The Interview Question You're Answering Wrong

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

• Why your answer to the opening question is killing your interview

• This week's hot & vetted remote job picks

• What they're actually asking for

• How to answer without rambling or sounding rehearsed

Hi Freedom Seeker,

"So, tell me about yourself."

This is usually the first real question in any interview. And most people mess it up immediately.

They either give their entire career history starting from college, or they say something generic like "I'm a hard worker who loves challenges."

Neither works. The first one makes the interviewer zone out. The second one says nothing.

Here's what's actually happening with this question - and how to answer it without torpedoing your interview in the first two minutes.

🚀 Weekly Vetted Remote Job Picks

WHAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY ASKING

"Tell me about yourself" isn't an invitation to share your background. It's asking: "Give me the 60-second version of why you're sitting here."

They want to hear:

• What you do professionally

• Why you're relevant for this role

• What makes you a good fit

That's it. Not your hobbies. Not where you grew up. Not your career since 2015.

This is also a test of whether you can get to the point quickly and communicate clearly. If you ramble for five minutes, they're already worried about how you'll communicate with customers or teammates.

WHY MOST ANSWERS FAIL

Too much detail: "I graduated from State University in 2018, then worked at Company A where I learned social media, then moved to Company B..."

This is a resume walkthrough. They already have your resume.

Too generic: "I'm a motivated professional with strong communication skills and a passion for customer service."

This could be anyone. You haven't said anything specific.

Too personal: "I grew up in Ohio, always loved helping people, studied business because my dad suggested it..."

Unless your story directly connects to why you're perfect for this role, skip it.

WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS

The Simple Formula:

1. What you do now (or most recently)

2. What you're good at that's relevant to this role

3. Why you're interested in this opportunity

That's it. 60-90 seconds max.

Example for Customer Success: "I'm a customer success manager with about four years in SaaS. I've focused on retention - my current accounts have a 95% renewal rate. I'm interested in this role because you're scaling your CS team and I've been through that process before."

Done. Relevant. Clear. No rambling.

Example for Marketing: "I've spent three years doing content marketing for B2B tech companies. I built SEO strategies that grew organic traffic from basically nothing to 50K monthly visitors. You're looking to scale your content program, which is exactly what I've been doing."

Example for Project Management: "I'm a project manager who's spent five years managing remote teams across different time zones. I keep projects on track without micromanaging, which seems to be what you need based on the job description."

See the pattern? Quick intro to what you do, relevant achievement, why this role makes sense.

WHAT NOT TO DO

Don't memorize a script word-for-word. It'll sound robotic. Have a structure, but keep it conversational.

Don't go past two minutes. If you're still talking after two minutes, you've lost them.

Don't include everything. You don't need to mention every job or skill. Just the ones that matter for this role.

Don't end with "Yeah, that's about it." Finish strong with why you're there: "So when I saw this role, it seemed like a perfect match."

THE REAL PROBLEM

Most people think they need to prove they're qualified by listing everything they've ever done.

But interviews aren't about proving you have experience. They're about showing you're the right person for this specific job.

"Tell me about yourself" is your chance to frame everything that follows. Answer it well, and they're listening for the rest of the interview. Answer it poorly, and you're fighting uphill the whole time.

NEED HELP WITH YOUR INTERVIEW ANSWERS?

The 1:1 Job Search Partnership includes interview prep and coaching.

We'll work through the common questions you're struggling with - starting with "tell me about yourself" - and practice until your answers are clear, concise, and actually answer what they're asking.

Here's what we do:
✅ Review your current answers and identify what's not working
✅ Build better responses using the right structure
✅ Practice until you sound natural, not scripted
✅ Prep for role-specific questions based on jobs you're targeting

Most people feel way more confident after one session because they finally understand what interviewers actually want to hear.

You're probably closer to the right answer than you think. You just need to cut the fluff and get to the point faster.

👉Reply with "INTERVIEW" and let's make sure you're not killing your chances in the first two minutes.

Until next week,
Sami

P.S. If your answer to "tell me about yourself" is longer than 90 seconds, it's too long. Time yourself. You'll be surprised how much you're rambling.

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