How to Describe Yourself

Co-authored by Christopher M. Osborne, PhD

Last Updated: January 29, 2020 References

Writing a description of yourself is tough, but finding the right words to verbally describe yourself in social and professional situations may be even more daunting. However, with some forethought, reflection, and honesty, you can find the words that bring you and your personality to light. In an interview, prepare a specific answer to the question “How would you describe yourself?” At a networking event, practice an “elevator pitch” that you can adjust on the fly. When seeking a date, be honest, positive, and specific.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Describing Yourself in an Interview

1
Practice answering “How would you describe yourself?" You’ll nearly always be asked some variation of this question during an interview, so go ahead and prepare a great answer to it! The more time you spend practicing how to clearly and succinctly highlight your positive qualities, the more natural and confident you’ll sound when responding at the interview.^{[1]
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- Practice answering this question, and interviewing in general, with a friend, or work with a mock interviewer—for instance, through your university’s career center.
- Typically, you should aim to answer this question in 2-3 sentences. You can find many lists of “recommended” answers to this question online, but always put your answer in your own words so it sounds natural.
2
Develop a list of terms that define your key attributes. While you’re practicing and preparing in the weeks or days leading up to the interview, brainstorm one list of essential characteristics about yourself, and another list of adjectives and descriptive terms that you can use in your response.^{[2]
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- Consider using terms like the following: “passionate,” “driven,” “ambitious,” “organized,” “people-person,” “natural leader,” “results-oriented,” “excellent communicator.”
- In some cases, an interviewer may ask you to “describe yourself in 3 words” or something similar. In this case, draw from your best options from your brainstorm lists.
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3
Research the company and adjust your answer accordingly. Each company has its own unique personality and culture. Describing the attributes you possess that reflect the company’s values demonstrates interest and shows forethought.^{[3]
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- For example, if you are applying for a position at a tech start-up, you might mention the following: “I have a passion for working collaboratively to find innovative solutions, such as when I simplified our billing procedures by leading a team made up of IT and accounts payable staff.”
- This means you shouldn’t use the same answer at every interview. Instead, make each answer unique to that interview.
4
Research the position and tailor your response to suit it as well. Study the job description both for details about what the job entails and the necessary qualifications. Describe yourself in terms of your interest in performing those job duties, as well as your proven ability to do so.^{[4]
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- If you are applying for a management position, you may want to describe yourself in terms of leadership strategies you've implemented at a similar company. For example, “I am the director of sales at my current company. I have recently implemented new software to track our sales success.”
- You may want to describe yourself in terms of your multitasking abilities or organizational skills for an assistant position: “I am currently assisting four associates. They are very pleased with my organizational and interpersonal skills and have recently given me all office ordering responsibilities.”
- As an entry-level candidate, consider describing your flexibility and willingness to learn a new role: “I am a recent graduate and do have some internship experience with offset printing, but am looking for more experience and opportunities to build on my knowledge.”
5
Provide concrete examples of actions that support your description. If you are a great organizer, merely stating that you are “highly organized” doesn't mean much. If, however, you talk about a specific time when you were tasked with organizing a large conference of a hundred top executives, you have made your abilities much more tangible.^{[5]
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- Use terms like “passionate” and “results-oriented” as gateways to the specific examples you can quickly provide, not as full answers in and of themselves—unless you have to answer the question in only 3 words!
- In many cases, the first sentence of your answer should start with “I am,” while the second should start with “For example.”
6
Be positive, confident (but not arrogant), and concise. Don’t bring up negative qualities or criticize yourself, and don’t act like you’re embarrassed to discuss your accomplishments and great qualities. Detailing your accomplishments and positive attributes because they are true and relevant to the discussion shows confidence.^{[6]
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- However, talking about your accomplishments and good qualities without any evidence or regard for the conversation shows arrogance.
- During your 2-3 sentence answer, highlight 2-3 points about yourself and provide one example illustrating how your attributes were beneficial in a specific situation. For instance: "My interpersonal skills helped repair a rift that had developed between our sales and service teams."

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Describing Yourself at a Networking Event

1
Establish your networking goal before the event begins. Networking events are opportunities to connect with people either in your current industry, or in an industry you hope to enter. If you are looking just to build relationships with others in similar roles in your industry, your introduction and interactions may be different than those of a job seeker speaking to a recruiter.^{[7]
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- If you’re building relationships with peers, focus more on describing your experiences in the field.
- If you’re networking for a job interview, connect your experiences to a desire to work for that company.
- In any case, plan to deliver your description in the form of an “elevator pitch,” which ideally runs about 75 words and takes 30 seconds to deliver.^{[8]
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2
Develop key messages about yourself in your elevator pitch. Elevator pitches should be succinct summaries that describe who you are and what you do. These summaries highlight the most important, memorable things about you. Here are some questions to ask while developing your key messages:^{[9]
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- Who am I? “I am a writer.” “I am a recruiter.” “I am an office administrator.”
- What organizations do I work for? “I work for an online art magazine.” “I work for a start-up software company.” “I work at a small-business non-profit.”
- What do I help my organization do? “I review local art openings for an international online art magazine.” “I seek out and secure new talent for specialized software development roles.” “I work with businesses to hone their launch strategies.”
3
Fine-tune your pitch by infusing it with your passions and goals. Answering basic questions like “Who am I?” will help you identify what you value and what you are passionate about. Use this knowledge to organize your answers into short, fleshed out summaries, such as:^{[10]
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- “I am a writer for an online art magazine with an international audience. It’s a great opportunity because I get to attend and review local art openings.”
- “I am a recruiter at a small software start-up. I get to seek out and meet with new talent.”
- “I’m an office administrator at a small-business non-profit. I offer support to new businesses who are honing their launch strategies.”
4
Practice your elevator pitch so it sounds natural and conversational. Even though everyone else at the networking event knows you’ve been practicing your elevator pitch (just like they have!), it shouldn’t sound robotic or emotionless. At the same time, you don’t want to be fumbling around for the right words.^{[11]
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- Instead of just memorizing your pitch, practice making subtle variations to it so you can improvise and inject some personality into it as needed.
- Your basic pitch might be something like: “Hello! My name is Chelsea, it’s nice to meet you. I work in Business Analytics and have 7 years’ experience in solving business problems with data-driven solutions. I’m enthusiastic about doing strategic evaluation of data analysis, and I’ve had success providing this for our executive staff. I’m also eager for new opportunities to build on my expertise. May I set up a quick call next week to talk about any upcoming opportunities on your team?”
5
Listen for the right opportunity to deliver your pitch. Unless you’re actually in an elevator or are otherwise pressed for time, try asking the other person a question instead of diving straight into your elevator pitch. This helps put the other person at ease, and it also gives you a quick means of learning more about them, their interests, and their needs.^{[12]
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- You might ask, for instance, “So, Jon, what do you think of the new Data Analytics software?”
- Active listening is the chance for you to create a meaningful exchange. You can both listen to another person’s key messages and assess whether you might be able to offer input or fill a need.
- Make subtle adjustments to your elevator pitch based on what the other person says.
- Listening and replying with thoughtful feedback goes a long way toward forming good business relationships.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Describing Yourself for Dating (in Person or Online)

1
Be honest without going into excruciating detail. In order to avoid future complications, don’t start out by telling lies or making huge exaggerations. In an online profile, for instance, avoid overselling your appearance by claiming to look like a celebrity or model.^{[13]
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- If you are 45, try describing yourself as "mid-40s." Follow it up with other interesting facts about you, for example, "I’m in my mid-40s, and I love salsa dancing, rock climbing, and tasting new whiskeys."
- If you have children and it feels like the right time to mention it, try, "I’m a 35-year-old mother of a hilarious 5-year-old."
2
Mention unique qualities and specific examples instead of generic phrases. Vague descriptions such as "fun-loving" or "cheerful" don't make you stand out as unique. Try to use concrete descriptors or offer examples.^{[14]
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- If you enjoy traveling, describe where you last went and why you would go back—or, instead of “I love travelling,” try, “My goal is to visit each continent at least twice.”
- If you consider yourself a foodie, talk about some of your favorite restaurants, or the great meal you cooked last weekend.
- If you are an art lover, talk about the type of art you love or the artist retrospective you attended.
3
Focus on things you like and use positive language. This isn’t the time for negativity, self-criticism, or embarrassment. When describing yourself, concentrate on things you like, both about yourself and about the world.^{[15]
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- While you should provide examples and specifics to build on them, use terms like “passionate,” “thoughtful,” “funny,” and “spontaneous,” rather than “quiet,” “modest,” “average,” or “normal.”
- Offer solid, positive descriptions of your appearance, such as: "curvy, brown-eyed brunette with great shoulders and an even better smile."
- A little humor helps you stand out from the crowd. Humor communicates a lot about your personality and makes you seem more down-to-earth and accessible. For example: "I’m 34-years-old, blonde-haired, near-sighted, and love using dashes when I write (I’m dash-happy!)."
4
Talk about what you value most without seeming closed-minded. While you should try to avoid overwhelming people you've just met with strong opinions on politics or religion, discussing the things you value allows them to understand where you come from. If education or family is really important to you, talking or writing about it can give people a much more rounded sense of who you are.^{[16]
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- For instance, instead of jumping right into a discourse on your views on gun control and vaccinations, mention that you’re “passionate about making the world safer and happier for all children.”

Community Q&A

Question

What is a good way to explain who you are when no one cares?

Community Answer

There is always someone who cares. You can describe who you are by telling about your thoughts, emotions, ambitions and goals. Who you are mainly depends on your views and perceptions about life. But, if you still feel nobody cares, there is no use explaining to such people.
Question

How do I define my personal attributes?

19_diamond_19

Community Answer

Think of things you have previously done- does everyone laugh when you tell a story or a joke? Do you enjoy helping people, or find that you always go out of your way to help people? Basing attributes off of past experiences is a great way to describe yourself. You can also look up a list of character traits and see if you fit any.
Question

What are the best questions to ask an interviewer?

Community Answer

Are there any questions you have for me? Is there anything on my resume that concerns you? Is there anything you need from me?

Warnings

Always use caution when discussing personal details both online and in person. Always assume anything you post may be viewed by anyone on the internet.

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