Hiring managers often kick off interviews with a deceptively simple question: "Tell me about yourself."
Interviewees may be tempted to gloss over this question in their preparation — after all, everyone thinks they know the answer by heart. But according to bestselling management author and CNBC contributor Suzy Welch, you should have your answer meticulously prepared.
Potential employers will use your response to determine two things: your maturity and your authenticity, Welch tells CNBC Make It.
Here's the best way to answer this common question.
Tell your story with the job in mind
While it may sound like the hiring manager has asked for your life story, they don't want to hear a long-winded, aimless tale. And they already have the bulk of your professional narrative in front of them, in the form of your resume.
"The interviewer, usually your future boss, wants to know the parts of your life story that relate to your doing well in the open job," Welch says.
For example, if you are interviewing for a job in sales, tell the hiring manager how you ran lemonade stands when you were a kid, sold products in college or pitched a new project at your last job.