How you answer the question “Express yourself” or “Tell about yourself”?

Sometimes the most general question can be the hardest. How can you sum up your entire life in just a couple of minutes? You don´t do it.

This oldest of questions is not an invitation to talk about your difficult childhood, your favorite grandmother or how you won the state swim competition in high school. Instead, it´s a request for you to describe what you can offer the company.

In his excellent book 101 Great Answers to the toughest interview questions, author

Ron Fry suggests focusing on:

- Your key accomplishments at previous jobs

- The strengths demonstrated by those accomplishments.

- How these relate to the job for which you´re applying.

The goal is not summarize your resume - the interviewer already has a copy of that. Rather, tell how you came to be interested in this particular company and job, and weave examples of past accomplishments thought to demonstrate why you are the perfect candidate.