Please tell us something about yourself that is not captured in your application

The interview is going really well. You’ve got a good rapport with the hiring manager, you’re getting your key points across, you’re speaking clearly and confidently—and then comes this question:

“What should I know about you that’s not on your resume?”

And you’re stumped, because huh? I know the feeling, so I thought I would break down this question for you so that answering doesn’t seem quite so tricky.

Why They’re Asking

On the surface, this question seems weird. After all, you’ve worked hard to condense all your relevant information onto a single page so that everything the interviewer should know is on there!

But hiring managers ask this question to get a sense for your personality and character, rather than just your work experiences and accomplishments.

They’re also giving you a chance to tell them something that’s important but doesn’t fit within the traditional resume format—like what drives you or what you’re passionate about outside your 9-to-5.

What to Say

There are three basic “themes” for your response that you can choose from.

First, you can discuss one of your positive traits. Think: your creativity, your enthusiasm, your tenacity, your dedication, the one word that makes you you.

Alternatively, you can share a story or detail that reveals something awesome about you and your accomplishments. For example, maybe you’ve climbed a few major mountains, which shows how persistent you are when you put your mind to it.

Lastly, you can talk about your motivation or overall goal. Maybe you want to work in hospitality because you want to recreate the same sense of joy and wonder you’ve experienced on vacations for as many guests as possible.

What Not to Say

If it’s on your resume, don’t say it! Regurgitating what’s on that paper will make you seem unimaginative, or worse, like you don’t understand the question.

The same rule goes for your cover letter. If you mentioned it, you can’t use it again.

And of course, as during the rest of the interview, avoid overly personal information or anything that’ll raise a red flag.

For example, you might be super eager to get this job because you’ve been unemployed for six months—but telling the interviewer that? Not a good idea. Instead, bring up the work ethic you cultivated while simultaneously getting your degree and working a full-time job.

Structuring Your Response

There’s a very simple format for your response.

Begin by explaining your trait or story. Then, summarize why it’s important for the interviewer to know this. Make sure you connect your answer to the job, the company, or both.

Here’s the template:

• I’d like you to know [strength/anecdote].
• This is important because [explanation of what it shows about you].
• I believe this will help me with [aspect of the job] because [something that connects your answer back to the position].

And here’s a sample answer:

Well, one thing you won’t find on my resume: the time I had to administer emergency CPR training. Last year, I was at the lake when I saw a young girl who looked like she was drowning. I was a lifeguard in high school, so I swam out, brought her to shore, and gave her CPR.

Although this was—hopefully—a one-time event, I’ve always been able to stay calm during stressful situations, figure out a solution, and then act. This characteristic would make me a valuable member of your company. After all, obstacles are inevitable, especially in a startup environment.

As your account manager, I’d use this trait to quickly and effectively resolve issues both within the team and externally. And if anyone needs CPR at the office beach party, well, I’m your woman.

I’d love to hear what you’d say to this question! Let me know on Twitter.

Photo of job interview courtesy of Shutterstock.

In this article, you’re going to learn exactly how to answer when a job interviewer asks, “do you want to tell us anything else about you?”… with examples to help you practice and get confident.

We’ll also cover the mistakes to avoid, so you can make sure you’re not costing yourself any job offers without realizing it.

And finally, we’ll look at how to respond to this same question on a job application form, because sometimes employers ask, “do you want to tell us anything else about you?” on applications, too!

Let’s get started…

How to Answer, “Do You Want to Tell Us Anything Else?” in a Job Interview

When the interviewer asks you, “is there anything else you’d like us to know about you?” there are a couple of good ways to answer.

First, if you feel your interview has gone well and you really have nothing else to add, it’s perfectly fine to say, “No, I believe we covered the important topics. I’m really glad we had a chance to meet and talk about my background and the role. What’s next in the process after this?”

That’s how you’d close out the interview on a positive note, without adding anything more.

However, if you feel there’s something positive you can add, that the interviewer didn’t ask you about, then this is your chance to add it!

When they ask interview questions like, “Is there anything else you’d like me to know about you?”, you can say, “Yes, actually! I don’t think we talked about ___.”

Then, explain what you wanted to share. It could be a unique piece of experience or skill that you possess. It could be why this type of work excites you and why you want their particular job, or any other info that you feel is worth adding.

And as one more option when the interviewer asks this question, you can clarify a point you previously discussed. If you aren’t satisfied with the points you shared on a previous topic, this is your opportunity to go back and fix it.

So when they ask if you have anything else to tell them, you could say, “Yes, actually! I know we touched on the topic of ___, but I don’t think I did a great job of explaining ___. So, I just wanted to clarify that…”

These are all good options for how to respond when an interviewer asks if there’s anything else you want to tell them about you. Now let’s look at word-for-word examples of all three of these approaches so you can hear what a GREAT answer would sound like from start to finish.

“Do You Want to Tell Us Anything Else About You?” Example Answers

We just looked at three different approaches you can use when answering this question in interviews. Now, here are three word-for-word examples of how these methods would sound.

Example Answer 1:

“Thanks for asking! I don’t have anything else to add. I feel like we covered the important topics, and I was able to share the key pieces of my background and how they’d help me perform well in the role. It was great learning about the role, and the opportunity to do XYZ in this position sounds especially interesting. What are the next steps in the process?”

Example Answer 2:

“Yes, actually! I don’t believe we talked about it, but I have a couple of years of experience in customer service, which I feel will serve me well in this role as I plan out some of our new products. I’ll be able to anticipate questions and concerns that customers have, and implement better processes for solving customer problems through a support ticket system, FAQs, and more. I feel that’s something that sets me apart from other candidates, so I wanted to mention it.”

Example Answer 3:

“Yes, actually! I know we touched on the topic of leading projects and training newer team members as I develop in this role, but I don’t think I did a great job of explaining the extent of my experience in this area. This is something that interests me a lot, and I had a chance to train six new team members in my last role while supervising their day-to-day work, setting weekly goals, and running weekly meetings to check in on their progress. So this is a function that I’d be able to handle very comfortably for you, and it’s something that I enjoy doing as well!”

You Don’t Need to Wait for Them to Ask You This Question, Either…

As one more piece of advice: You can also use the example answers above to clarify a point even if the interviewer doesn’t ask whether there’s something else you’d like them to know!

It’s ALWAYS appropriate to try to clarify one or two points at the end of an interview.

You can do this when they ask, “Do you have any questions for us?”…

How? Along with asking questions about the job and company, you can say, “I also wanted to clarify one thing we talked about earlier.” From here, any good interviewer will say, “Absolutely. What is it that you wanted to talk about?”

Then, you have your chance to add anything you forgot to mention. This is how you can get the interviewer to open the door to this type of conversation. So, don’t think that you have to wait for them to directly ask, “Is there anything else you want to tell me?”

You can always tell them something extra at the end of the interview if you think it will be helpful in convincing them to hire you!

What About on Job Applications?

Sometimes, employers will also ask, “Do you want to tell us anything else about you?” on applications. So let’s talk about that now, too.

If you feel your resume and cover letter did a good job of explaining your qualifications, then it’s perfectly fine to not add anything new here when you see this question. You can leave the field blank on the form (it will be optional in most cases).

However, if you have additional skills that are relevant, or would like to share a unique story – for example, a story about why you’re passionate about this type of work or passionate about their company or industry – then this question is your chance to share it.

But again – if you already provided everything needed to show the employer that you have the skills to succeed in their job, and you don’t have anything unique to add here, it’s perfectly fine to not put anything.

Mistakes to Avoid When Answering This Question

Before we wrap up, there are two common (and costly) mistakes that job seekers make with this interview question. So let’s cover those now!

The first mistake: Feeling like you have to share something. You do not need to add anything here. You can use example answer #1 from earlier in the article to simply say that you’re satisfied with what you already shared.

This is better than starting to answer without really knowing what you’ll say, or without having a purpose or plan. So don’t begin speaking without thinking about what you hope to achieve.

If you can’t think of anything to add, then don’t add anything. (Just say so politely, like in the sample answer earlier in the article.)

The second mistake: Trying to clarify too many points. You need to pick your battles when you answer “Is there anything else you’d like us to know?”

If you try to go back and clarify five different areas or skills that you feel you didn’t explain well, then it’s just going to overwhelm the interviewer and make it so that none of your points are convincing or helpful.

So pick your battles and chose one, maybe two things to add. That’s the absolute maximum to aim for when answering, “Is there anything else you’d like us to know about you?”

Conclusion

Overall, this interview question is a great opportunity to address a previous answer that you weren’t happy with, or add new information that you feel will help you land the job. This will ensure that the employer sees the full extent of your skills and abilities so you can get more job offers.

However, if you already made a great case for why your skills are a fit for this opportunity, and you’re satisfied with what you’ve said, then there’s no need to add more here.

In this case, when they ask, “Is there anything else you would like me to know about you?” you can tell the interviewer that you feel you’ve covered the important points and that you’re satisfied with how you shared your experience and skills.

Then, you can ask a question like, “What are the next steps in the process?” or “What happens next?” These are good, confident phrases to end your interview while also finding out what to expect moving forward.

If you follow these steps, you’ll have an impressive response that boosts your chances of winning the job offer.

If you want more help getting ready for your next interview, then this article is the next thing you should read:

Sample answers to the 20 most common job interview questions.

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