Why is it difficult to answer the question "Tell me something about yourself ?"

I reckon this is a good question. it happens because we spend most of our time in peeping in others' life and routines. had we concentrated on our skills-det based on introspection and retrsopection, teh scenario would have been different today. here, you have to mention all the things which are not mentioned in your CV, resume or profile.  

Right! It's difficult to answer that question :) Right from the beginning of our education we are thought to look outward for information. Rarely we get a chance to take a look at and find out about ourselves. We have identified ourselves with our educational qualification, what our parents did, etc.,. That's why we get answers like: 'I am a graduate in computer science', 'I am son/daughter of so and so..', etc. Forget about answering the question in concern, most of the people cannot even draft their own resume which is the reflection of their work and persona. So, in my opinion, it should fixed at a different level. To start with try answering the following questions to yourself: 'what do I stand for?', 'what is my purpose', 'what are my personal traits', 'how can I contribute', 'what can I help', 'what are your goals and why are they your goals', 'what did I achieve so far and why did I choose to achieve only that', 'what are my strong and weak points', 'what is my opinion about my friends, my family, my state, my country and the world', 'what do I care about' and so on. Once you do a comprehensive study about yourself like this, you should be able to answer that question very confidently.

It would certainly sound a tough question, however, that would be for the ones who never tried and identified about themselves as to who they are. Once, one get s to know about themselves then the question sounds quite normal. by asking this question, one would want to know about "you", as in not limited to strengths, weakness, achievements, likes, dislikes, abilities, what can you do and what you cant etc..; so the next time you come across this question from an interviewer don't be surprised, as this is question to be asked by one's own self not just for an interview/interviewer but to know one's own self.

Best Wishes.

Hi Sidhartha,

It is difficult to answer tell about yourself because, the you might not be prepared well to answer.

It is not only explaining about yourself,you need to match your skills with requirements.

When you are not prepared enough, it will always be difficult to answer any question.

So preparing well is the only solution to answer for any type of questions.

Hope this helps you.

This question is actually an  opportunity to showcase your self.

Please review the JD and company profile and provide a brief answer about your background, certification, attitude, experience and match it with the Organization Profile. This is to showcase that you are an appropriate candidate for the profile

Hope it will answer your question

Hello Siddhartha,   It is not a difficult question.  Infact, this question has become very popular now-a-days.   Everyone wants to know about you when you are attending / facing the job interviews.  At this stage, you get an opportunity to tall something about yourself, but ensure that you practice is prior to your personal interview.   If you spend practicing it in a proper manner, I' m sure you will be able to answer in a very effective manner.  On the contrary, if you have practiced it systematically, then you will be eager to know whether such question will be asked at the time of interview.   So practice, practice and pracitce it properly & systematically.  Nothing is impossible.  All the Best to you.