The Challenge We're Solving Today
How to Answer “Tell Me About Yourself” Without Babbling
You’ve barely sat down in the interview and they hit you with the classic:
“Tell me about yourself.”
Cue the internal panic. Do they want your career story? Your personality? A LinkedIn highlight reel?
Let’s simplify this,.
Why This Matters to You
First impressions matter—especially in high-stakes moments like interviews.
According to primacy effect in psychology, people remember what you say first more than what you say later. That means your opener sets the tone for everything else.
If you start rambling, they tune out.
But if you start with clarity and purpose, they lean in.
Common Solutions and Why They Might Not Work
Most people treat this question like a storytelling prompt. They walk through their resume, toss in a personal anecdote, and hope something sticks.
But here’s the issue:
-
Storytelling without strategy = lost attention.
-
Too much detail = mental fatigue.
-
No clear throughline = missed opportunity to position yourself for the role.
A Better Approach for You
Stop storytelling. Start positioning.
Use a Psychology-Backed Positioning Framework—a method that aligns with how people process information and make decisions.
Here’s a simple 3-part formula based on cognitive fluency (aka: people trust info that's easy to understand):
-
Your "Thing" (What you’re known for)
-
Your Proof Point (One specific win that backs it up)
-
Your Pivot (How that connects to this next role)
- Hint: Use the job description. Find "the problem" they need solved and base your "about me" answer on how you can solve that specific problem.
- Hint: Use the job description. Find "the problem" they need solved and base your "about me" answer on how you can solve that specific problem.
Here’s what it sounds like:
“I have spent 5 years building systems that drive better work efficiency. Most recently, I designed training content for my data committee that cut down on wasted time in PLCs. What used to take us all 3 hours now only takes us 30 minutes. This is the work I want to focus on, so now, it makes perfect sense for me to pursue the L&D life.”
Short. Specific. Aligned.
Summary
-
The first 60 seconds matter more than you think—thanks, psychology!
-
Don’t tell your life story. Position yourself like the answer to their hiring needs.
-
Use the 3-part formula: Superpower → Proof Point → Pivot.
-
Make it easy to understand and hard to forget.
Your Next Steps
✅ Write out your 3-part opener using the formula above.
✅ Say it out loud—make sure it feels natural and confident.
✅ Use it as your go-to response for “Tell me about yourself,” networking intros, and more.
Hope you'll give this a try.
That's it for now. See you next week.
P.S. If you want to master the full script and learn how to apply this method across interviews, elevator pitches, and networking convos, I’ve got you covered inside Module 5 of the Career Change Accelerator.
Steph Yesil
Find me on LinkedIn , Get My Career Change Kit , Book a 1:1 Call
