Tips to Effectively Describe Yourself for Any Interview

Employers ask you to describe yourself to gauge whether you’re a good fit for the position you seek and to understand how well your values and skills align with the company culture and needs. Your answer should focus on the attributes you have that align with the required job skills while revealing your values as an employee. Employers want to know how you understand the role you are applying for and in what way your unique qualities will apply to help the company advance. Showing confidence when you answer will help a hiring manager see you as a viable candidate.

When considering your response, you want to identify your own employee persona and what you can say to express your qualifications clearly to the hiring manager. Here are some steps to consider as you plan ways to describe yourself in an interview:

1. Review the official job description.

Carefully re-read the official job description, usually posted on the employer’s website. Identify the keywords used to describe the qualifications necessary for the position and what recruiters and hiring managers are looking for when considering candidates. Locate and note both the soft skills and the hard skills that are listed within the description as necessary for success in the role.

2. Understand the company values.

Do some research on the company. Familiarize yourself with the company vision, mission, and goals. You can usually find information on an “About us” page on the company’s website. Some companies include a mission statement on their flyers or at the bottom of emails. Visit any company sponsored social media pages, as well. These sources can reveal any sponsorships the company contributes to or nonprofit organizations associated with the company. An organization that takes part in the annual telethon for the local animal shelter supports animal rights. If the company you are applying for has a recycling program, they value environmental conservation.

3. Identify your own strengths.

Evaluate your own skills and abilities. Reference the cover letter and resume you submitted. These can guide you and help identify what you should discuss when describing yourself. Use information that relates to what you have included on your application paperwork, but take care to provide more material than what the hiring manager has already read. Your interview is an opportunity to discuss, elaborate, and provide a more complete picture of your abilities.

4. Align your experience with the job requirements.

See where your unique characteristics and prior experiences align with the needs of the job. To give the strongest response, plan your answer based on the similarities. Employers ask you to describe yourself to gain information about how your particular career story relates to your abilities to meet the demand of the job and fit within the company culture.

5. Be direct in your answer.

When you’re describing yourself, use information and details that are relevant only to how your skills relate to the role you are interviewing for. Include volunteer experience or hobbies only if the skills you used or gained have a connection to your ability to perform the job appropriately. Be concise and stay on topic while offering insight into your skills as a qualified employee. Differentiate yourself from other candidates and provide a complete narrative of who you are to personalize the exchange and make yourself memorable.

6. Include active verbs.

Active verbs are a dynamic way to include details about yourself and your contributions and accomplishments in other roles you’ve held. Active verbs provide specificity and clarity in your descriptions. They can help communicate your confidence and reveal your strong verbal communication skills.

7. Reference your work history.

Using examples from prior work and volunteer experience can help you provide concrete examples of your skills. If possible, show your accomplishments by using numerical values and data. Quantifying information validates your contributions and value as an employee in a more useful way.

8. Leave room for questions.

Present a strong enough response that stands alone but provides an opportunity for the interviewer to ask more in-depth questions. If you relate that your driven personality helped you double sales profits for your previous company, the interviewer may follow up with a process question. This type of question allows the interview to be more dynamic and gives you an opportunity to demonstrate your listening skills.

9. Make eye contact.

Good eye contact shows that you are interested and professional. It communicates a respect for the interviewer and the time they dedicate to interviewing you. Maintaining strong eye contact during an interview is a non-verbal way to communicate your confidence and self-worth.

10. Monitor your body language.

Your body language comprises the non-verbal communication skills you have. Sitting straight, facing the other person, having a relaxed posture, and smiling and nodding show your focus and attention. Non-verbal communication should be demonstrative of the positive ways you describe yourself.

Example answers for how to describe yourself in an interview

To help format your answer and provide good ways to describe yourself, review the following examples listed by profession.

Example 1: Administrative assistant
Skill or quality: Organization

I’m an extremely organized individual. I always have a pen and paper in hand and take notes constantly. This helps me to remember things better and prioritize my tasks so I’m more efficient. I keep a clean work area and desk so I can find files easier and because presentation is important to me. In my last role as administrative assistant, I transitioned all paper files to digital storage to maximize office space for an inviting environment. I also established a new filing system that increased our efficiency by 30%.

Example 2: Marketing manager
Skill or quality: Detail-oriented

I’d describe myself as experienced and detail-oriented. I revisit the team’s established goals consistently to ensure that we remain focused and maximize our efforts and time. I notice individual strengths of my team members and capitalize on those by recognizing member contributions and motivating them to project completion. On our last project launch I noticed one of my team members was very artistic, so we used her skills instead of outsourcing. We completed our project at 20% under the projected budget and one week early.

Example 3: Teacher
Skill or quality: Ambitious

I’m an ambitious person. I set goals for myself and am constantly self-evaluating my performance. I look for feedback from others because I want to do the best job possible. I take constructive criticism and apply the information to create better lessons and assessments for my students. I use both formative and summative assessments to evaluate learning and am always adjusting lessons to meet the needs of all my students. I strive to be the best because I need to model quality and consistency for students.

I support other teachers in their efforts and lesson planning so we can provide the best level of education for the population we serve. My efforts in creating a tailored curriculum at my last campus helped raise student scores on state assessments by 15%.

Example 4: Customer service representative
Skill or quality: Helpful

I’m a helpful person, and I love a challenge. I have a passion for what I do, and that motivates me to do my best. As a customer service specialist, I support clients in resolving issues, and I find satisfaction when we reach a solution together. I love meeting new people and working to find a mutual understanding. My charismatic personality puts people at ease and opens up communication. I am great at overcoming communication barriers.

My previous company promoted me to a leadership position where I created a system that increased customer service response rates by 10% each quarter. This resulted in improving customer satisfaction by 22% according to our customer response surveys.

Knowing the proper way to describe yourself during a job interview can help you make a good impression and prove to the hiring manager you are prepared and confident in your abilities to serve the organization. Planning out a powerful response shows your interest in the position and your value as a candidate, no matter the industry.