1. Why do employers ask you to describe yourself in 3 words?
    1. To understand your thought process
    2. To assess if you would be a good culture fit
    3. To find out your best qualities
  2. How to answer “Describe yourself in 3 words”?
    1. Match your key skills with the job description
    2. Use the elimination method
    3. Ask people around to describe you in 3 words
    4. Use the STAR technique
  3. Describe yourself in 3 words sample answers
    1. Marketing and content roles
    2. Finance, accounting, and sales
    3. Management roles
    4. Recruitment/HR roles
    5. Fresher roles
  4. Tips on how to describe yourself in 3 words

If you have ever faced an interview, you would know that common HR questions like “Tell me about yourself” play a major role in the selection process.

One such job interview question asked by the recruiters is "Describe yourself in 3 words".

If you are a jobseeker preparing for this question, this blog is all you need!

Find out why recruiters want you to describe yourself in 3 words, best words to answer with, and sample answers curated just for you!

Why do employers ask you to describe yourself in 3 words?

One of the questions that come to mind is why do employers ask job seekers to describe themselves and only in 3 words?

The reason is that the words you choose reflect your thoughts about yourself, helping the recruiter get a better understanding of your personality.

It also shows whether you are suitable for the position and reflects your research about the role and employer.

Here are some more reasons to help you get a better understanding.

1. To understand your thought process

Recruiters wish to get a glimpse of how your mind works, and what better way to do it than asking what you think of yourself?

Questions like these put you on the spot and allow the recruiters to see how self-aware, prepared, and authentic you are.

And since you have only 3 words to answer, the attributes you choose would reveal the qualities you relate to the most, making their job easy.

2. To assess if you would be a good culture fit

Another reason why recruiters ask this job interview question is to assess if you would gel with the team and be a good culture fit in the company.

The qualities you choose to define yourself will help them assess your perspective towards work and understand your nature to see whether you align with the company culture.

3. To find out your best qualities

Job interview questions like these act as an opportunity for job seekers to show off their qualities and stand out in the large pool of candidates.

The 3 words you choose will give recruiters an insight into your best qualities, and allow them to identify if you are a team player, a goal-oriented individual, someone with great problem-solving skills, etc.

How to answer “Describe yourself in 3 words”?

To describe yourself seems like an easy task, but it can put the most seasoned job seekers in a difficult spot.

So, here are some tricks and tips that can help you describe yourself in 3 words like a pro.

1. Match your key skills with the job description

You must be careful while choosing words to describe yourself as it can be crucial in the interview process.

To answer this job interview question effectively, focus on finding the 3 strong characteristics that are relevant to the job you are interviewing for.

To do so, you can,

  1. Use the job description as a checklist to find the skills you have that are suitable for the role

  2. Refer to the skills section on your resume to add authenticity to your answer

Tip: Do not stick to a script. Research about the company and give a customized answer to match the position you are interviewing for.

2. Use the elimination method

Finding three words to describe yourself can be overwhelming, especially if you are keen on acing the interview.

To answer this job interview question, choose the ultimate bunch of words, make a list of all your qualities that make you a suitable candidate.

Then, eliminate the skills you feel less confident about and shortlist 3 skills that seem most relevant.

3. Ask people around to describe you in 3 words

The process of describing yourself can be confusing, but you can always seek help from those close to you.

Ask your friends and family to describe you in 3 words and the reason behind the same.

Make a list of these words and reason and pick the ones that you seem fit to your personality and the company.

4. Use the STAR technique

While describing yourself in 3 words, you will be required to provide a reason and explanation to justify the skills you choose.

This is where the STAR technique can help you.

STAR technique suggests that you talk about a Situation or Task you have handled and describe the Action taken to get the desired Result.

Describe yourself in 3 words sample answers

Now that we have covered how to describe yourself in 3 words, let us talk about some of the best qualities you can choose to answer this job interview question.

1. Marketing and content roles

If you are a marketing professional or a content curator, you can describe yourself with these skills.

  • Storyteller
  • Creative
  • Analytical
  • Writer
  • Versatile

Sample answer

The 3 words that describe me best are creative, versatile, and analytical as I can curate unique content that speaks to the people.

I’m very creative and experimental with my designs, as you can see from the portfolio.

My versatility comes from a deep understanding of market trends and the ability to adapt to them.

Moreover, I’m analytical, and I like to make decisions based on the ROI as it helps me get a better understanding of projects at hand.

2. Finance, accounting, and sales

Here are the top 5 common skills to describe yourself if you are a finance or accounting professional.

  • Analytical
  • Troubleshooter
  • Leadership
  • Proactive
  • Dynamic

Sample answer

To describe me in 3 words is difficult, but the first words that come to my mind are analytical, troubleshooter, and dynamic.

In my 5 years of experience, every decision I have made was analytically sound and in sync with the needs of the project.

Even when met with obstacles, I have been quick to react to the issue at hand and have successfully implemented dynamic methods to suit the situation.

I was also awarded the MVP of the year in my previous company for showcasing an exemplary performance in a short time.

3. Management roles

If you are in a managerial position, these are the top 5 skills you can choose from:

  • Team player
  • Smart worker
  • Leader
  • Disciplined
  • Methodical

Sample answer

I identify myself most with words like a leader, team player, and disciplined.

I have 3 years of managerial experience, where I successfully led a team of 16 people. During this time, I learned how to be a part of my team, while leading them.

Not to toot my own horn, but my discipline hygiene is commendable, and I have often been complimented on the same by my superiors and team alike.

4. Recruitment/HR roles

Here are the top 5 common skills that you can describe yourself with if you are looking for a job in the HR department.

  • Patient
  • Approachable
  • Multi-tasker
  • Friendly
  • Intuitive

Sample answer

The 3 words that describe me the best are patient, intuitive, and multi-tasker.

I’m very patient and take recruiting new people for suitable positions very seriously. Sometimes it takes longer than expected to discover the right fit.

But I believe it is better to wait for the right person than having to do it all over again.

So far, about 78% people recruited by me have stayed with their company in the long-run, impacting the employee turnover rate.

I’m often required to multi-task as it is the nature of the job.

From in-house events to hiring new people and taking care of issues the existing employees may have, I can seamlessly handle all these responsibilities.

5. Fresher roles

If you are a fresher, you can choose from these skills to describe yourself in 3 words.

  • Ambitious
  • Committed
  • Driven
  • Self-motivated
  • Creative

Sample answer:

The 3 words that describe me best are committed, creative, and driven.

In my college, I was the president of our debate society, and in that capacity, I arranged several inter-college competitions.

Not only that, but I’m also a creative storyteller and know how to weave hard facts and figures into a story to reach out to people.

You can take a look at my blog to see it for yourself. I’m also very driven and seldom need a push to get things done.

Tips on how to describe yourself in 3 words

Here are 8 unique quick tips and tricks to have up your sleeves as you answer this job interview question.

  1. Choose professionally relevant words
  2. Pick the words that suit the role and company
  3. Research the company in advance to answer well
  4. Tailor your answer for every interview
  5. Avoid being too modest or too over-confident
  6. Steer clear of words like unstoppable, perfectionist, etc
  7. Use simple adjectives to define yourself and not rigid business jargons
  8. Answer elaborately to cover all points, but don’t be repetitive

We hope you are prepared to describe yourself in 3 words, and with these sample answers and tips, you will be able to bag your dream job without much hassle.

All the best!

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