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Ask me any standard interview question, and I can reply with a well-thought-out response.
But when a hiring manager, colleague, or new contact at a networking event asks me to describe myself, my palms begin to sweat. I often stumble on whatever random assortment of words fall out of my mouth, even though I am the most qualified person to answer the question.
So why is this question so hard to answer, and how can you not be like me? The answer is preparation.
How to Answer "Describe Yourself" in an Interview
Similar to how you would prepare to answer job interview questions like “What’s your biggest strength?” or “Why are you looking for a new job?,” you need to prepare to answer another common interview question like “How would you describe yourself?”
It’s easy to dismiss this question when preparing for an interview because it seems like the answer would be straightforward. You spend all your time with yourself; of course you could rattle off the perfect answer full of impressive adjectives. But when you add the pressure of an interview, it can be difficult to describe yourself succinctly.
There is a sure-fire way you have a first-rate response. During your interview preparation, follow these five steps:
Make a “You” List
To have a solid foundation for your “describe yourself” response, you need to understand your qualities and traits. Make a list of your positive attributes, accomplishments, responsibilities, and qualities.
Everything that describes you, from what you excel at to your most complimented traits to every good synonym in between. Take five to ten minutes to sit down with pen and paper and get all your thoughts out.
Compare Your Qualities With the Job Description + Employer's Expectations
While we all have a lot of excellent characteristics, when you’re applying for a job, the hiring manager wants to hear why you’re the most qualified for the position. Read through the job description in detail and highlight what the company is looking for in a candidate.
What do they list under qualifications and responsibilities? Try to understand what the employer expects this new employee to do. Now compare your list with the job description. Where can you match up your skills and strengths with what the company is looking for in a candidate?
Craft Your Story
Since you’re interested in the job, there are likely skills you called out that match the company’s description of a qualified candidate. But it’s okay if the skills you identify are not a one-to-one match.
Think about how you can apply what you do know to what they’d like this person to do. You’ll have qualities that apply. You just need to get a little creative with your response.
Consider your past experiences and your current job. Are there any themes like you're consistently a revenue generator, creative thinker, or positive self-starter? Now, how can you connect those themes to what that job is calling for and tell a great story?
Remember that story-telling skills are especially important for any behavioral interview questions, too.
Create Your Response
When asked how to describe yourself in an interview, you want to keep your response brief and concise—ideally between 60 and 90 seconds. Some common mistakes we see with this are trying to share your whole life story and then you fail to keep the interviewer's attention.
The hiring manager wants to hear why you’re the best candidate for the position, and this is your chance to tell them. Craft your response using your skills and experience that are most applicable to the role. Write it down and iterate it until you feel it’s the best representation of you.
Practice, Practice, Practice
In the case of a good interview response, practice makes perfect. Even with a prepared response, nine times out of time you won’t recite it perfectly when asked during an interview, so practice communicating your key points out loud.
Hearing yourself speak will help you find the best flow and determine what pieces of information you definitely want to include.
How to Answer "Describe Yourself" in an Informal Setting
Preparing to answer how to describe yourself in an interview is an anticipated part of the job search process. But what happens when you’re asked to describe yourself in an informal setting, like at a dinner with friends of friends or a casual networking event?
While you don’t need to craft and memorize a response in an informal setting, it is helpful to do a little preparation beforehand. It’s good practice to apply the steps above from time to time with a personal lens to ensure you can communicate effectively who you are. Consider it your personal elevator pitch.
Start by writing down the key facts about yourself, like what you do for a living, where you went to school, what you like to do for fun, and a few of your key traits. Depending on the setting, you can add fun and creative tidbits about yourself that are relevant to the audience at hand.
Examples of Answers to Describe Yourself
If you’re looking for examples of how to describe yourself, look no further. There are many routes you can take when you’re looking to answer this question. You can describe yourself in one sentence, a handful of sentences, or even describe yourself in three words.
You can describe a personality trait, an aspect of your work ethic, or what type of employee you are. Check out these examples that elaborate on a specific attribute to get the ideas flowing.
I’m an avid learner.
“I’m an avid learner. I’m always seeking opportunities to learn new things. Developing new skills and honing my existing ones helps me bring my best and sharpest self to work each day. For example, in my current role, my team needed assistance with design. So, I found an online class that would teach me how to use a company-approved design software to I could help the team.”
I’m collaborative.
“I love to collaborate with others on my team and across departments. To me, establishing good relationships at work is crucial to the success of a team and a company. I enjoy when the opportunity arises for cross-functional team collaboration because it allows me to better understand how other departments operate and use my expertise to help others. I’m currently working on a project right now in collaboration with our human resources and information technology departments, and I’ve really enjoyed working together to achieve a common goal.”
I’m a leader.
“I’m a leader on my team and at my company. Even though I don’t have any direct reports, I believe that everyone can lead by example and be a resource for others. I often take the lead on projects and offer a helping hand where I can. With support from my manager, I lead the initiative to start an employee resource group that supports our women in the workplace.”
I’m results-oriented.
“I’m a results-oriented marketing professional. I love digging into the numbers and analytics of a campaign as much as I love getting creative for my clients. The data behind the work shows how successful I am at promoting my clients' products and services. If the numbers aren’t there, I’ll continue to iterate what I’m doing until I meet my goal. There’s nothing better than achieving desired results because I know I’m meeting my clients' expectations.”
I’m entrepreneurial.
“I have an entrepreneurial spirit. I love to learn new things, innovate, and share ideas to make my team and company a better workplace. I take calculated risks and love seeking new opportunities. I believed there was a way to improve our processes in my current role, so I researched and identified solutions to streamline our operations. I presented my idea to the team, and it was well-received by all. We implemented the solution the next quarter.”
Creative or Funny Answers to Describe Yourself
The cool thing about describing yourself is that you get to show off what makes you unique. We all have our quirks and idiosyncrasies that make us who we are.
Depending on the company you’re interviewing with, or how the conversation is going, you may be able to sneak in a few creative and fun self-descriptions.
The best place to start to identify what makes you unique is to turn within. But if you need a little help don’t be afraid to turn outward too.
How have other people described you? Maybe you’ve been referred to as the “employee with the best Zoom backgrounds” or the “most creative out-of-office creator.”
Sometimes when we seek to describe ourselves, we find ourselves at a loss for words or using the same three descriptors over and over again. Asking friends, family, or co-workers how they view you and how they would describe your characteristics adds a whole other level of creativity.
A few other places you can turn to for inspiration include:
- an old report card
- a LinkedIn recommendation
- a social media comment
- your high school superlative
- your mom (she always knows best!)
Be sure to read the room before you share anything too playful or "out there." But describing yourself with a funny answer when appropriate can really help the interviewer get to know who you are.
Words to Describe Yourself
Finding the right word to describe yourself can feel challenging, but there are so many descriptive words available and even more good synonyms that can be used. Below are 100 words to get you started.
Use these words to describe yourself in one word, or pick a few and describe yourself in three words. The possibilities are endless.
- Accepting
- Accomplished
- Accountable
- Adaptable
- Adventurous
- Ambitious
- Analytical
- Approachable
- Articulate
- Assertive
- Authentic
- Balanced
- Collaborative
- Committed
- Compassionate
- Confident
- Conscientious
- Considerate
- Cooperative
- Courageous
- Courteous
- Creative
- Curious
- Decisive
- Dedicated
- Dependable
- Detailed
- Determined
- Diligent
- Diplomatic
- Direct
- Disciplined
- Driven
- Dynamic
- Effective
- Efficient
- Empathetic
- Encouraging
- Energetic
- Engaged
- Enthusiastic
- Entrepreneurial
- Ethical
- Flexible
- Focused
- Generous
- Genuine
- Goal-oriented
- Grateful
- Hardworking
- Helpful
- Honest
- Imaginative
- Influencing
- Inquisitive
- Insightful
- Inspirational
- Intelligent
- Intuitive
- Inventive
- Knowledgeable
- Leader
- Learner
- Mediator
- Mentor
- Methodical
- Meticulous
- Motivated
- Multilingual
- Observant
- Open-minded
- Optimistic
- Organized
- Passionate
- Patient
- Perceptive
- Persistent
- Personable
- Persuasive
- Practical
- Pragmatic
- Precise
- Proactive
- Professional
- Proficient
- Progressive
- Receptive
- Reflective
- Reliable
- Resourceful
- Respectful
- Self-aware
- Sincere
- Strategic
- Supportive
- Team-player
- Thorough
- Trustworthy
- Understanding
- Versatile
