How To Describe Yourself In An Interview - 20+ Best Ways + Tips!

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One of the most common interview questions that you will most likely come across when applying for a job is- “How would you describe yourself?”. We all know that this is a subjective question and it can be answered in many ways. While this seems like a simple question at the onset, it is tricky when you are answering this question in a job/ admission interview. And freezing up when this question is thrown your way shows that you are not prepared or not confident enough, etc.

In this article, we will help you prepare for this question and describe yourself in the best way possible during an interview. There is also some short description about yourself samples listed here, to give you a better idea of what needs to be included in your answer. So let’s begin by looking at some common variations of this question. Then we will look at some tips, samples, etc. 

Common Variations of the “Describe Yourself” Question

• Tell me something about yourself.
• Describe yourself in one sentence
• Describe yourself in one word
• How would others describe you?
• Describe yourself in five emojis
• Describe yourself in a few lines
• What according to you are the top adjectives to describe yourself?
• Give 10 words to describe yourself

These are only some of the variations in which you may encounter the one core question. And the motive here is to leave the best impression possible on the interviewer and sway the chances of getting the job in your favor. But wait! Don’t go ahead rambling on about your tastes and preferences in your answer. You need to give a crisp and concise answer which will become more clear as you move ahead in this post.

Why Interviewers Ask- “How Would You Describe Yourself?”

Before you go on framing an answer for this question, you need to understand the purpose with which the interviewer asks this question. Here are a few key reasons why the ‘describe yourself’ question frequently features in interviews:

• The recruiter wants to know how self-aware you are
• Or how perceptive you are
• They want to judge confidence and conviction
• To get to know more about you; beyond what your resume tells

And the main motive is to judge if you are a fit for the respective profile and the organization, or not. Now that we know what it is that the interviewer wants to know, we can frame an appropriate answer. And the first step in the process is to prepare a list of adjectives to describe yourself and memorize them so that you can use them in your answer.

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'How would you describe yourself?' - 20 One-Line Sentences

Now, let’s examine a few sentences of how to describe yourself. The answers listed below depict specific qualities essential for landing an appropriate job. Have a look!

Here are 20 ways to describe yourself in one sentence in a job interview:

1. Proactive: "I take initiative to identify opportunities and solve problems before they arise."
2. Adaptable: "I thrive in dynamic environments and easily adjust to changing priorities."
3. Detail-Oriented: "I focus on the finer points, ensuring accuracy and quality in my work."
4. Ethical: "I uphold strong moral principles and maintain integrity in all my professional dealings."
5. Innovative: "I’m always looking for creative solutions to challenges and ways to improve processes."
6. Versatile: "I bring a broad skill set and am comfortable handling diverse tasks."
7. Dependable: "I am reliable and consistently meet deadlines and commitments."
8. Analytical: "I have a strong ability to assess situations and data to make informed decisions."
9. Resilient: "I handle stress and setbacks well, maintaining a positive outlook and persistence."
10. Efficient: "I work effectively, managing my time and resources to maximize productivity."
11. Persuasive: "I effectively influence others by presenting compelling arguments and solutions."
12. Empathetic: "I understand and consider the perspectives and needs of others in my interactions."
13. Strategic: "I think ahead, planning my actions to align with long-term goals."
14. Resourceful: "I make the most of available resources to find innovative solutions."
15. Strong Communicator: "I convey ideas clearly and listen actively to others."
16. Tech-Savvy: "I am proficient with technology and quick to learn new tools and software."
17. Problem-Solver: "I enjoy tackling challenges and finding effective solutions."
18. Motivated: "I am driven by a desire to achieve and constantly improve."
19. Curious: "I have a strong desire to learn and grow, always seeking new knowledge."
20. Open-Minded: "I am receptive to new ideas and feedback, willing to consider different perspectives."

These descriptions highlight positive attributes and align them with qualities valued in the workplace.

Reply Booster: List Of Adjectives To Describe Yourself in One Word

After you know why the interviewer asks you this question, the next step is to prepare a list of common words that you can use to describe yourself. Below are a few tables that contain adjectives to describe yourself in one word.  

Adjectives to depict work style

Adjectives to depict personality trait

Adjectives to depict collaborative abilities

These are some of the most common adjectives to describe yourself, pick out the ones you think are the most suitable for you. Memorize a list of these adjectives, and use them when appearing for the interview. It is important to note that communication skills play a key role in conveying the traits and capturing the interviewer's interest.  

Now let’s have a look at a few how to describe yourself examples. The answers listed below depict specific qualities essential for landing an appropriate job. Have a look!

1. Passionate About Work

Every hiring manager is looking for working professionals who are very passionate about whatever they are working on.  Because if you're passionate about your work, you are likely to stay loyal to your organization for a longer period. The following is a sample answer that can be used to describe yourself if you possess these qualities.

Example: “I'm very enthusiastic about what I do. I am constantly motivated to perform my best since I enjoy what I do. This passion motivates me to push myself every day and learn new skills that help me perform to the best of my abilities. For example in my previous workplace, I learned Photoshop to improve the quality of our images and graphics. And I quickly established myself as the go-to person for all design needs."

2. Ambitious and Driven

The interviewers are looking for ambitious and driven professionals who fit the bill. If you are highly motivated and driven, you will always try to complete your projects well within time, improve efficiency, and innovate new strategies which will ultimately help the organization. The answer below is a sample to describe yourself and show that you are ambitious and driven. 

Example: "I am an ambitious person with a strong desire to succeed in whatever I do. I thrive on a challenge and set objectives for myself on a regular basis so that I have something to work toward. I'm not content with mediocrity, and I'm continuously looking for methods to improve and attain excellence. I was promoted three times in less than two years in my prior position."

3. Highly Organized

Most companies have numerous projects running at a single time, and for this recruiters look for organized individuals. If you too are looking to fill a role in such an industry/organization, you have to describe yourself as such. Below is a sample answer for the same:

Example: "I am highly organized. I take notes and use a variety of tools to keep on track with deadlines. I like to keep my workstation tidy and organize my files so that I can always find what I need. This, I've discovered, improves efficiency while also assisting the rest of the team in staying on target. In my last position, I developed a new file system that enhanced departmental efficiency by 25%."

4. People-Person

Organizations look for people who are comfortable mingling with other employees and are able to develop a good rapport with clients. Such people are easy to rely on. Use the answer below to write a short description about yourself sample to highlight this specific characteristic.

Example: "I'm a people person. Meeting new people and learning about their lives and backgrounds is one of my favorite things to do. With strangers, I almost always find common ground, and I enjoy making people feel at ease in my company. This ability comes in handy when I'm starting a project with a new client. My clients' customer satisfaction scores were 15% higher than the business average at my prior position."

5. Possess Leadership Skills

Organizations nowadays are trying to make employee career progression pathways more dynamic. Different leadership pathways are put in place to find employees who can be promoted to senior-management positions. If you show that you have leadership skills and the right attitude, the employer might think of you as someone who will become a valuable asset over the long term. Here are a few words to describe yourself if you too want to indicate that you are motivated for a promotion after landing the job.

Example: "I have cultivated excellent leadership skills through observation and analysis. I enjoy assisting others, and I've been promoted to a leadership role in practically every job I've held. Even when I'm not in a leadership position, co-workers come to me with questions or concerns because they know that if I don't have the answer, I'll at least guide them in the right direction. After less than a year with the organization, I was elevated to leadership positions in my last two assignments." 

6. Result-Oriented

All companies want their employees to generate some actionable insights. They want their employees to be result oriented in all their actions. When wondering about how to describe yourself and show that you are a result-oriented person, take a look at the sample answer below:

Example: "I am a results-oriented person who is continuously checking in with the goal to see how near we are to achieving it and what it will take to get there. This pressure is inspiring to me, and it serves as a tremendous motivator for the rest of the team. In fact, I was able to assist my team in reducing our average product time to market by two weeks over the last year."

10 Tips for Answering- 'How would you describe yourself?'

1. The most important tip is to keep your answers short and meaningful yet crisp and informative. That is, don’t ramble; rather, try to present all the relevant information concisely.
2. Your past experiences, educational qualifications, and knowledge should be at the core of your answer. In your answer to describe yourself, touch upon the highlights of your educational and work journey from the past. And also indicate the direction where you want to go in the future. 
3. In continuation, it is also a good idea to use specific examples from your work-ex or educative years that left you with an important lesson. 
4. It is also important to do your research and think about what are the ideal skills that are needed for the respective job. And also what qualities are ideal for the company culture. Then go ahead and try to show the interviewer/ recruiter that you possess these qualities. This way you can turn this question into an opportunity to prove how suitable you are for the job and organization.
5. One thing we’ve heard over and over again is the need to appear confident. But many cross the line to being cocky, which leads to near-instant rejection. When framing your answer to describe yourself, navigate this line and be sure you don't come out as over-confident, cocky, or ignorant. 
6. Almost all organizations want to hire professionals who are self-starters, and independent workers, but also good team players when need be. So include examples or instances that show that you have both these qualities. 
7. The issue with trying to fit in a lot of information in a few lines is that we sometimes go too verbose. Consciously avoid doing this with your answer, and maintain a balance.
8. Another way to make sure that you are prepared for all possibilities is to prepare different answers for a few different profiles/ roles. Having multiple answers will increase your chances of nailing the ‘describe yourself’ answer with perfection.
9. It is critical that you focus on the positives, not the negatives when thinking about how to describe yourself in an interview. 
10. Last but not least- practice. Merely preparing the answers is not enough; you need to practice your delivery. Have a friend or family member observe you when you practice and ask them to give feedback on your tone, composure, confidence, etc. 

We are sure that if you take note of these tips, your answer to ‘how to describe yourself’ will definitely help you land that coveted position.

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'How to describe yourself'- Don't's

The need to include all the possible information in one response may seem like a good idea, but believe us it is not. Cramming too much information can leave the interviewer confused and lead to the impression that you are trying too hard. Some may even take it the wrong way and feel that you are full of yourself. So don’t try to list every possible contribution or achievement in one answer to describe yourself. Rather carefully pick and chose the points/ experiences that align with the job and organizational requirements.

There is a possibility that after you give the answer to ‘how would you describe yourself?’, the interviewer may be looking for more info. If so, then limiting the things you feed into your initial response will have an upside. Because you can then follow up with a few examples that you left out. This way you don’t look like someone who is trying too hard, and still, give the interviewer a lot to think about.  

Another thing that many are tempted to do when answering open-ended, subjective questions is- stretch the truth. This is a big NO. It is best to remain true to yourself, rather than stretching the truth or lying outright, something that the interviewer will catch on to. 

Possible Follow-Up Questions

The tips, samples, and guidelines mentioned above must be enough to help you give the perfect answer to the ‘how would you describe yourself’ question.  Here are a few other follow-up questions that you must be prepared for when appearing for an interview:

• Tell Me About Yourself
• Where Do You See Yourself In 5 Years?
• Why Should We Hire You?

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