Job Interviews

How to Answer:

Tell Me About
Yourself
Researchers have found that:

30% of hiring decisions are made

within the first 5 min of a job
interview.

60% of hiring decisions occur

within the first 15 min.

Tell me about yourself is the first

interview question you'll be asked and
largely contributes to converting the
job interview into a job offer.
To answer "Tell me about yourself"
right, you first need to know what
makes a good first impression.

According to Harvard researchers, it's

these 2 factors:

Warmth. That's when the hiring

manager subconsciously asks: Do I
trust you?

Competence. That's when they

want to know if you can do the job.
All right. Now you're ready to answer
Tell me about yourself by following the
W-2C-W formula.

(Warmth - 2 x Competence - Warmth)

1. Project warmth first.

Smile
Keep eye contact
Start with a simple
Thank you.
 2. Now, project competence.

Give a SHORT overview of your

professional background and current
role. Mention ONLY those things that are
RELEVANT to the role.

I'm an Employer Branding Manager with 4

years of experience in Employer Branding at
F500 companies and 2 years of experience in
Social Media Marketing.

Currently, I'm leading the Employer Branding

team of 3 employees at ABC company.
3. Double down on competence.

Mention 1 - 2 of your professional

accomplishments - RELEVANT to the role.

The more recent, the better: Hiring

managers care a lot about your latest
experience.

Don't reveal all the details. You want

to spark the hiring manager's curiosity
so they can ask more about the very
skills that make you a strong
candidate.
My team and I recently launched and
executed a diversity campaign over the
period of 4 months, resulting in a 32%
increase of social media engagement by
company ABC's target audience.

As a result of this project, I've been

recognized by the Talent Acquisition Leader
for my innovative mindset and compelling
storytelling.
Notice that the examples on professional
background and accomplishments use the
following COMPETENCY TRIGGERS:

Authority - e.g., you have worked for F500

companies.

Specific metrics - e.g., 6 years of working

experience, a team of 3 employees, etc.

Social proof - e.g., you've been recognized by

your manager for innovative ideas.

To project competence, include 1 or more of

these triggers in your answer.
 4. End with warmth.

Explain why you're here:

Leverage SIMILARITY (e.g., the values

you have in common).

Make the conversation ABOUT THEM.

Your recent efforts in diversity recruiting tell me

we share the same values: Inspiring innovation by
unlocking the power of diverse teams.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to share more

about my professional insights and learn more
about your vision and challenges in this area.
To wrap up: The W-2C-W Formula

1) Project warmth with a smile and a THANK YOU.

2) Project competence with a short summary of

your professional background + current role.

3) Double down on competence by highlighting

your accomplishments.

Bonus: Use competency triggers.

4) End with warmth: Leverage similarity and make

it about them.
Of course, you can also come
up with your unique formula
to introduce yourself.

Use the warmth/competence

mix in a way that works best
for you.
Thanks for reading!

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