviewer why you chose a major, explain what was your reasoning.
For instance, it can be based on your:
Good example (based on your passions):
I chose an environmental policy major because I have always been passionate about how to protect the environment. Besides, I’m convinced that only strong public regulations will have an impact. So, I decided to combine my environmental policy studies with a law degree.
Good example (based on your abilities):
I decided to major in Economics because I’m a very analytical person. Thus, I thought that economics was the perfect match between my mathematical skills and my deep interest in modeling real-world business problems.
Describe Your Work Experience In A C-Suite And Engaging Way
To begin with, you should know that this part is the most important one if you want to craft a perfect answer to the “Tell me about yourself” question and stand out from competition.
Thus, for each of your work experience (from the oldest to the most recent), I recommend using the 3x following components to describe what you did.
First Component: Your Title (As Stated In Your Resume)
Start with the job title you have on your resume.
There is no added value here, but to help the interviewer refer to your resume.
I was a Marketing Associate at Samsonite Spain.
Second Component: Your Responsibilities (But Described As A Senior Executive Would Do It)
Do NOT describe your responsibilities by telling your day-to-day tasks.
Instead, use the CEO (or Strategy Consultant) lenses to describe how your job impacted the company P&L.
In other words, you must take a high-level perspective on your position and describe what was the ultimate goal of your job: increase sales? reduce costs? improve customers satisfaction? increase productivity? reduce the time to market? improve product quality? etc.
To do so, think of your boss responsibilities. And then of your boss’ boss responsibilities. Or think of the main missions of the service/ department you worked in.
As a Project Manager, my main role was to implement a new CRM system.
My role consisted in building customers loyalty by implementing a new tool that effectively managed the interaction between our sales team and our top 100 customers.
As a Marketing Associate at Samsonite, I was responsible for customer interviews, market research and competitive benchmarks.
As a Marketing Associate at Samsonite, I helped increase sales in the Spanish market by 15% year-over-year by gaining a better understanding of customer needs and competitors’ offerings.
Why this is a good example?
Because this shows clearly the problem solved (increase sales) and how the problem was solved (better understanding of the market)
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Third Component: Your Positioning (i.e. Your Expertise Highlights)
Before we jump in, let me tell you that this is your big chance to stand out from competition.
Because most candidates make the mistake #1 that will be discussed later in this article.
So, how can you find your “positioning”?
By asking yourself these 4x WHY questions:
I loved this position because it was very analytical. I had to analyze both qualitative and quantitative inputs to define the best marketing strategies.
I loved this position because this gave me the opportunity to present to senior executives my recommendations on potential M&A opportunities.
Two Important Tips On How To Determine Your Positionings
First, choose a clear and unique skill per positioning: 1x work experience = 1x positioning. If you choose more than one skill, it will create noise.
Second, choose one different positioning for each of your work experience to create a well-balanced profile.
For instance, with 3x different work experiences, you can highlight your:
End Your Answer By Saying That You Want To Move Into Consulting
Avoid These 4x Mistakes At All Costs
Mistake #1: Paraphrase Your Resume
Do not simply dive into a long recitation of your resume.
In other words, do not repeat what can be easily read in your resume.
On the other hand, stand out from the competition by telling, in a positive and concise way, your WHYs.
Mistake #2: Have A Too Long Answer
When asking “Tell me about yourself”, the interviewers don’t need your biography, they just need to know if you’re capable of doing the job, and if your personality is a good fit for the team.
As a result, a good answer must last between 2x and 3x minutes.
First, less than 2x minutes: you are not using all the time you have to make a strong first impression and share your positioning well.
Secondly, above 3x minutes: you are probably talking too much and chances that you fall into one these categories are high:
To sum up, a good fit interview is a dialogue, not a monologue. Thus, keep it concise and give your interviewer the chance to dive in and ask questions.
Mistake #3: Talk About Hobbies And Personal Preferences
Many recent grads misinterpret the question and talk too much about their personal lives and hobbies
For instance, this isn’t the time to mention that you love flamenco dancing and playing poker.
As a result, this gives a weak first impression.
Instead, focus on what matters to consulting firms:
Mistake #4: Be Too Modest
Many candidates make the mistake of being too modest. For instance, they fail to clearly communicate why they are qualified for the position.
Why this is a mistake?
Because they rely on the interviewer to see through their humble exterior and figure out how great you are.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like this.
So, to be sure you won’t be too humble and sound arrogant, I recommend sharing fast-based statements.
Bad example (too arrogant):
I’m the best salesperson in the world.
Tell Me about Yourself: A Full Example
Here is a full example of how to answer the “Tell me about yourself” question.
[Give an overview of your background]
My name is Sébastien and I’m an accountant by training. I hold a Master’s in Accounting from NYU as well as a bachelor’s in Finance and I have over a year of work experience done via 5 internships.
[Explain Why You Choose Your Major (For Young Graduates Only]
I decided to study Finance initially because I wanted something that bridged my quantitative skills with something that could help companies succeed.
Then, wanting to get a big picture view of business and the ability to personally make an impact, I joined HEC’s Grande Ecole master’s in management majoring in Strategy.
[Describe Your Work Experiences In a C-Suite And Engaging Manner]
Before coming to HEC, I had three research experiences, the most notable at Nobel Economist Robert Engle’s Volatility Institute I did during the 2016 summer.
As a Research Analyst, my role was to model the relationship between Chinese insider trading and volatility.
This experience was exciting because it was very intellectually challenging. I had to use my problem-solving skills to solve an issue in Finance never done before.
Plus, my research is now used at NYU to educate current students.
Next, I did an internship as a Consulting Intern at Pitié-Salpêtrière University Hospital, the biggest hospital in France.
My role was to optimize the emergency department operations by reviewing current processes and identifying potential inefficiencies.
I loved this experience it gave me an opportunity to use my leadership skills. In fact, I led a team of 8 other interns to streamline emergency call wait times or paramedic lounge organization.
I enjoyed this experience a lot because of the teamwork involved. In fact, I had to collaborate with affiliate CFOs to ensure efficient reporting process.
Besides, I got to see the degree of impact I could make working in a large company.
[Conclude By Saying That You Want To Move Into Consulting]
Now, I feel ready for new challenges and want to move to a career in consulting.”