interview: Tell Me About Yourself

example

1

a mid-career nurse, shifting from bedside care to patient care coordination.

Growing up, I knew I wanted to be a nurse. After getting my nursing degree, I joined a large hospital group as an RN, But it was nothing like I imagined. I realized there were many nursing roles other than direct bedside treatment and that I had a knack for collaborating across care teams to make sure that there was a real comprehensive plan for each patient. This included collaborating with social workers, specialists, home care aides, and others. The patient advocate role is a natural fit, combining my medical knowledge and my strengths.

2

a new graduate with little work experience interviewing for an entry-level job in digital advertising.

as a kid, I was immersed in the fictional, fantastical worlds I read about. I pursued a degree in English because of my lifelong love of stories. Your position in advertising and consumer insights is right up my alley. As I understand it, my job would be to help craft a narrative based on what audiences are drawn to and what your clients are trying to sell. Crafting a narrative is what I’ve always been passionate about, and I’m eager to learn everything I need to succeed in the digital advertising space.

3

Consider someone changing careers from bartending to corporate human resources.

I paid my way through college as a bartender, and it was such a fun experience. Not only was I able to earn enough working just one to two nights a week and still commit fully to a rigorous full schedule, but customers also shared real vulnerabilities with me, and I reciprocated by being compassionate and trustworthy. I continued to bartend after college but recently went back to school for human resources certification and management. Ultimately, the job of human resources is to advocate for employees. Listening compassionately when they feel vulnerable and cultivating a positive workplace culture. I never expected bartending to prepare me for my future career, but it has, and I look forward to putting those skills to use.

4

a restaurant manager interviewing for a big internal promotion.

I’ve always loved restaurants. In my family, going out to eat was rare. So whenever my brothers or I had a birthday, we begged to go to
the local steakhouse. I still remember how special the ambiance and the experience made me feel. Five years ago, I joined this restaurant chain as a server and worked my way up. I’ve had supportive bosses who always advocated for me and promoted me based on my success in each role. The area director position is a continuation of my growth and a natural way for me to deepen my commitment to our company’s mission.

5

retail manager applying to call center position

Imagine this individual is a retail manager pivoting to a customer service position within a call center. As an outgoing, friendly person, I’ve engaged with customers on the retail floor for years. I’ve worked for a few different companies, consistently getting feedback that I’m good with customers despite some stressful situations. I’m drawn to your position in this call center because I believe my interpersonal skills would make me an asset. I’m confident I can succeed and contribute to the team’s targets quickly.

6

a middle school teacher returning to work after five years.

At heart, I’m a teacher. Throughout college and grad school, the only real question was what grade level I would devote myself to. For over 10 years, I taught sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. And though there were tough days, there’s a lot of moodiness at that age. I absolutely loved it. About four years ago, family obligations required that I take a break. Fortunately, those personal responsibilities have lessened, and I can’t wait to lead a classroom once again.

7

I mainly work on App campaigns, a Google product aimed at app developers. Specifically, I have two objectives, number one, to reach as many new-to-Google app developers as possible. And number two, increase product adoption among our existing app advertisers. My team and I achieve these goals through a mix of online marketing campaigns, offline events and content marketing. For example, one of the tentpole events I helped launch is called Start on Android China, where we leverage resources from our Play, Ads and AdMob teams to deliver a comprehensive training bootcamp for Greater China App Developers. The goal is to address their pain points at each stage of their app export journey. A notable achievement was when we decided to pivot from a three-day offline event format to a three-week online one. That actually resulted in a five times increase in eligible signups before marketing, I was a key account manager in the sales team covering around 30 B2C Chinese exporters. Since that’s quite a few clients for just one person to cover. I actually created YouTube videos to better engage my clients at scale. Funny story, you can still actually find those videos on YouTube right now. This in addition to the support for cross functional team members helped me achieve revenue attainment without missing targets for two years straight. Before joining Google, I was a management consultant with Ernst and Young for two years. One year based out of New York City and another out of Shanghai, I worked on a variety of projects ranging from supply chain management to shared service centers. Due to the nature of these projects, I would often find myself as the only consultant physically on site, and therefore I was really able
to develop my communication and relationship management skills. Having spent the past six years in predominantly client-facing roles, I believe the communication skills I’ve developed, combined with my international background, would make me a strong asset to your global business development team.

8

“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be interviewed for this software engineer position with your organization today. After graduating from university with a degree in computer science, I worked for several organizations in various positions where I gained experience working on team projects, individual software engineering tasks, end-user testing, and new software applications. I would describe myself as an industrious, diligent, reliable, and forward-thinking software engineer who possesses the skills and qualities to match the job description. I have a track record of achievement and can be trusted to use critical thinking skills to solve complex organizational challenges and problems, to complete projects whilst adhering to strict organizational timeframes, and I always take ownership of my ongoing professional development. If you hire me as a software engineer, I will collaborate closely with other departmental members, and I will share my knowledge with the rest of my team to help the organization quickly achieve its strategic goals and maintain its position as an industry leader.”

9

Example 1: Entry-level software engineer
“I have just over a year of experience as a junior software engineer with First Technology. In my short time there, I’ve already contributed to over a dozen projects and assisted with managing one project for one of the firm’s long-time clients.“Prior to this role, I completed a two-year internship with Mobile First, where I honed my mobile app development skills. Ideally, I would like to continue to specialize in mobile software engineering, an area where I know your firm excels.”

Example 2: Mid-career software engineer
“I’m an experienced software engineer who constantly seeks out innovative solutions to everyday problems. In my seven years in this industry, I’ve honed my analytical thinking and collaboration skills, and I love working with a team. I’ve also had the opportunity to serve as the software engineer lead for three projects with First Technology.“Before my current position, I was a junior software engineer with Mobile First. While working there, I committed to mobile system development, which has been my specialty for seven years. I understand that a major part of this role with your firm focuses on leading mobile development teams, which my previous experience has certainly prepared me for.”

Example 3: Senior software engineer
“I’ve worked in software engineering for my entire 15-year career, and my commitment to critical thinking and attention to detail have gotten me to where I am today: a senior software engineer for First Technology. I have a passion for processes, and I’m an experienced team leader who typically manages 10 developers at any given time.“Prior to my senior role, I worked as a software engineer for First Technology and a programmer for Mobile First. Because I’ve already held all the other positions in this field, I have keen insight into what it takes to run a successful project. My career goal is to move into management as a CTO, and I know this role would help me hone my leadership skills.”

Software Engineer Interview Question: “Tell Me About Yourself”
op 25 Software Engineer Interview Questions & Answers