“How would you describe yourself?” is an open question, and open questions are often harder to answer than specific ones. It is easy to go blank, or to say much more than you planned. Preparing a short, honest description of yourself in advance takes most of the pressure off.
Why employers ask this question
Employers use this question to understand how you see yourself and how well that matches what the role needs. They are interested in self-awareness: do you know what you are good at, and can you explain it clearly?
For neurodivergent jobseekers it is also a chance to talk about strengths that come from thinking differently, as long as you link them back to the job.
How to prepare your answer
Reflect on your strengths and experience
Look back over your education, work and personal projects. List your main strengths and skills, then pick out the ones most relevant to this role. Our Working Styles Guide can help you describe how you work best in positive, practical terms.
Start with a short introduction
Open with one or two sentences that sum you up professionally: your field, your main skills and what you enjoy about your work. Tailor it to the job description and the organisation.
Back it up with achievements
Choose one or two achievements that prove what you have just said. Solving a problem, adapting to change and seeing a project through are all worth showing. If you can, say what the result was, such as time saved or a target met. The STAR interview method is a handy way to structure this.
Talk about the way you think
If you want to, you can mention how being neurodivergent shapes the way you work, for example attention to detail, analytical thinking, creativity or deep focus. You don’t have to disclose anything, and you can describe the strengths without naming a diagnosis. If you do decide to share, our disclosure templates can help you find the words.
Link it back to the role
Finish by connecting your skills and experience to what the job needs. This shows the interviewer exactly why your description matters to them.
Listen and adapt
Interviewers often follow up on what you say, so be ready to give another example or explain a point in more detail. It is fine to ask them to repeat or rephrase a question.
An example answer
“I’m a software engineer and I really enjoy solving problems and building things that make other people’s work easier. Most of my projects have needed strong analytical skills and close attention to detail. Being neurodivergent, I often approach problems from a different angle to the rest of the team, and that has helped us find solutions others missed. In my last role I led a small team building an application that made our operations noticeably more efficient. That project showed me I can collaborate well, adapt when requirements change and deliver results. I’m excited about this role because it focuses on building software that has a real impact.”
Related interview guides
This question is a close cousin of “Tell me about yourself”, so it is worth preparing both together. For more general tips on getting ready for an interview, the National Careers Service interview advice is a useful free resource.
How Enna can help
Once you can describe yourself with confidence, put it to work. Find roles on the Enna jobs board, register for job alerts, and make sure your CV tells the same story with our CV help. Our free interview question practice resource (PDF) has space to draft your answer.
