How to Answer the Question “How Would You Define Yourself?”

You may think that your personality is fixed and unchanging, but you’re actually in more control over your “persona” than you realize. Studies have shown that positive self-talk — especially when addressed to yourself in the third person — can retrain your brain to think more positively about yourself. It’s also a great way to prepare for tricky interview questions, like “How would you describe yourself?”

In response to this question, you need to strike the right balance between pride and belief in your strengths and modesty. Hiring managers are looking for a strong, clear answer that’s focused on the position you’re interviewing for and your skills, experience and values.

Specifically, they want to hear that you are a learner and continually seek out ways to improve yourself. They also want to know that you are committed to the job and organization for the long term, as well as able to adapt to changing circumstances.

If you can communicate all of these traits in your answer to this question, it will demonstrate that you are a unique and valuable addition to their team. To help you create an effective response to this question, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best words to use when answering this tricky interview question.