The best way for knowing how to answer: “Tell me about yourself” in a job interview is to start off with one of three prompts… Want to know what they are? Read on!

What they say is true — First impressions matter.

Usually one of the first questions to pop up in a nurse interview setting goes something like, 

“So [Your Name], tell me a bit about yourself”.

Now before you start listing off bullet points from your résumé, or disclosing TMI on your favorite Netflix shows to binge, I encourage you to take some time to dissect what this question is really asking…

 

In today’s Nurse Becoming episode, I’m walking you through:

• How to answer “Tell me about yourself” in a nurse job interview
• The Present/Past/Future formula for crafting the perfect interview answer
• Three sample prompts for answering the “Tell me about yourself” question
• My take on whether or not to memorize your interview answers

Plus much more.

And by the way… my ULTIMATE job interview preparation course, ✨🩺 INTERVIEW PREP MAGIC 🩺 ✨ is now open for enrollment!

 

LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED TODAY: 

• Click Here To Read The Full Transcription for this episode!
  
• Interview Prep Magic is open for enrollment! For more info (and debut pricing) head to www.theresumerx.com/interview
  
• Grab my FREE interview guide and I’ll walk you through the 7 most common questions you’ll encounter in an interview plus give you a list of some uncommon ones that might take you by surprise.
• If you enjoyed this episode and would like to support me in being able to create new & valuable content for The Nurse Becoming Podcast, buy me a coffee here ☕️ 😊 

Listen to more episodes here!

 

Three Start-off Prompts to Answer: “Tell me about yourself…”

This might be the most common question that you can expect at your interview, and it’s typically the first question that you’re asked. 

Consider this the “first impression” type question. The interviewer wants to know about you and is looking to get insight into your personality and what sets you apart from the other candidates. They’re not looking for you to rattle off the qualifications in your résumé – they’ve already looked at your résumé and decided that you are worthy of an interview. So you don’t need to regurgitate what you’ve already said, but use this as an opportunity to really showcase:

• Who you truly are
• What you what you bring to the organization as a candidate and 
• How you’re unique – all the different attributes and qualities you bring to a position that make an impression!

 

I have a few recommendations when it comes to how to phrase your response to this question. 

First, I think it’s a great idea to commit to memory a particular phrase or prompt that will help you get started. 

To be clear- I’m not a proponent of memorizing your answers to questions whatsoever, but if you can rattle off the prompt and let the rest of the information flow, you’re in a good position to set yourself wisely for answering “tell me about yourself”.

 

Here are three prompts you can choose from:

• “I’ve always been the type of person who ______….”
  
• “What you can expect from me is ______….”
  
• “I’m known as ______….”  

 

The Present/Past/Future Framework

After you’ve selected a prompt to begin with, you can use the Present/Past/Future Framework for crafting a story for your answer.

Starting with the “Present”, talk about your current situation, either your current role, or the transition you are in right now. Maybe you are a new graduate, or you’ve recently relocated, etc. Then, transition to the “Past” where you’ll discuss your qualifications as they relate to this particular role. Lastly, transition to talking about the “Future”- where you will express your interest and demonstrate your suitability for the role that you are interviewing for. 

 

Final Thoughts…

Interviewing  is the key to getting hired – as many times the best jobs do not necessarily go to the most experienced or most qualified…

… they go to the people with the best interviewing skills.  

Unfortunately, many people fail to prepare for a job interview.

Most people WAIT until they already have an interview lined up…  or…

… WAIT the day or two before the interview to start prepping…

Whyyyyy wait???? 

When there is just too much at stake to not be great at job interviewing.

Not being great at interviewing after working sooo hard job searching is like not tying your shoelaces and running a winning marathon only to fall down 10m from the finish line!

All your hard effort during the job hunt DESERVES to culminate at the interview stage with a job offer for you!

Which is why I made Interview Prep Magic – so that amazing nurses don’t lose amazing job offers because of “interview fallout”.

I’ve helped thousands of nursing professionals through this process of landing their dream job. 

And guess what? This stuff really works. (For active AND passive job seekers)

So here is my invitation to you:

Check out my latest and greatest course, Interview Prep Magic.

It’s a supercharged, comprehensive course on how to interview successfully by getting prepared before, during, and after an interview so that you get more job offers and never again miss out on a great opportunity simply because you weren’t “ready”. Click this link to learn more about Interview Prep Magic.