'Tell me about yourself'

[Motherofmonsters]

Ive been a SAHM for the past three years and our bank balance has decided its time for me to go back to work.

I had a telephone interview this morning and the first question was :tell me about yourself' and i was totally stumped as to what say. Ended up saying that i have two children, like to read books and taking the dog for walks on the beach.

What answer do you give to that question

I believe i did well on the 'proper' questions but felt silly on that one.

"What do you want to know?"

I find it's usually more of an opening to talk about your experience e.g.

I have been a stay at home mum for the last two years and have loved to watch my children grow. Prior to that I was working in accounting and would love to get back into it. I was really excited when I saw this position come up blah blah etc etc

I usually have a little blurb (around a minute or so long) planned as I always find this question comes up first although I think it's more of an ice breaker than a nitty gritty interview question

What you said was fine OP but next time make sure you include something career related like I’ve worked in x area or I’m a qualified z who is now ready to get back to the workplace after raising a family. It’s always a bit cringe talking about yourself don’t worry

I talk about my career and previous roles when asked this, and try to throw in a reason why I am enthusiastic about the role I'm interviewing for.

I enjoy learning, I have developed this skill, blah blah, and enjoy giving back so organized blah blah, I like to feel a part of things so joined blah blah ...

Thanks everyone, ill make a note for future interviews. I was a caught off guard as it wasn't scheduled. They called to say they wanted to interview me and they could do it then if i was free