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How to answer tell be about yourself.
Overview of answers
Hi,
“Tell me about yourself” or “walk me through your resume”- this is how Consultants usually begin the interview. It's an opportunity for them to learn about you and to pick some interesting facts. "Tell me about yourself question" is similar to "Walk me through your resume"
- This is not the story, so you don't need to have the story STAR structure
- This is not about the challenge, it's about your career path
- Start with a short 1 sentence summary of who you are. You can mention your unique selling point and structure your lifepath around it
- Depending on your experiences continue either from the first or from the last role (the later you are in your career the more sense it is to start with last one)
- For each role in addition to the description add a memorable project or experience with high impact / cool companies and brands involved that will stay in the memory of the interviewer
- In the end, say why consulting is a logical continuation of your career path
Best
Ask yourself, what does the interviewer really want to know?
- It probably won't matter than you have 2 siblings, grew up in a small town on the outskirts of XYZ city in ZYX country; it also won't matter than you went to a specific school or studied this or that topic. All this is largely irrelevant, and you got the interview anyway
- Instead, focus on how your background and expertise can help you become an outstanding consultant: How do you think, what can you do?
- The easiest / most traditional / perhaps a little boring way is to go in a straight timeline; more interesting & memorable is to craft a transversal story where you pull various parts of what makes you unique. I always remember that applicant who told us about counting toads in a pond as part of a volunteer project he took on while finishing his PhD. Just one story, very memorable, completely sealed the deal for me. I wanted him to join, right there and then!
PS: He joined our office, then left to Google and Uber - all largely on the strength of his story telling skills
