That request (and its doppelganger “Tell me about yourself”) is often the very casual conversation starter for job interviews.  On the surface it seems like a simple icebreaker. Unfortunately, it can make candidates anxious right from the start.

Trying to summarize your entire background and professional experience concisely and accurately can seem challenging.  The reality is much simpler than it seems. 

The interviewer is not asking you to give them your complete biography.  What the interviewer really wants to know is what parts of your job history and professional experience you feel are relevant to and will aid in your being successful in the potential position. 

So prepare ahead of time for this question – think through what you have done in your current job or previous jobs that is applicable to the potential new job.  Preparation is always the answer!  Here are some helpful tips to make the process easier.  

Keep It Short and Simple

An average interview lasts 30 minutes. You don’t want to spend 25 minutes recounting your job history and professional skill set.  Instead, you want to take that experience and succinctly summarize into an easily digestible two-to-three-minute overview. 

Since the hiring manager is mainly interested in the positions and experience that benefits their organization, you should focus on those areas.  Review the job description and emphasize your skills that best match the job requirements.  This demonstrates your ability to focus on what’s most important to the hiring manager and convey your ability to achieve success in the position. 

The key to coming up with a short and simple summary of your experience is accomplished by:

• Writing a version of  your summary ahead of time 

• Editing your summary to focus on the most relevant areas

• Rewrite it in the casual and conversational manner

• Practice it multiple times until you have an approximation of it memorized

• Time yourself to ensure that your summary is three minutes or less

• Edit further if the summary is still too long and repeat steps four and five

 Be Prepared to Explain Employment Gaps

If your resume has employment history gaps, the hiring manager is going to want to know why.  Not acknowledging these gaps in your summary will not make that topic go away.  In most cases the hiring manager will follow-up with a request to explain any employment gaps. 

Instead of avoiding this topic, it’s best to address it during your summary.  If the gap was due to a family or personal emergency, you can offer a simple explanation such as “I took a break from my career to care for a family member who was experiencing health issues.” 

On the other hand, if your employment gap was related to your desire for professional growth, you should not only inform the hiring manager of this fact - you should be extremely proud of it.  “After working in that industry for five years, I realized there was no room for professional development.  Rather than limit myself, I chose to leave that position, enroll in (school) and earn more (certificate, degree) so I could expand my skill set and enjoy new professional opportunities.” This conveys your commitment to self-improvement and personal growth - two traits that are enticing to hiring managers.   

If your employment gap was due to downsizing or termination, be honest about the situation.  Downsizing is an unfortunate possibility in any profession that an individual has no control over.  Hiring managers will completely understand this.  If you were terminated from a position be honest - but do not be disparaging - about that situation.  Avoid denigrating your former employer.  Take the high road instead.  “Sometimes a person is not a good fit for a position or an organization.  While I enjoyed aspects of my time at (company name), it was clear to everyone that I would benefit from working with an organization that was more aligned with my professional needs.” 

Share Your Goals

Your summary should also explain what you hope to accomplish in this position.  After you detail the many ways your skills and experience can benefit the company, you should conclude by communicating your goals.  Let the hiring manager know what you hope to accomplish in this role with their company.  

Whether you’re hoping to expand on your existing skills or learn new ones, it’s important to communicate that your goal is to assist the company to be successful and use every opportunity to grow professionally.  Conveying your wish to find a new professional home (and not just a new job) will help you stay in the hiring manager’s memory long after the interview has concluded. 

 Next time a hiring manager starts an interview with “Walk me through your resume”, you won’t have to worry quite as much about your answer.

 If you’re eager to land new interview opportunities with great companies, we can help!  

 Take the next step and apply to any of the currently available positions listed on our site today!