Word for understanding yourself

As you keep up with everything going on in your life – the responsibilities, the obligations, even the distractions – there will be times when you’ll look in the mirror and struggle to recognize yourself. “Where did I go? How can I understand myself better?” you’ll ask, wondering how you’ve ended up where you are. “How did my plans for the future end up so… screwed up?”

When you don’t take the time to understand yourself and who you are, your sense of individuality weakens. You become easily influenced and pushed into a lifestyle that doesn’t represent who you are. The good news is you can gradually transition into the life you want by periodically “checking in” with yourself – the better you understand yourself, the easier it will be to steer your life in the right direction.

Here are 25 questions to get you started. Each answer will shed light on your individuality and unlock your potential:

1. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

Make sure you’re really an extrovert and not an introvert in an extrovert’s clothing.

2. What are the top five words that describe your personality?

Highlight your key personality traits and stay true to who you are.

3. Are you comfortable or uncomfortable in a disorganized environment?

Define the ideal work/home environments you’re known to thrive in.

4. Are you comfortable with taking risks?

Decide how you feel about uncertainty and how you’ll use it to create your ideal lifestyle.

5. Do you work better alone or in a busy environment?

When you know what your most productive work environment consists of, it will help you find (or create) a job that best suits your preferences.

6. What are your strengths?

Define what your strengths are and how you’re going to use them to your advantage.

7. What are your weaknesses?

Acknowledge what you struggle with and how you want to improve.

8. What sets you apart from everyone else?

Know your quirks and charm your ass off with them.

9. Are you motivated by competition?

Define what your ideal competition/collaboration formula is for optimal productivity.

10. What are your favorite movies/shows/books?

Disregard what’s trending and define the types of movies/shows/books you’ll always enjoy. It speaks volumes of your personality.

11. What’s more important to you – having a career or a family?

Even though you’ll try to have both, we all teeter towards a favorite. Knowing this will help you decide which priority will receive a bigger piece of the pie.

12. Do you embrace rules or rebel against them?

This is a huge determining factor in the type of lifestyle you’ll create for yourself – structured or adventurous? Remember: there are no wrong answers.

⌄ Scroll down to continue reading article ⌄

⌄ Scroll down to continue reading article ⌄

13. Are you a morning person or a night person?

Know your energy peaks and valleys for when you’re setting goals.

14. What’s more important to you – saving time or saving money?

This will help you as you’re planning your goals – you’ll know what to outsource and what to take on yourself.

15. What do you lie about and why?

There are certain aspects of ourselves we don’t want anyone else to know about. Knowing why will help you to work through what makes you self-conscious.

16. Do you say yes (or no) too much?

Saying yes to everything gives you little time for what you truly want to do, while saying no to everything may cause you to miss out on amazing experiences.

17. If money didn’t exist, what would you be doing with your time?

We lose sight of what’s important to us when the bills come due – regain control of what you enjoy doing the most.

18. Are you patient or impatient?

Define whether or not it gets in the way of your goals and what you’re going to do about it.

19. Who makes you feel energized/inspired and exhausted/depleted?

There could be select family members or friends who are holding you back. Decide how you’re going to set boundaries in your relationships.

⌄ Scroll down to continue reading article ⌄

⌄ Scroll down to continue reading article ⌄

20. If your home was on fire, what are the three things you’d leave with?

Answering this question will help you let go of the concept that material items will make you feel better as a person.

21. Do you take responsibility for your mistakes?

Blaming others for where your life is will get you nowhere – if anything, it will make you feel stuck. Take responsibility, learn from them, and forgive yourself.

22. What has to happen before your “real” life starts?

You might think that when you reach a certain goal you’ll feel completely different, but such is not the case – you’ll simply set a new goal and wait for it to happen, and so on, and end up missing out on amazing experiences.

23. What are you avoiding?

We all have certain responsibilities we procrastinate on, but you have to face them eventually. You’ll feel a lot better once you do, and you can move onto the things you actually do care about.

24. Do you easily feel guilty?

You might be feeling stuck because of your years of people-pleasing; meanwhile, the only person you should worry about disappointing is yourself.

25. What do you think you have to lose?

Clearly there’s something holding you back from creating the life you want. Work with it instead of pretending it’s not there.

⌄ Scroll down to continue reading article ⌄

⌄ Scroll down to continue reading article ⌄

These questions can inspire you to reflect on yourself. Check in with yourself often and you will be amazed by the true potential you actually have.

More Self-Reflective Questions

  • The Power of Self-Reflection: Ten Questions You Should Ask Yourself
  • 7 Powerful Questions To Find Out What You Want To Do With Your Life
  • 100 Inspiring Questions That Make You Think About Your Life

Featured photo credit: Brooke Cagle via unsplash.com

Whether you’re preparing for the classic interview question “Tell me about yourself” or writing your resume profile, describing yourself can be tricky. You want to be honest, but not brutally so. You want to impress, but without coming off as narcissistic.

Fortunately, as long as you follow a few guidelines when choosing the right words to describe yourself, you can create a great, long-lasting first impression.

Read on to learn pick the best words to describe yourself and see lists of: 

  • Positive words to describe yourself in any situation
  • Words to describe yourself in an interview
  • Words to describe yourself on a resume

Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.

Create your resume now

.

Sample resume made with our builder—See more resume examples here.

Looking for other word lists? Check out:

  • Resume Action Words, Power Verbs, and Adjectives
  • Resume Keywords to use
  • Skill Words for Resume
  • Strengths for Resume

1. Positive Words to Describe Yourself

Describing yourself in a few words to someone who doesn’t know you is tough. It’s worth spending some time figuring out how you can make a great first impression, because once formed, first impressions are hard to shake. 

Regardless of the situation, the key to describing yourself is to stay upbeat and positive. Now is not the time for humility. The best words to describe yourself will be those that honestly capture your positive qualities. 

Here’s a list of positive words that can be used to describe yourself for any situation:

Positive Words to Describe Yourself

Positive Words to Describe Yourself

Persistent

Genuine

Patient

Enthusiastic

Disciplined

Straightforward

Passionate

Dynamic

Intelligent

Ambitious

Modest

Tough

Tenacious

Extroverted

Sympathetic

Generous

Romantic

Clever

Considerate

Independent

Resourceful

Courageous 

Witty

Chill

Fearless

Open-minded

Joyful

Practical

Energetic

Easygoing

Sincere

Motivated

Sociable

Adaptable

Truthful 

Funny

Happy

Friendly

Thoughtful

Kind

Reliable

Introverted

Warmhearted

Loyal

Bright

Easygoing

Adventurous

Emotional

Optimistic

Affectionate

Honest

Versatile

Flexible

Loving

Energetic

Sensitive

Exuberant

Gentle

Cheerful

Intuitive

Understanding

Helpful

Hard-working

Determined

Attentive

Self-confident

 Positive Words to Describe Yourself

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.

Create the perfect resume

When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.

2. Words to Describe Yourself in an Interview 

One common interview question goes something like this: “What are 5 words to describe yourself?”. The stakes are higher, but the same rules from above apply (stay positive and be honest). The only difference is now you have to be more specific. 

When the hiring manager asks this question, they are trying to assess whether you have the personality and the skills needed to excel on the job. The key to nailing this job interview question is to stay relevant and provide evidence

If the adjectives you use to describe yourself are irrelevant to the job, chances are the HR manager won’t be impressed. Likewise, anyone can say they are creative and hardworking. You need to follow up the adjectives with examples of how you demonstrate that quality. 

Let’s say a nurse is applying for a job at a hospital and the interviewer asks “What are three good words to describe yourself?” Let’s see an example that misses the mark.

WRONG
I’m reliable, cheerful, and … shy.

Cue the awkward pause when the HR manager is waiting for a follow-up that never comes. 

And of course there’s nothing wrong with being shy, but shyness is irrelevant to the position at hand.

Okay, how can we improve the above response?

What Are 3 Words to Describe Yourself

EXAMPLE
Let’s see. I’m reliable—I was so consistent in updating patient’s charts that I was promoted to a position responsible for training new hires. I’m very cheerful—Studies show that positivity can have a huge effect on patient recovery times, so I smile often and crack jokes whenever the time is right. And I’m energetic—In my last position at a long-term care facility, I was single-handedly caring for up to 15 patients per shift. That required me to move fast while still paying attention to small details.

Wow—Now that’s an answer. 

Highly relevant, honest, solid work experience and with evidence to back it all up. 

Example of an answer to what are 3 words to describe yourself

Here’s a list of professional words to use in case you’re asked “What are the three best words to describe yourself?” in an interview:

Words to Describe Yourself in an Interview 

Words to Describe Yourself in an Interview

Resourceful

Focused

Reliable

Motivated

Methodical

Proactive

Insightful

Disciplined

Organized

Results-oriented

Energetic

Ambitious

Engaged

Creative

Persuasive

Diligent

Thorough

Analytical

Persistent

Passionate

Dynamic

Dedicated

People-oriented

Team player

Driven

Skillful

Data-driven

Self-starter

Experienced

Calculated

Knowledgeable

Honest

Devoted

Attentive

Meticulous

Professional

Patient

Empathetic

Structured

Read more: How to Answer the «Tell Me About Yourself» Interview Question

3. Words to Describe Yourself on a Resume

A resume is your golden ticket to getting the call. There are no two ways about it. And no matter what type of resume you’re writing, a short resume profile at the top can be a great way to make an elevator pitch that you’re the right candidate for the job. After all, recruiters are pressed for time. According to hiring statistics, corporate job offers receive 250 applications on average.

The secret to describing yourself in a resume introduction is to use adjectives relevant to the job and mention achievements that will wow the recruiter. You also want to tailor your resume introduction to the job posting, but don’t copy the job ad word for word! A survey found that 44% of hiring managers automatically reject resumes that appear to duplicate the job posting. 

Here’s a list of positive words to describe yourself on a resume:

Words to Describe Yourself on a Resume

Words to Describe Yourself on a Resume

Thorough

Skilled

Systematic

Passionate

Resourceful

Strategic

Meticulous

Artistic

Unconventional

Attentive

Experienced

Conscientious

Tireless

Personable

Detail-oriented

Patient

Team player

Methodical

Expert

Persevering

Innovative

Ambitious

Unique

Extroverted

Proficient

Cooperative

Caring

Data-driven

Accomplished

Creative

Gregarious

Professional

People-person

Problem solver

Skillful

Sociable

Read more: «What’s Your Greatest Weakness» Interview Question: How to Answer

Words to Describe Yourself on a Resume

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here’s what it may look like:

matching set of resume and cover letter

See more cover letter templates and start writing.

That’s a wrap! Do you have any questions regarding these words to describe yourself? How do you describe yourself in interviews or on a resume? I’d love to hear from you. Let’s chat in the comment section!

Words to describe yourself! Are you looking for some positive adjectives to describe yourself in an interview, a date or to write on the resume? Congratulation! You are turning the right page. Following is a list of 150 best words to help you to describe yourself in English.

Table of Contents

Words to Describe Yourself

Have you ever been asked to describe yourself in three words? I’m sure you faced, are facing and will face this challenge in your life. It’s a common job interview question but you can hear this question in some other situations. And, what are your answers? What are the right words to describe yourself? Please read the following list to choose the best words for yourself.

Words to Describe Yourself on a Date

What should we say about ourselves on a date? For example, “I’m an easy-going/ open/ passionate person…”

  • Adventurous
  • Big-hearted
  • Communicative
  • Easy-going
  • Intellectual
  • Intense
  • Lighthearted
  • Open
  • Passionate
  • Playful
  • Responsive
  • Romantic
  • Self-aware
  • Silly
  • Spontaneous
  • Strong-willed
  • Witty

Words to Describe Yourself on a Resume

Here are best words you can use to write on your resume.

  • Accomplished
  • Achiever
  • Active
  • Adaptable
  • Balanced
  • Candid
  • Cheerful
  • Compassionate
  • Consistent
  • Cooperative
  • Diplomatic
  • Emotional
  • Exciting
  • Forgiving
  • Incredible
  • Independent
  • Industrious
  • Initiator
  • Inventive
  • Knowledgeable
  • Leader
  • Logical
  • Mediator
  • Meticulous
  • Original
  • Outgoing
  • Particular
  • Patient
  • Positive
  • Powerful
  • Practical
  • Precise
  • Proactive
  • Productive
  • Professional
  • Quick
  • Responsive
  • Thoughtful

Words to Describe Yourself on a Job Interview

  • Assertive
  • Attentive
  • Broad-minded
  • Committed
  • Confident
  • Conscientious
  • Creative
  • Customer-oriented
  • Direct
  • Dynamic
  • Friendly
  • Hard-working
  • Honest
  • Imaginative
  • Innovative
  • Mature
  • Methodical
  • Motivated
  • Objective
  • Observant
  • Persistent
  • Realistic
  • Reliable
  • Resourceful
  • Respectful
  • Responsible
  • Sociable
  • Tenacious
  • Thorough
  • Traditional
  • Trustworthy
  • Unconventional
  • Unique

Positive Adjectives to Describe Your Personality

  • Warm
  • Visionary
  • Trustworthy
  • Solid
  • Skilled
  • Sincere
  • Competitive
  • Communicative
  • Clever
  • Charming
  • Careful
  • Brave
  • Attractive
  • Amusing
  • Ambitious
  • Sensitive
  • Generous
  • Funny
  • Friendly
  • Frank
  • Formal
  • Focused
  • Flexible
  • Self-reliant
  • Romantic
  • Responsible
  • Political
  • Persuasive
  • Personable
  • Perceptive
  • Open-minded
  • Modest
  • Logical
  • Knowledgeable
  • Insightful
  • Affectionate
  • Adventurous
  • Adaptable
  • Imaginative
  • Helpful
  • Genuine
  • Gentle
  • Fast
  • Facilitator
  • Enthusiastic
  • Easy-going
  • Dynamic
  • Diplomatic
  • Determined
  • Detailed
  • Dedicated
  • Curious
  • Courageous
  • Confident
  • Aggressive

Words to Describe Yourself

A big list of words to describe yourself.

  • Accomplished
  • Achiever
  • Active
  • Adaptable
  • Adept
  • Ambitious
  • Analytical
  • Articulate
  • Artistic
  • Assertive
  • Attentive
  • Balanced
  • Broad-minded
  • Candid
  • Changeable
  • Cheerful
  • Committed
  • Communicative
  • Compassionate
  • Competitive
  • Confident
  • Conscientious
  • Consistent
  • Constructive
  • Cooperative
  • Courageous
  • Creative
  • Curious
  • Customer-oriented
  • Dependable
  • Devoted
  • Diplomatic
  • Direct
  • Dynamic
  • Easy going
  • Eclectic
  • Emotional
  • Enterprising
  • Enthusiastic
  • Entrepreneurial
  • Exciting
  • Facilitator
  • Fast
  • Flexible
  • Focused
  • Forgiving
  • Friendly
  • Fun
  • Funny
  • Generous
  • Genuine
  • Good listener
  • Green
  • Hard worker
  • Helpful
  • Honest
  • Imaginative
  • Incredible
  • Independent
  • Individual
  • Industrious
  • Initiator
  • Insightful
  • Intelligent
  • Intense
  • Interesting

Adjectives to Describe Yourself | Infographic 1

Words to Describe Yourself

  • Intuitive
  • Inventive
  • Knowledgeable
  • Leader
  • Literate
  • Logical
  • Logical
  • Loyal
  • Mature
  • Mediator
  • Meditative
  • Methodical
  • Modest
  • Motivated
  • Naive
  • Objective
  • Open-mindedness
  • Optimistic
  • Organised
  • Original
  • Outgoing
  • Particular
  • Passionate
  • Patient
  • Perceptive
  • Persistent
  • Personable
  • Persuasive
  • Pleasant
  • Political
  • Positive
  • Powerful
  • Practical
  • Proactive
  • Productive
  • Professional
  • Quality
  • Quick
  • Quirky
  • Quixotic
  • Racy
  • Realistic
  • Rebellious
  • Reliable
  • Resourceful
  • Respectful
  • Responsible
  • Results-driven
  • Results-oriented
  • Self-disciplined
  • Self-reliant
  • Sense of humor
  • Sensible
  • Sensitive
  • Sensuous
  • Sincere
  • Skilled
  • Sociable
  • Social consciousness
  • Solid
  • Sophisticated
  • Sporty
  • Stable
  • Strong
  • Successful
  • Tactful
  • Talented
  • Team player
  • Tenacious
  • Thoughtful
  • Tolerant
  • Traditional
  • Trustworthy
  • Unconventional
  • Understanding
  • Unique
  • Unselfish
  • Upbeat
  • Vibrant
  • Warm
  • Wise
  • With integrity
  • Young

Words to Describe Yourself | Infographic

Adjectives to Describe Yourself | Infographic 2

Words to Describe Yourself

Adjectives to Describe Yourself | Infographic 3

Words to Describe Yourself

Understanding yourself is the first step you must take if you want a fulfilling life.

When you understand yourself, you can understand:

  • what you’re feeling and why,
  • what you want to do with your life,
  • who you want to surround yourself with,
  • which experiences you want on your bucket list,
  • and so much more.

When I was stuck in life a couple of years ago, I couldn’t even pinpoint what I didn’t like about what I was doing.

I kept looking for answers on the outside instead of devoting time to self-reflection; I was looking at what other “successful” people in my field were doing and trying to replicate their moves instead of exploring what I actually wanted to do.

I learned the lesson the hard way because it took me years to understand what was happening inside of me.

In this post, you’ll find 100 questions to get to know yourself (that aren’t “what’s your favorite movie?” or “what would you save first if your house catches fire?”) to connect with your feelings, understand yourself and paint a more or less complete picture of who you are today.

I say “more or less complete” because you’re not static.

You’re constantly changing and improving because every:

  • Conversation you have,
  • Movie you see,
  • Song you hear,
  • Or thought you think has the ability to change who you are.

There’s always more to learn about yourself.

So, how well do you know yourself?

Let’s find out 🙂

For this massive list of questions, I’ve divided them into 10 categories, 10 questions each.

Not all get-to-know-yourself questions are created equal, so I wanted to give you the option to choose the ones you’re the most interested in.

10 questions about your daily life

Understanding what you do day to day and seeing it from a different perspective can help you see things like:

  • which habits are stopping you from reaching your goals
  • what you may be taking for granted
  • how you talk to yourself in your head
  • which emotions you’re constantly feeling and if there’s something you want to do about them.

Here are ten questions that’ll help you better understand yourself and your daily life.

  1. What are you grateful to have in your daily life?
  2. List the top things you think about the most. How do those thoughts make you feel? Out of those thoughts, which are worth thinking about?
  3. List the top activities you do the most. How do those activities make you feel? Out of those things, which are worth your time?
  4. What could you do to improve your daily routine?
  5. Pay attention to your thoughts today. Is there a recurring thought you’d like to get rid of?
  6. What have you been postponing lately? Why are you avoiding it?
  7. What’s the thing you crave the most? How do you think that thing is going to make your life better?
  8. List all the ways in which you could make your days better.
  9. List all the bad habits you’d like to get rid of. Why are they bad, in your opinion?
  10. How do you usually feel every day?

10 questions about your mindset

These questions will help you understand how you think when it comes to things like:

  • success
  • making progress
  • and taking action.

If you feel stuck in life, these questions can help you see which aspects of your mindset may be standing between you and your progress.

  1. How do you measure success? What does success mean to you?
  2. Do you believe one day you’ll be successful the way you want?
  3. Make a list of all the traits successful people have in common.
  4. How does making a mistake at work make you feel/think about yourself?
  5. Do you believe in your ability to make your dreams happen?
  6. Would you say you allow yourself to make mistakes?
  7. Do you take responsibility for your mistakes, or do you tend to blame others?
  8. What does “making progress” mean to you? How much progress is good progress?
  9. Do you tend to make excuses? How can you work around them?
  10. Are you a pessimist or an optimist? Why?

10 questions about your dream life

Having a hard time knowing what you want in life? These questions can help you uncover your aspirations and dreams.

I believe you know deep down what you want in life.

You don’t need anybody to tell you.

What’s happening is that all those dreams are covered by a layer of fear or shame.

Give these questions a try. answer them honestly, and they may lead you to uncover your next path in life.

  1. In your opinion, what does it mean to live a “meaningful” life?
  2. What change do you want to make in the world?
  3. How would your perfect day be from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to bed?
  4. Do you feel like you deserve to have what you want? Do you feel worthy of your dreams and goals?
  5. If you keep doing what you’re doing now, where will you be in one year? How does that thought make you feel?
  6. What’s the ideal amount of money you’d like to have in your bank account?
  7. Which objects, styles, smells, and feelings best describe your ideal life? What does that say about what you want?
    1. For example, you may be drawn to minimalist homes in the mountains or a penthouse in the middle of the city.
  8. What’s preventing you from taking action?
    • I’d love to [blank], but I haven’t because [blank].
  9. What are you willing to sacrifice to get what you want in life?
  10. What can you do today to start building your dream life?

10 questions about your past

If you don’t understand your past, you can’t understand yourself fully.

Dive deep into some of the experiences that shaped you with these questions about your past.

Take this opportunity to see those experiences for what they are: memories.

Seeing them that way can help you let go of what doesn’t serve you anymore.

  1. If you could go back in time, what would you change? How would that affect you today?
  2. Is there something you no longer do that you’d like to do again?
  3. Which memory, person, or feeling do you need to let go of?
  4. Why do you think you haven’t let that go yet? Why would it be beneficial to get over it?
  5. Which piece of advice would you give your younger self? Where does that advice come from?
  6. What mistake or rough time taught you something you’re grateful for today?
  7. Think about a mistake you made. How did you react? What did you tell yourself? What does that say about you?
  8. Describe a traumatic or sad past event, and list everything you learned about it.
  9. If you could meet with a version of your past self that was going through a rough patch, what would you tell her or him?
  10. If your past self could get a glimpse into the future and see where you are today and what you’re doing, what would she or he say?

10 questions about your feelings

How do you feel, really?

With these questions about your feelings, you’ll get honest about your emotions, which will help you understand yourself better.

  1. How often do you ignore your own feelings and/or what your gut’s trying to tell you?
  2. What makes you feel discouraged?
  3. What’s the longest you’ve been mad at someone? Would you say you tend to hold grudges for too long?
  4. How do you feel when you’re in new environments with new people?
  5. How do you feel about what you do for a living?
  6. What’s something you think you’ll never do? Why?
  7. Are you assertive, passive, or aggressive when you’re angry?
  8. Is there something you often feel that you no longer want to feel?
  9. How do you act when you’re under pressure?
  10. How do you behave when you’re dealing with difficult emotions? Do you usually let them bottle up? Or are you good at handling them in a healthy way?

10 questions for your future self

These questions can help you uncover more of what you want and see your life from a different perspective.

They are fun and maybe a little challenging to answer, but I’m sure they’ll help you see things you ignore right now.

  1. What can you start doing today to make your future self happier and more fulfilled?
  2. Make a list of all the things you want to be doing in 12 months. You can also include things you want to have and ways in which you’d like to feel a year from now.
  3. How do you picture your life 20 years from now? How do you feel about that?
  4. Are you doing challenging things today that will make your life better in the future? List them.
  5. Where does your future self live?
  6. What do you want to feel proud of in 1 to 3 years?
  7. What are you doing in the next 6-12 months to become the person you want to be?
  8. What do you think your future self deserves?
  9. Imagine you’re on your deathbed. What do you regret not doing?
  10. Describe how you want your life to be when you retire.

10 questions about self-growth

These questions are all about your personal growth and becoming the person you want to be.

By answering these questions, you’ll be able to understand what you can start doing right now to move the needle and grow as a person.

  1. What does self-growth mean to you?
  2. Do you consider yourself a self-aware person?
  3. There’s always room for improvement in every area of life. Which actions can you take to improve yours?
  4. When was the last time you took a risk? Was it worth it?
  5. List three life lessons you’ve learned and will never forget.
  6. Have you taken action to change, improve or leave situations (or people, habits, etc.) that add little to no value to your life? Do you have a plan to do so? If not, why not?
  7. Do you think you communicate effectively? Why?
  8. Do you consider yourself an emotionally intelligent person? If not, list the things you’d like to improve in that area.
  9. Is the fear of rejection or failure stopping you from taking action? Which tiny steps can you take to start facing those fears?
  10. Have you grown as a person in the last 12 months? How?

10 questions about your relationships

You’re not an island.

Whether you like it or not, your relationships are part of the mix that makes you who you are.

Use the following questions to explore the relationships that make you happy and those that don’t.

  1. When you meet someone, what makes you instantly like/dislike them? What do you think is the reason behind that?
  2. If your relationships with someone else improved, would you feel more at peace with yourself?
  3. What can you do to improve or keep nurturing your relationships?
  4. How do you express your feelings for people you care about or love? What’s your love language?
  5. How do you feel about your most important relationships?
  6. How often do you put yourself in other people’s shoes?
  7. Describe the love partner you think you deserve.
  8. What’s something you’d like to tell a loved one but haven’t found the courage to say?
  9. Is there something you need to apologize for?
  10. What do you blame your family for?

10 questions about self-love and self-confidence

Are you giving yourself the love you deserve?

If you aren’t, that can tell you many things about yourself.

Is your negative self-talk taking over? Are you blaming yourself, and thus punishing yourself, for something in your past?

Or are you treating yourself the way toxic people in your life used to treat you?

If you’re always feeling like you’re not good enough to do the things you want to do, the questions below can help.

Get honest about how much you love and trust yourself; that’ll tell you a lot about yourself.

  1. What’s something people see in you that makes them love you or look up to you?
  2. What fear have you overcome, and how did you do it?
  3. How would you describe a self-confident person? Which of those traits would you like to have?
  4. What are the reasons you’re thankful for your body?
  5. Make a list of 5 to 10 things you love about yourself.
  6. Make a list of 3-5 things you’ve accomplished and feel proud of. It can be anything that was challenging for you, but you did anyway.
  7. Do you speak up when you feel taken advantage of or abused?
  8. What are you good at?
  9. Are you taking care of your mental and physical health? How?
  10. How often do you celebrate yourself and your accomplishments?

10 questions about your personality

What’s your personality like?

We all adapt our behavior to the place we’re in or who we’re with, but your personality is always there.

Understanding your personality can give you more ideas about:

  • what you want to do
  • which type of person you want a relationship with
  • how big your dreams are
  • and more.
  1. From 1-10, how self-confident are you? If it’s low, do you think your self-confidence is holding you back?
  2. Which are your top 3 values in life? Check out a helpful list of personal values here.
  3. Do you tend to act on your ideas, dreams, or goals to make them happen?
  4. How do you behave under stressful situations?
  5. From 1 to 10, how ambitious are you?
  6. How do you deal with stressful situations and overwhelm?
  7. How do you respond to criticism or feedback?
    1. How do you tend to react if a coworker says your performance could improve and offers constructive criticism?
  8. How do you react when something bothers you?
    1. Passive: just go with the flow and expect it to solve on its own.
    2. Aggressive: you get defensive and don’t think twice before making a fuss about it.
    3. Assertive: you focus on fixing the problem in a mature way and make compromises if necessary.
  9. Do you tend to do things to impress others?
  10. After answering all these questions, how would you describe yourself?

Other Exercises to Get To Know Yourself

I always recommend journaling to deal with many different obstacles in life.

If you liked this huge list of prompts, then you’ll LOVE the Self-Discovery Bundle, a collection of journaling workbooks to:

  • Organize what’s on your mind
  • Get clear about what you want and what matters to you
  • Uncover what’s stopping YOU from taking action
  • Ditch your bad habits and build a routine that works for you
  • Understand the mental obstacles that stand between you and your dream life
  • Start turning your inner critic into your biggest cheerleader

… And so much more!

Why Is It Important to Know Yourself

Self-discovery has many benefits, but here are the top reasons why knowing yourself better is important.

It helps you:

  • live more intentionally because you know what you want and what you don’t
  • love and celebrate yourself
  • make peace with your past
  • get rid of bad habits that may take you down the wrong path.

The Bottom Line

These questions to know yourself can help you find direction in life and get unstuck, but only if you take the time to explore and be honest with yourself.

Grab a notebook and a pen, choose one of the categories above and just start writing your answers to the questions.

You’ll see that one question will lead you to more than one answer if you keep writing and being honest.

Hi, there!

I created aimlief.com to help people overcome one of the hardest obstacles I’ve faced in my life: feeling stuck and directionless.

Whether it’s your career, your whole life, or your own mind keeping you stuck, you’ll find the right resource for you here.

There are so many descriptive words out there…

And yet sometimes you may still struggle to find the right words to describe yourself.

Hey, we don’t blame you. Choosing the words to describe yourself can be a tricky task.

On the one hand, you want to show your positive traits. On the other hand, you might not want to overdo it with self-praise.

Things get even trickier when you’re applying for college or a job and you need to find the most suitable words to describe yourself.

Honestly, we know the struggle — this is why we wrote this article.

  • 95+ Best Words to Describe Yourself 
  • 45 Words to Describe Yourself in a Job Interview
  • 40 Words to Describe Yourself in a Resume
  • 40 Words to Describe Yourself on a College Application
  • Words NOT to Describe Yourself

95+ Best Words to Describe Yourself 

They say actions speak louder than words, but sometimes you can only rely on words to describe yourself.  

For example, before you can prove your professional or academic capabilities, you first have to express yourself through your college application, your interview with recruiters, or your resume. 

Your online personae — from your social media usernames to the adjectives you use to describe yourself on various platforms (e.g. a dating app) — is also defined by your choice of words. 

Considering how important all of the above is, there’s no doubt you’d want to nail the words to describe yourself. 

To help you pick the right words, we’ve compiled a list of the best 100 words to describe yourself in any situation: 

Best Words to Describe Yourself: 

  • Adaptable
  • Adept
  • Adventurous
  • Affectionate
  • Ambitious
  • Artistic
  • Assertive
  • Attentive
  • Authentic
  • Approachable
  • Balanced
  • Bright
  • Broad-minded
  • Candid
  • Cheerful
  • Chill
  • Clever
  • Communicative
  • Compassionate
  • Competitive
  • Charismatic
  • Considerate
  • Constructive
  • Courageous
  • Creative
  • Curious
  • Dependable
  • Determined
  • Direct
  • Dynamic
  • Easygoing
  • Eclectic
  • Emotional
  • Energetic
  • Enthusiastic
  • Extroverted
  • Exuberant
  • Fearless
  • Flexible
  • Forgiving
  • Friendly
  • Fun
  • Funny
  • Generous
  • Genuine
  • Joyful
  • Happy
  • Helpful
  • Honest
  • Imaginative
  • Independent
  • Romantic
  • Risk-taker
  • Intelligent
  • Intuitive
  • Inventive
  • Inspiring
  • Knowledgeable
  • Kind
  • Logical
  • Loyal
  • Loving
  • Mature
  • Modest
  • Motivated
  • Open-minded
  • Optimistic
  • Original
  • Outgoing
  • Passionate
  • Patient
  • Perceptive
  • Persistent
  • Pleasant
  • Practical
  • Reliable
  • Respectful
  • Responsible
  • Self-reliant
  • Sensible
  • Sensitive
  • Sincere
  • Sociable
  • Socially conscious
  • Straightforward
  • Strong
  • Successful
  • Sympathetic
  • Tenacious
  • Thoughtful
  • Tolerant
  • Tough
  • Trustworthy
  • Understanding
  • Upbeat
  • Versatile
  • Vibrant
  • Warmhearted
  • Wise

job interview masterclass

45 Words to Describe Yourself in a Job Interview

A common job interview question is “what are 3 words to describe yourself?” 

When recruiters ask you to describe yourself, they are looking to find out two things: 

  • Do your personality and skills match the job requirements?
  • Are you honest in your answers?

Keep this in mind and it will be much easier to answer this typical interview question successfully. 

Now, if you’re wondering how, exactly, you should answer this question, here’s what we recommend:

  1. Choose adjectives that are relevant to the position you’re applying for (as long as they fit you, of course). 
  2. Back up your answer with examples of how you embody the quality or skill. This will prove that you are answering honestly.

Let’s see how this works through an example. Say you’re applying to be a teacher and you’re asked “what are three words to describe yourself?”   

Here’s how NOT to go about it: 

  • I am creative, competitive, and tenacious.

Now, there’s nothing technically wrong with these adjectives; however, the answer isn’t the best possible for two main reasons: 

  1. Competitiveness and tenacity are not the most sought-after skills for teachers. 
  2. The claims are not backed up with concrete examples. You could really be creative, or you could be exaggerating. Without backing it up, the recruiter can’t tell which one it is.

Here’s a more interview-friendly way to answer this question: 

  • To begin with, I am creative — in my last school, I came up with an SAT exam preparation technique that raised the graduating class’s success rate by more than 30%. I am helpful, both to my students and colleagues — I often stay after class to clarify any questions students may have and I fill in for other teachers whenever I can. Finally, I am very passionate about my work and my students. I’ve been in the field for over 10 years, and I plan on sticking with it for as long as I can.

Here’s a list of words you can use to describe yourself in a job interview: 

Words to Describe Yourself in a Job Interview 

  • Attentive
  • Artistic
  • Ambitious
  • Analytical
  • Caring
  • Committed
  • Consistent
  • Cooperative
  • Devoted
  • Diplomatic
  • Experienced
  • Extroverted
  • Focused
  • Good listener
  • Hardworking
  • Helpful
  • Insightful
  • Innovative
  • Methodical
  • Meticulous
  • Motivated
  • Objective
  • Observant
  • Organized
  • Persevering 
  • Persuasive
  • Proactive
  • Problem solver
  • Productive
  • Professional
  • Proficient
  • Resourceful
  • Results-oriented
  • Disciplined
  • Team player
  • Thorough
  • Tireless
  • Trustworthy
  • Sociable 
  • Skilled
  • Strategic
  • Systematic

Note

Wondering what other questions might come up in a job interview? Check our list of 35+ interview questions and answers

40 Words to Describe Yourself in a Resume

When it comes to your resume, you won’t be directly asked to find three words to describe yourself. That doesn’t mean, however, that you shouldn’t care about the adjectives you choose to describe yourself on your resume. 

On the contrary — before even inviting you at the job interview, it’s your resume that speaks for you. So, your choice of words to describe yourself there is arguably even more important.

Of course, it’s not enough to just insert some adjectives here and there and call it a day. Instead, you need to find the right way to “sell yourself.” In this section, we’ll teach you just how you can do that.

Your resume profile is the first place to add the right words to describe yourself. Be it through a resume summary, or a resume objective, you’ll need to find at least one strong adjective to describe yourself and make a good — and lasting — impression. 

If you ask us, that’s pretty essential, considering that most recruiters spend an average of 7.4 seconds skimming through a resume. Talk about first impressions mattering, right?

Keep in mind, though — 

Just like with the interview, plugging in some adjectives to describe yourself won’t cut it. 

  • First, you should make sure to choose adjectives relevant to the job. 
  • Second, remember to always back up your claims with examples — or, in this case, achievements. 

Let’s assume that you’re a recent college graduate applying as a Communications Assistant. Your resume objective would look something like this:

Hard-working and passionate college graduate looking to apply up-to-date skills and strategies as a Communications Assistant at the Regional Youth Cooperation Office. 1+ years of practical experience as an intern at the Mayor’s Communications Office.  

Even if you’re a seasoned professional with many achievements to show, you’ll need an adjective to describe yourself. In such a case, your resume summary would look something like this: 

Task-driven professional experienced in data entry, customer service, and reception duties. Able to perform accurate and efficient entry of data into administrative software. 

Get the idea? Here are some more adjectives to choose from: 

Words to Describe Yourself in a Resume

  • Accomplished
  • Accountable
  • Bold
  • Collaborative
  • Competent
  • Confident
  • Conscientious
  • Cooperative
  • Data-driven
  • Detail-oriented
  • Eager
  • Efficient
  • Emotionally intelligent
  • Entrepreneurial
  • Ethical
  • Experienced
  • Expert
  • Flexible
  • Gregarious
  • Motivated
  • Organized
  • People person
  • Persistent
  • Personable
  • Professional
  • Proficient
  • Resourceful
  • Self-assured
  • Self-starter
  • Skilled
  • Skillful
  • Sociable
  • Strategic
  • Team player
  • Thoughtful 
  • Tireless
  • Unconventional

40 Words to Describe Yourself on a College Application

The majority of college applications require that you submit a personal statement. 

Personal statements are a way to promote yourself and show why you are the right candidate for a certain program. Unlike motivation letters, where you’re supposed to explain your academic objectives, personal statements allow space for creativity. 

Thus, you can get more expressive and personal with the words to describe yourself in a college application, as opposed to your resume or job interview. As an undergrad candidate, you are supposed to highlight your strengths and show what makes you unique. 

Here are some adjectives you can use for inspiration:

Words to Describe Yourself in a College Application 

  • Artistic
  • Athletic
  • Authentic 
  • Brave
  • Committed
  • Compassionate
  • Courageous
  • Curious
  • Daring
  • Dedicated
  • Diligent
  • Down-to-earth
  • Enthusiastic
  • Extroverted
  • Fearless
  • Generous
  • Genuine
  • Go-getter
  • Idealistic
  • Imaginative 
  • Independent
  • Inspired
  • Loyal
  • Motivated
  • Musical
  • Open-minded
  • Outdoorsy
  • Positive
  • Productive
  • Resilient
  • Respectful
  • Risk-taker
  • Scholarly
  • Self-reliant
  • Sincere
  • Social butterfly
  • Studious
  • Supportive
  • Unique

10 Words NOT to Describe Yourself (Professionally)

As you can imagine, there are also words you should refrain from using to describe yourself — especially in the professional context. 

Not that these adjectives are bad per se — however, they might not arouse the expected reaction when you use them out of context. What do we mean?

Take the following example. Imagine using these words to describe yourself in a job interview: 

“How would I describe myself? Let’s see, I’m amazing, funny, and unique.” 

Now, it’d be more than OK if a colleague — or anyone, for that matter — described you this way. Calling yourself amazing in front of recruiters, however? Might be a bit too much, without really saying anything at all.

Here’s a list of our top 10 words NOT to describe yourself (outside of your friends’ circle):

  1. Amazing 
  2. Awesome 
  3. Dynamic 
  4. Funny
  5. Honest
  6. Humble
  7. Intelligent 
  8. Talented
  9. Visionary
  10. Unique

Key Takeaways 

And that’s a wrap! We hope that by now you’re equipped with many more words to describe yourself. 

Let’s go over some of the main points we covered in the article: 

  • Many situations will require that you find the right words to describe yourself. A resume, job interview, or college application are among the most common. 
  • During a job interview, make sure to use words to describe yourself that are relevant to the job and to back up your claims with examples. 
  • Your resume profile is your chance to make a memorable first impression — scan the job ad to choose adjectives that are relevant to the position and back them up with your achievements. 
  • There are some words you should not use to describe yourself — if it can’t be backed with concrete examples if it sounds generic, or if it’s an adjective that makes more sense being said for you (and not by you), then stay away.  


Download Article


Download Article

How well do you really know yourself? Sometimes you might find yourself doing things even though you’re not quite sure why. Our subconscious controls a huge amount of our behavior and thus the reasoning behind many of our decisions in life can be shrouded in mystery. However, if you know how to look, you can gain a greater understanding of yourself: why you make the decisions that you do, what makes you happy, and how you might change for the better.

  1. Image titled Understand Yourself Step 1

    1

    Take a personality test. The first thing you can do to gain a greater understanding of yourself is to get some objective assessment. You can also ask people you know, but their experience of you could lead them to the same biases that you have. Getting some objective opinions will give you a more accurate picture and lead you to consider some things you might not even have thought of. There are a number of established tests that you can take to learn about the different aspects of yourself (and more than a few less-reputable ones):

    • The Myers-Briggs Personality type theory says that all people have 1 of 16 different basic personalities. These personalities can predict how you interact with people, the kinds of interpersonal problems and strengths that you have, and what kind of environment you live and work in best.[1]
    • If you’re struggling to understand what makes you happy and what you should do with your life, consider taking a career test. These types of tests can help you decide what you might find the most satisfying, usually based on your personality and what you do for fun.
  2. Image titled Understand Yourself Step 2

    2

    Understand your learning style. There is a theory that every person learns and processes their experience of the world in one of a number of different ways. Knowing what learning style you have will help you even once you’re out of school and can help you to understand why you struggle with some activities and excel at others. As with the others, there are a number of free tests that you can take online.

    • Just be aware that this is a disputed science, with many theories about how many learning styles exist, and you may get different results depending on which test you take.

    Advertisement

  3. Image titled Understand Yourself Step 3

    3

    Do character writing exercises. When writers go to write a book, they will often do writing exercises which help them to better understand the characters that they’re writing about. You can do these same exercises to get a better understanding of yourself and many can be found online for free. These exercises may not have anything official to say about you, often relying on you to draw your own conclusions about what your answers say about you, but they may lead you to think about things you never thought about before. Try answering the following questions to get an idea of what this is like:

    • How would you describe yourself in one sentence?
    • What is your purpose in your life’s story?
    • What is the most important thing that has ever happened to you? How did it change you?
    • How are you different than the people around you?
  4. Image titled Understand Yourself Step 4

    4

    Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. You can come to a better understanding of who you are and what is most important to you by thinking about your strengths and weaknesses. Importantly, you’ll want to compare your perception of your strengths and weaknesses to the strengths and weaknesses identified by your friends, family, and coworkers. The things that they see that you don’t can tell you a lot about yourself and how you see yourself.[2]

    • Examples of strengths include determination, devotion, self-discipline, thoughtfulness, decisiveness, patience, diplomacy, communication skills, and imagination or creativity.
    • Examples of weaknesses include close-mindedness, self-centeredness, difficulty perceiving reality, judgement of others, and issues with control.
  5. Image titled Understand Yourself Step 5

    5

    Examine your priorities. What you think is most important in life and in your day-to-day interactions can tell you a lot about yourself. Think about your priorities, compare them to the priorities of other people you respect, and think what your conclusions say about you. Of course, you need to be open to the idea that you might not have your priorities in the best order (many people don’t), which can also teach you a lot about yourself.[3]

    • If your house were burning down, what would you do? What would you save? It’s amazing how fire exposes our priorities. Even if you’d save something practical, like your tax records, that still says something about you (probably that you prefer to be prepared and not meet resistance in life).
    • Another way to tell what your priorities are is to imagine that someone you love was being openly criticized for something that you don’t support (let’s say, they’re gay but you don’t agree with the lifestyle). Do you support them? Protect them? How? What would you say? Our actions in the face of peer criticism and possible ostracization can reveal our priorities.
    • Some examples of priorities that people often have include: money, family, sex, respect, security, stability, material possessions, and comfort.
  6. Image titled Understand Yourself Step 6

    6

    Look at how you’ve changed. Look at your past and think about how what has happened to you over your lifetime has affected how you act and think today. Looking at how you’ve changed as a person can reveal a lot about why you act the way that you do, because our current behaviors are built on our past experiences.

    • For example, maybe you tend to get really defensive around shoplifters and are very harsh to people you perceive as stealing. When you think about it, you might remember stealing a candy from a store as a child and your parents punishing you very harshly, which would explain your stronger than normal reaction to that behavior now.
  7. Advertisement

  1. Image titled Understand Yourself Step 7

    1

    Check yourself when you experience strong emotions. Sometimes, you’ll find yourself getting really, strongly angry, sad, happy, or excited. Understanding what sets off these stronger-than-normal reactions, what their root cause is, can help you understand yourself better.

    • For example, maybe you get really violently angry about people talking during a movie. Are you really angry about the talking or are you angry because you felt like it was a personal sign of disrespect towards you? Since this anger doesn’t help the situation, you might be better off trying to find ways that you can be less concerned about people respecting you, just to keep your own blood pressure down.
  2. Image titled Understand Yourself Step 8

    2

    Watch out for repression and transference. Repression is when you don’t want to think about something, so you help yourself to forget it even happened. Transference is when you emotionally react to one thing, but what you’re really reacting to is something else. Both of these behaviors, which are very common, are unhealthy and finding out why you do them and finding ways to handle those emotions in a healthier way will make you a much happier person.[4]

    • For example, you might think that you’re not sad about your grandma dying, but when your family decides to get rid of her favorite old chair you get really angry and upset. You’re not really upset about the chair being gone. It was stained, smelled funny, and probably contained radioactive foam for all you know. You’re upset that your grandma is gone.
  3. Image titled Understand Yourself Step 9

    3

    Notice how and when you talk about yourself. Do you turn every conversation you have into a conversation about yourself? Do you make jokes at your own expense whenever you talk about yourself? How and when you talk about yourself can reveal a lot about how you think and how you perceive yourself. It’s healthy to talk about yourself sometimes and it’s good to realize that you can’t do everything, but you should pay attention to extremes and think about why you go to those extremes.

    • For example, your friend might have just finished her PhD, but when you’re all talking about it, you turn the conversation to be about when you were working on your master’s. This might be because you feel embarrassed that you only got a master’s and they finished a PhD, so you want to make yourself feel more important or accomplished by making the conversation about you.
  4. Image titled Understand Yourself Step 10

    4

    Look at how and why you interact with others. When you interact with people, do you tend to put them down? Maybe you’ve noticed that you only choose to spend time with people that have more money than you. Behaviors like this can also teach you things about yourself and what is really important to you.

    • For example, if you’re choosing to only spend time with friends that have more money than you, it may show that you want to feel more wealthy by letting yourself pretend you’re equal to your friends in that way.
    • Think about what you «hear» vs what was said. This is another thing you can look out for when examining your interactions with your friends and family. You might find that what you hear is something like “I need your help” when what they actually said was “I want your company”, revealing that you have a strong need to feel useful to others.
  5. Image titled Understand Yourself Step 11

    5

    Write your biography. Write your biography in 500 words in 20 minutes. This will require you to type very fast and think less about what you will include, helping you to identify what your brain thinks is most important when defining who you are. For many people, 20 minutes won’t even be enough time to type 500 words. Thinking about what you are upset you weren’t able to get out vs what you did say can also tell you things about yourself.

  6. Image titled Understand Yourself Step 12

    6

    See how long you can wait for gratification. Studies have shown that people who can delay satisfaction have a generally better time getting through life, getting better grades, more education, and maintaining a healthier body. Think about situations where you could have delayed gratification. What did you do? If you have trouble delaying gratification, this is something to look out for a work on, since it often plays a role in success.

    • Stanford did a famous experiment with this called the Marshmallow Experiment [5]
      , where they watched how some kids reacted when presented with marshmallow treats and then followed their progress through life, over the course of many decades. The children who put off their treat in favor of a bigger reward did better in school, work, and health-related areas.
  7. Image titled Understand Yourself Step 13

    7

    Analyze whether you need to tell or be told. When you’re doing something, like work, think about whether you seek out your next task without having to be asked, whether you need someone else to tell you what to do before you act, or whether you’d rather skip all of that in favor of just telling someone else what to do. Each of these things can say different things about you, depending on the situation.

    • Remember that there’s nothing wrong with needing someone to give you instructions and guidance before doing a task. It’s just something to be aware of so that you can better understand and control your own behavior when important things come up. For example, if you know you’re bad at taking control in a situation but you know you need to, you can think about how your reluctance is just “a habit” that you can break and not a necessity.
  8. Image titled Understand Yourself Step 14

    8

    Look at the way you react in tough or new situations. When things get really tough, such as when you lose your job, a loved one dies, or someone is threatening you, the more hidden or restrained parts of your character tend to come out.[6]
    Think about how you’ve reacted in the past when the tension has gotten high. Why did you react the way that you did? How do you wish that you’d reacted? Would you be more likely to react that way now?

    • You can also imagine these scenarios, but be aware that your hypothetical responses may be clouded by your bias and not accurate to how you’d really react.
    • For example, imagine you were moving to a new town where no one knows you. Where would you go to make friends? What kind of people would you try to make friends with? Is there anything you’d change in terms of what you tell people about yourself vs what all your current friends know about you? This can reveal your priorities and what you’re looking for in your social interactions.
  9. Image titled Understand Yourself Step 15

    9

    Think about how having power influences your behavior. If you’re in any kind of position of power, you might want to think about the effect it has on your behavior. Many people, when put in a position of power, will become harsher, less open-minded, more controlling, and more suspicious.[7]
    When you find yourself making decisions that affect others, think about why you’re really making that choice: is it because it’s the right thing to do or is it because you need to feel in control of the situation?

    • For example, when you’re babysitting your little brother, do you put him in timeout just for a small problem? Does this really help him learn or are you just trying to find reasons to put him in timeout?
  10. Image titled Understand Yourself Step 16

    10

    Examine your influences. The things that have an influence on how you think and how you see the world can say a lot about you, whether you actually conform to what they teach or not. In seeing where your influences have shaped your behavior, you can better understand the root of the behaviors you do have. In seeing where you deviate from those taught behaviors, you can also identify your uniqueness and your own personal thinking. Thinks that influence you include:

    • Your media intake, such as TV shows, movies, books, and even what porn you watch.
    • Your parents, who might teach you things varying from tolerance vs racism to material wealth vs spiritual wealth.
    • Your friends, who will pressure you into enjoying certain things or introduce you to new and wonderful experiences.
  11. Advertisement

  1. Image titled Understand Yourself Step 17

    1

    Let go of your defensiveness. If you want to really reflect and understand yourself better, you’re going to need to think about parts of yourself that you really don’t like and admit to some things you might not want to admit to. You’ll be naturally defensive about admitting these kinds of things to yourself, but if you’re really going to understand how you work, then you’re going to need to let go of that defensiveness. Even if you don’t let those barriers down for other people, you at least have to let them down for yourself.

    • Becoming less defensive about your weaknesses can also mean opening yourself up to getting help from other people and making amends for past mistakes. If you’re more open to discussion, criticism, and change, then other people can really help you understand and improve yourself.
  2. Image titled Understand Yourself Step 18

    2

    Be honest with yourself. We lie to ourselves a lot more than we’d like to think about sometimes.[8]
    We’ll help ourselves to think that we made some questionable choices for noble or logical reasons, even when we were really just being vindictive or lazy. But hiding from the real reason behind our motives doesn’t help us change and develop into better people. Remember: there’s no point in lying to yourself. Even if you discover truths about yourself that you really don’t like, this only gives you the opportunity to take those problems head on instead of just pretending like they don’t exist.[9]

  3. Image titled Understand Yourself Step 19

    3

    Listen to what others say to and about you. Sometimes, especially when we do bad things, others will try to warn us against those behaviors. We also have a tendency not to listen. Sometimes this is good, because lots of people will say things about you just because they want to hurt you and their comment will have no basis in fact. But sometimes what they say is a good, outsider’s analysis of how you behave. Think about what people have said in the past and ask for some new opinions about your behavior.

    • For example, your sister might notice that you tend to exaggerate. But this is unintentional on your part, which can serve to show you that your perception of reality is a bit off.
    • There’s a big difference between evaluating what they say about you and letting that opinion control your life and actions. You shouldn’t tailor your behavior to suit other people unless it is having a significantly negative impact on your life (and even then, you might want to consider that your environment might be the problem, not your behavior). Make changes because you want to change, not because someone else tells you that you should.
  4. Image titled Understand Yourself Step 20

    4

    Give advice. Giving advice will often give you a great opportunity to think through your own problems and reevaluate them from the outside. When looking at someone else’s situation, you will be more likely to think about situations and circumstances that you never thought of before.

    • You don’t even have to do this activity for real, although helping your friends, family, and even strangers is a nice thing to do. You can give advice to your older and younger selves, in the form of a letter. This will help you think through your past experiences and what you took away from them, as well as what is really important to you for the future.
  5. Image titled Understand Yourself Step 21

    5

    Take time and experience life. The best way to really get to know yourself, however, is to just experience life. Just like getting to know another person, understanding yourself takes time and you’ll learn far more through experiencing life than by interviewing yourself and taking tests. You can try:

    • Traveling. Traveling will put you in lots of different situations and test your ability to handle stress and adapt to change. You’ll come to a greater understanding of your happiness, priorities, and dreams than you ever could just sitting in your same old boring life.
    • Getting more education. Education, real education, challenges us to think in new ways. Getting an education will open your mind and lead you to think about things you’d never even considered. Your interests and how you feel about these new things you learn can reveal things about you.
    • Letting go of expectations. Let go of other people’s expectations for you. Let go of your expectations for yourself. Let go of your expectations for what life should be like. When you do this, you’ll be more open to seeing what new experiences might make you happy and fulfilled. Life is a crazy roller-coaster and you’re going to encounter a lot of things that scare you because they’re new or different but don’t close yourself to those experiences. They might make you happier than you’ve ever been.
  6. Advertisement

Add New Question

  • Question

    How can I be a happier person?

    Camber Hill

    Camber Hill is a numerologist, author, speaker, and the owner of Camber Hill Coaching based in Long Beach, California. For over 37 years, Camber has coached entrepreneurs, creatives, business executives, and professional sports figures. He has also inspired creatives in the entertainment industry such as professional directors, writers, actors, and top radio personalities. Camber’s unique use of numerology allows him to understand the under-current which drives his clients to create long-term solutions and measurable results. His work has been featured in the History Channel’s «The Human Calculator,» The Los Angeles Times, Palm Springs Life Magazine, and California radio programs. He is also a member of The International Coaching Federations and is a board member of the ICF Orange County’s Board of Directors. Additionally, Camber is distinguished as a certified business owner by the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.

    Camber Hill

    Support wikiHow by
    unlocking this expert answer.

    Life is really a beautiful mess. Even when the world is chaotic and confusing, you need to look for the beauty there. Find something that makes you happy and hold on to it. Relish it. Find something that brings you joy and pursue it.

  • Question

    Why is it important to understand yourself?

    Camber Hill

    Camber Hill is a numerologist, author, speaker, and the owner of Camber Hill Coaching based in Long Beach, California. For over 37 years, Camber has coached entrepreneurs, creatives, business executives, and professional sports figures. He has also inspired creatives in the entertainment industry such as professional directors, writers, actors, and top radio personalities. Camber’s unique use of numerology allows him to understand the under-current which drives his clients to create long-term solutions and measurable results. His work has been featured in the History Channel’s «The Human Calculator,» The Los Angeles Times, Palm Springs Life Magazine, and California radio programs. He is also a member of The International Coaching Federations and is a board member of the ICF Orange County’s Board of Directors. Additionally, Camber is distinguished as a certified business owner by the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.

    Camber Hill

    Support wikiHow by
    unlocking this expert answer.

    It’s a lot easier to control the way you respond to things if you understand yourself. For example, if you know your fear of being alone goes back to your parents forgetting to pick you up from school or something, you can start challenging negative thoughts when you’re worrying about picking your kids up for school. It just makes it easier to process everything you go through.

  • Question

    How can I have a stronger sense of myself?

    Rebekka Mars

    Rebekka Mars is a Life, Meditation, and Yoga Coach as well as the Founder of Modern Meditation™. She’s located in Sarasota, Florida and also works online with people all around the world. With over ten years of experience, Rebekka specializes in Yoga, meditation, and personal training to help clients embrace their body, mind, and soul to find calmness and balance in everyday life. She holds a BA in English from Lindenwood University and has over 1000 hours of Yoga training, holding her ERYT500 certification. Rebekka also serves as a keynote speaker on the topic of modern mindfulness speaking in person and virtually.

    Rebekka Mars

    Meditation & Yoga Coach

    Expert Answer

    Support wikiHow by
    unlocking this expert answer.

    A daily meditation practice can help you peel back the layers and find out how you’re feeling on a deeper level. For instance, you might touch base with things that are making you feel triggered or bothered throughout your day. Over time, that can help with your inner resiliency.

See more answers

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Advertisement

  • If you’re always getting angry or are sad, then you have no idea who you are. Try to figure this out.

  • Never ignore the comments of others, this can help you know what you are like.

  • If you figure out who you are and don’t like it, change it.

Show More Tips

Advertisement

  • Don’t doubt and dwell on the past because it’s gone

Advertisement

References

About This Article

Article SummaryX

Learning to understand yourself can be trickier than it sounds. To get started, try taking a personality test, such as the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator. This is a great way to get an unbiased look at some of your major strengths, weaknesses, and common behavior patterns. If you’re interested in learning more about your interests and values, you might also find it helpful to take a career test. For a more creative approach to figuring yourself out, consider filling out a character sheet, like the kind that you’d use to design a character for a story or a game. You can find these kinds of sheets online or in creative writing books. The questions might include things like, “What is your biggest fear?” or “What is the most important thing that’s ever happened to you?” You can also try making a list of your biggest strengths and weaknesses, your interests, or your top priorities in life. Whatever approach you take, be honest and gentle with yourself, and be open to outside perspectives as well. If someone else makes an observation about your behavior or personality, good or bad, keep an open mind and think about whether there’s any truth to it. Some of their insights might surprise you. For tips on how to reflect on who you are by giving advice to others, keep reading!

Did this summary help you?

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 341,905 times.

Reader Success Stories

  • Sherine Ayman

    Sherine Ayman

    Jun 28, 2019

    «It gave me a wider perspective about how to understand myself and might help me make future plans, both long- and…» more

Did this article help you?

feature_adjectives_word_cloud

One skill everyone should have, whether you’re applying to college or for a job, is how to describe yourself in a way that’s both accurate and unique. In other words, what are some interesting, eye-catching words to describe yourself with?

We list more than 250 describing words and give you tips for figuring out how to pick words that best suit you and your personality. But first, what are some situations in which you’d need to know describing words?

Why Might You Need to Describe Yourself?

Before we dive into our list of words to describe yourself, let’s answer an important question: why would you actually need to know any of these words? Put differently, in what situations would you need the following words to describe someone or yourself?

Here are some key instances you’ll want to use these words to describe yourself:

  • Cover letter: A cover letter is required for most job applications; it emphasizes the best and most impressive aspects of yourself as a job candidate. As a result, you’ll need to pick words that really make you stand out in a positive light.
  • Job interview: It’s common for an interviewer to ask you to describe yourself in a number of words; therefore, it’s important that you know some unique words you can use if you end up getting asked this basic interview question.
  • College application/personal essay: Most college applications require applicants to submit a personal statement (though not all do!). Your essay will stand out if you have some original and interesting words to describe yourself.
  • Online profile: Spice up your personal online profile, such as a dating profile or social media profile, by sprinkling in a few eye-catching adjectives.

Furthermore, if English is not your native language, this list of words to describe yourself can be a really great study resource you can use to learn some new vocabulary words!

Most of these words are adjectives, but you’ll also come across some nouns, too. We’ve divided up our list of words to describe someone in the following categories:

  • Cover Letter/Job Interview
  • College Application
  • Online Profile

All words are listed in alphabetical order.

body_job_interview_handshake

Words to Describe Yourself in a Cover Letter/Job Interview

You can use these professional words to describe yourself on a cover letter or in a job interview.

Interviewers often ask candidates to describe themselves in one to three words, so familiarizing yourself with some particularly interesting (and, of course, truthful!) words you can use to describe yourself should give you a leg up in the interview process.

We’ll also give you a list of words you should not use to describe yourself on a cover letter and in a job interview.

  • Accomplished
  • Accountable
  • Adaptable
  • Adept [at something]
  • Ambitious
  • Analytical
  • Articulate
  • Assertive
  • Attentive
  • Authentic
  • Balanced
  • Bilingual
  • Brave
  • Calm
  • Candid
  • Capable
  • Careful
  • Cheerful
  • Collaborative
  • Committed
  • Communicative
  • Community-minded
  • Compassionate
  • Confident
  • Conscientious
  • Consistent
  • Constructive
  • Cooperative
  • Courageous
  • Creative
  • Cultured
  • Curious
  • Customer-focused
  • Daring
  • Decisive
  • Dedicated
  • Dependable
  • Detail-oriented
  • Determined
  • Diligent
  • Diplomatic
  • Direct
  • Discerning
  • Driven
  • Dynamic
  • Easygoing
  • Efficient
  • Encouraging
  • Energetic
  • Enterprising
  • Entrepreneurial
  • Ethical
  • Experienced
  • Extroverted
  • Fair
  • Fast
  • Fearless
  • Flexible
  • Friendly
  • Genuine
  • Goal-oriented
  • Hardworking
  • High-achieving
  • Honest
  • Imaginative
  • Impartial
  • Independent
  • Innovative
  • Integrity
  • International
  • Introverted
  • Inventive
  • Judicious
  • Knowledgeable
  • Leader
  • Level-headed
  • Loyal
  • Mature
  • Mediator
  • Methodical
  • Meticulous
  • Mindful
  • Motivated
  • Multilingual
  • Objective
  • Observant
  • Open-minded
  • Optimistic
  • Organized
  • Outgoing
  • Particular
  • Passionate
  • Patient
  • Perceptive
  • Perfectionist
  • Perseverant
  • Persistent
  • Personable
  • Persuasive
  • Positive
  • Practical
  • Pragmatic
  • Precise
  • Proactive
  • Problem solver
  • Productive
  • Professional
  • Punctual
  • Quick
  • Rational
  • Receptive [to criticism]
  • Reflective
  • Reliable
  • Resolute
  • Resourceful
  • Respectful
  • Responsible
  • Results-driven
  • Revenue-focused
  • Self-disciplined
  • Self-reliant
  • Self-starter
  • Sensible
  • Serious
  • Skilled
  • Strategic
  • Successful
  • Tactful
  • Team player
  • Tech-savvy
  • Tenacious
  • Thorough
  • Tidy
  • Tolerant
  • Trustworthy
  • Understanding
  • Unique
  • Upbeat
  • Versatile
  • Visionary
  • Worldly

Words to NOT Use to Describe Yourself in a Job Interview

All the words above are fair game for a cover letter and/or job interview, just as long as they’re true about you and you use them in a way that doesn’t make it come across like bragging.

Now, here are some words you should avoid using in a professional situation, as they can make you sound self-centered, pretentious, or simply unoriginal:

  • Experienced
  • Flawless
  • Humble
  • Intelligent
  • Likable
  • Perfect
  • Popular
  • Powerful
  • Smart
  • Wise

In addition to these words, you should avoid any words with a clearly negative connotation, such as «lazy,» «loud,» «moody,» and so on.

body_student_typing_computer

Words to Describe Yourself on a College Application

College applications are all about showcasing your biggest strengths, how you’ll fit with the school, and your authentic self.

Unlike job interviews and cover letters, you’re typically allowed (and encouraged) to get a little more personal on college applications, especially with the personal essay, which highlights your positive qualities and who you are as a person.

Here are some words to describe yourself on a college application. (Note that many of these words overlap with those on the list above.) Afterward, we’ll give you some examples of words you should avoid in your college application.

  • Accomplished
  • Adaptable
  • Adept [at something]
  • Advocate
  • Ambitious
  • Artistic
  • Athletic
  • Brave
  • Bubbly
  • Capable
  • Careful
  • Caring
  • Cautious
  • Collaborative
  • Compassionate
  • Conscientious
  • Cooperative
  • Courageous
  • Creative
  • Curious
  • Daring
  • Dedicated
  • Determined
  • Diligent
  • Down-to-earth
  • Driven
  • Empathetic
  • Enthusiastic
  • Extroverted
  • Fearless
  • Friendly
  • Fun
  • Funny
  • Generous
  • Gentle
  • Goal-oriented
  • Hardworking
  • High-achieving
  • Honest
  • Humorous
  • Imaginative
  • Independent
  • Integrity
  • International
  • Introverted
  • Leader
  • Loyal
  • Meticulous
  • Modest
  • Motivated
  • Musical
  • Open-minded
  • Optimistic
  • Organized
  • Outdoorsy
  • Outgoing
  • Passionate
  • Perfectionist
  • Perseverant
  • Polite
  • Proactive
  • Problem solver
  • Productive
  • Professional
  • Reliable
  • Resilient
  • Responsible
  • Scholarly
  • Scientific
  • Self-disciplined
  • Self-reliant
  • Sincere
  • Skilled
  • Social butterfly
  • Strong
  • Strong-willed
  • Studious
  • Supportive
  • Talented
  • Tenacious
  • Thoughtful
  • Understanding
  • Unique

Words to NOT Use to Describe Yourself on a College Application

You really want to avoid seeming pretentious or entitled in your college essay. As such, I advise against using any of these words to describe yourself:

  • Amazing
  • Deserving [of something]
  • Flawless
  • Genius
  • Intelligent
  • Likable
  • Perfect
  • Popular
  • Prodigy
  • Rich
  • Smart
  • Wise

In addition, do not use any clearly negative describing words; here are some examples:

  • Careless
  • Lazy
  • Noncommittal
  • Oblivious
  • Selfish
  • Unmotivated
  • Xenophobic

body_social_media_online_profile

Words to Describe Yourself in an Online Profile

This last set of words to describe yourself can be used in more casual, relaxed spaces, such as an online dating profile or a social media account.

You could also use these words to describe someone else, such as a character in a work of fiction you’re writing.

  • Active
  • Adventurous
  • Affectionate
  • Alternative
  • Amiable
  • Approachable
  • Articulate
  • Artistic
  • Assertive
  • Athletic
  • Awkward
  • Brave
  • Bubbly
  • Calm
  • Candid
  • Carefree
  • Clever
  • Clumsy
  • Competitive
  • Confident
  • Conservative
  • Considerate
  • Controversial
  • Courteous
  • Crazy
  • Creative
  • Dedicated
  • Devoted
  • Down-to-earth
  • Easygoing
  • Eccentric
  • Eclectic
  • Educated
  • Emotional
  • Empathetic
  • Energetic
  • Enthusiastic
  • Exuberant
  • Family-oriented
  • Fearless
  • Fierce
  • Fit
  • Forgiving
  • Friendly
  • Fun
  • Funny
  • Generous
  • Genuine
  • Good listener
  • Goofy
  • Gregarious
  • Happy
  • Hardworking
  • Health nut
  • Helpful
  • Honest
  • Humble
  • Humorous
  • Idealistic
  • Independent
  • Insightful
  • Instinctive
  • Intelligent
  • Intense
  • Interesting
  • Intuitive
  • Kind
  • Kindhearted
  • Laid-back
  • Loving
  • Meditative
  • Meticulous
  • Modest
  • Motivated
  • Musical
  • [Noun] lover
  • Open-minded
  • Original
  • Outspoken
  • Passionate
  • Peaceful
  • Perceptive
  • Perfectionist
  • Philosophical
  • Playful
  • Progressive
  • Protective
  • Proud
  • Quiet
  • Quirky
  • Random
  • Rational
  • Rebellious
  • Reflective
  • Religious
  • Respectful
  • Risk taker
  • Romantic
  • Self-assured
  • Selfless
  • Sensible
  • Sensitive
  • Sensuous
  • Serious
  • Sexy
  • Shrewd
  • Shy
  • Silly
  • Sincere
  • Social butterfly
  • Soft-spoken
  • Sophisticated
  • Spiritual
  • Spontaneous
  • Sporty
  • Stable
  • Strong
  • Strong-willed
  • Studious
  • Successful
  • Sweet
  • Tenacious
  • Thoughtful
  • Tough
  • Traditional
  • Trustworthy
  • Unconventional
  • Unique
  • Unusual
  • Upbeat
  • Vibrant
  • Warm
  • Warmhearted
  • Wise
  • Witty

Words to NOT Use to Describe Yourself in an Online Profile

How you talk about yourself in an online profile is really up to you and can be pretty casual, too (as long as it’s not a professional LinkedIn profile). You’ll want to stick to predominantly positive words, but sometimes words that describe your funny or entertaining flaws could be worth including.

That said, here are some words you should never put down in a profile as they can make you come across as highly self-centered, rude, and frankly unapproachable!

  • Amazing
  • Apathetic
  • Arrogant
  • Careless
  • Dumb
  • Genius
  • Inconsiderate
  • Incredible
  • Lazy
  • Mean
  • Perfect
  • Rude
  • Selfish
  • Superior
  • Thoughtless
  • Unmotivated
  • Wonderful

body_girl_student_thinking

How to Describe Yourself: 4 Tips for Finding the Right Words

It’s not easy choosing the right words to describe yourself—but knowing exactly what you want to highlight about yourself can help you figure out the best describing words to use, whether they’re for a cover letter, personal essay, or online dating profile.

Here are four tips to help you brainstorm and find the right words to describe yourself with.

#1: Consider Your Audience

One of the most important things you’ll need to consider before writing down tons of adjectives to describe yourself is your audience, or the person/people who will be hearing or reading the words you choose to use.

Your audience will play a fairly significant role in the words you ultimately choose, as you’ll need to make sure you’re coming across to them the way you want to.

For example, if your audience is a potential employer, you should use describing words that make you sound like an ideal fit at the company and that help you stand apart from other candidates (if you’re not memorable, you likely won’t get the job!).

Here are the general types of describing words different audiences will want to hear when it comes to describing yourself:

  • For job interviews/cover letters: Positive describing words that emphasize your (relevant) skills, experience, professional interests, and company fit
  • For college applications: Positive words that express your authentic personality, academic accomplishments/skills, ambitions, and overall school fit
  • For online profiles: Positive words (though it might be worth throwing in some «flaws» for humorous effect or to stand out from others!) that stress your individual personality traits, skills, and interestskeep it casual, too!

Once you’ve got your audience down, it’s time to start thinking about your biggest strengths and most prominent personality traits.

#2: Think About Your Biggest Strengths

Whenever you’re describing yourself, you should always emphasize your biggest strengths, that is, your very best qualities!

These can be any describing words that you personally see as strengths (even if others don’t think the sameit’s OK to try to change their minds). More importantly, these should be words that you feel best encapsulate who you are.

For example, I was once asked to describe myself in three words during a job interview. One of the words I used was «introverted» because I’ve always felt a strong connection to this word.

Though the word tends to have a slightly negative connotation, I took a bit of time to explain to my interviewers exactly why I saw introversion as a strength and how this trait would actually help me effectively perform my job.

So what’s the lesson? Don’t be afraid to be yourselfuse words that reflect what you value in life and what you like most about yourself.

#3: Ask Others How They Would Describe You

If you’re struggling to figure out how to describe yourself, it’s a great idea to ask others close to you how they would describe you if asked by somebody else. Doing this can give you a clearer, more objective view of your strengths (and weaknesses) and help you figure out what types of words are most applicable to you.

If possible, ask a range of people to describe you, from family and friends to former coworkers.

For example, if you’re applying to college, it’ll help to get describing words about you from those connected to the college application process, such as your teachers and recommendation letter writers.

Simply ask them to write down a few words (adjectives or nouns) that best describe you and your academic or personal strengths, based on what they know about you.

#4: Be Careful Not to Exaggerate

Finally, take care to avoid any describing words that exaggerate your strengths or make you seem different from who you really are.

Remember that the point of describing yourself is to paint an authentic, positive portrait of yourself to your audience, whoever they are. If you lie or exaggerate something about yourself, then you’re not accurately revealing who you are, which could confuse, anger, or disappoint your audience.

For instance, you probably wouldn’t (and shouldn’t) use the word «artistic» to describe yourself if you only ever painted a few pictures for an art class years ago and didn’t enjoy the process.

Think of your interests and any personality traits or skills that come with these; this could help narrow down specific traits that are more relevant to you.

What’s Next?

Applying to college? Then you’ll need to know what a personal statement is. Once you’ve got the gist of it, check out our guide to how to write a great college essay and look at our compilation of 100+ college essay examples.

Got an interview coming up for a job or for college? It’s important to be prepared. Aside from being asked to describe yourself, you might get asked any of these 14 questions.

Need to write a cover letter? You’ll definitely want to read our expert guides on how to write one for a job and how to write one for graduate school.

Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article!

author image

About the Author

Hannah received her MA in Japanese Studies from the University of Michigan and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California. From 2013 to 2015, she taught English in Japan via the JET Program. She is passionate about education, writing, and travel.

Struggling to find the words to describe yourself and enhance your résumé? Then try out our CV buzzwords, key adjectives and examples, which will boost your chances of getting your dream job.

Positive Words to Describe Yourself on Your CV

These are great adjectives to describe yourself:

1. Able

I am able to handle multiple tasks on a daily basis.

2. Creative

I use a creative approach to problem solving.

3. Dependable

I am a dependable person who is great at time management.

4. Energetic

I am always energetic and eager to learn new skills.

5. Experience

I have experience working as part of a team and individually.

6. Flexible

Positive Words to Describe Yourself on Your CV

I am flexible in my working hours, being able to work evenings and weekends.

7. Successful

I have successfully met deadlines on every project I’ve worked on.

8. On Time

I am always on time for organized events, work-related or otherwise.

9. Honest

I am honest and trustworthy when I am counting money after our church bake sales.

10. Imaginative

I work with the team to provide imaginative solutions for our customers.

11. Innovative

I am always coming up with innovative ideas.

12. Motivated

I am motivated to go to the gym before work to stay fit and healthy.

13. Organized

I have organized the staff functions for the last four years with great success.

14. Reliable

Co-workers rely on me to be on time.

15. Sense of Humour

Even though I take my work seriously, I do have a good sense of humour.

For more advice about embedding these words into your CV, read our article: A Guide to Writing a Successful CV

Positive Words to Describe Your Day-to-Day Work on Your CV

These are great words to help you describe your daily tasks in a variety of ways:

16. Delivered

I delivered all projects in a timely fashion.

17. Helped

I helped out at the local care home during my spare time.

18. Identified

In the role, I identified a need for a new system and, with management backing, it has since been implemented.

19. Managed

I’ve managed the team through several large projects.

20. Participated

I participated in my local Race for Life 10k charity run.

21. Supervised

Positive Words to Describe Your Day-to-Day Work on Your CV

During this time, I supervised swimming galas at my local pool.

22. Presented

I presented my analysis findings to the wider business to achieve buy-in for positive change.

23. United

I united several teams in a large project to achieve real change for our customers.

24. Led

I led the project team in delivering a successful outcome.

25. Provided

I provided much-needed support to my team through the pandemic.

26. Proved

I proved my case for introducing a new system through extensive research and analysis.

27. Ran

I ran weekly project meetings to make sure work was delivered on time and to a high standard.

28. Responded

I responded to unexpected events with speed and professionalism to ensure a positive outcome for our customers.

29. Reported

I reported directly to the Board of Directors…

I reported directly to the Board of Directors with any changes in customer behaviour, along with proactive suggestions on how to address them.

30. Gained

I gained first-hand experience of customer challenges by running a series of face-to-face workshops.

31. Tested

I tested a range of products to determine which ones were most suitable for our clients.

32. Balanced

I balanced my time successfully across 3 key projects in the business, delivering results in a timely manner.

33. Conducted

I conducted several investigations to find out where there were opportunities for cost savings.

34. Focused

I focused much of my time and energy on driving improvements across the contact centre.

Positive Words to Show How You Went Above and Beyond in Your Role

These are great words to include in your CV to highlight where you’ve really added value in your role:

35. Supported

I supported junior team members to help them achieve their longer-term career goals.

36. Modernized

I modernized the customer complaints process to help make efficiency savings across the business.

37. Saved

I saved time across the business by analysing key business processes and identifying improvements.

38. Volunteered

I volunteered to take the lead in a mental health and wellbeing project, above and beyond my core duties, to help improve the working environment for my colleagues.

39. Developed

I developed a new process to address a gap in the customer experience.

40. Won

I won gold in my very first cross-fit competition.

Positive Words to Show How You Went Above and Beyond in Your Role

41. Secured

I secured funding from the Board of Directors for a new WFM system.

42. Savings

I made cost savings on our products by using local manufacturers.

43. Enhanced

I enhanced the leadership team by going on a mental health awareness course and bringing my learnings back into the business.

44. Implemented

I implemented a new WFM system, following several months of research and cost analysis.

45. Nominated

I was nominated for an industry award following the work I did on improving the customer experience.

46. Launched

I launched a new product to market which exceeded sales targets for that quarter.

47. Increased

I increased profits across a variety of products through cost-saving changes to our manufacturing processes.

48. Campaigned

I campaigned for positive changes to our health and wellbeing programme throughout my time at the company, resulting in new initiatives being introduced which helped boost our staff retention rates.

49. Achieved

I achieved a pass grade for my Level 2 Management course.

50. Competed

I competed at industry events for a sought-after ‘best in show’ award and won several times.

Using these words is a great way to describe yourself and your achievements and make your CV stand out. For more tips like this, read our article: How Do I Make My CV Really Special?

☆☆☆☆☆

Example Personal Statement:

I am a talented, ambitious and hardworking individual, with broad skills and experience in digital and printed marketing, social media and leading projects. Furthermore, I am adept at handling multiple tasks on a daily basis competently and at working well under pressure.

A key strength is communication; building strong relationships with people in order to deliver the best results.

Recently, I completed an Open degree, including Business and Design modules at the Open University and I am now fully employed by Clearly Presented as a Digital Media Manager.

Find even more positive words and phrases to build enthusiasm, in our article: Top 25 Positive Words, Phrases and Empathy Statements

☆☆☆☆☆

15 More Words From Our Experts

Expert Advice Written on Post It Note

Not quite what you are looking for? Then have a look at these words that you can use in the “about me” section on your résumé.

We asked expert customer service recruiters for their advice on which other words to use on a CV. These recruiters responded with the list below:

51. Articulate

I am an effective and articulate communicator with all levels of employees.

52. Confidence

I instil confidence in others and approach new challenges with an open mind.

53. Commercial

I have a strong commercial outlook…

54. Consistent

I have been able to deliver a consistent approach throughout a challenging period of development.

55. Driven

I am extremely driven, with a clear goal to succeed.

I used the advice passed on by my supervisors to mentor struggling individuals..

56. Enthused/Enthusiastic

I am always highly enthused about my work and tasks ahead.

57. Inspirational

I have been told that I am an inspirational coach and mentor.

58. Interactive

I understand the importance of being interactive and enjoy communicating with others for the benefit of the company.

59. Leader

I am a natural leader and developer of people.

60. Mentor

I used the advice passed on by my supervisors to mentor struggling individuals.

61. Personable

I am happy and extremely personable and excel in a positive work environment.

62. Safe Pair of Hands

I have been told that I provide a safe pair of hands in challenging times.

63. Self-Development

I am committed to learning and self-development so that I can consistently achieve better results.

64. Subject-Matter Expert

I am seen as a subject-matter expert within the field of workforce management and deployment.

65. Versatile

I have an extremely versatile skill set.

The Top Ten Words to Leave Off a CV

Whilst the words above can be great additions to a CV, our experts also have their bugbears about certain other words that candidates use.

Here is a list of our top ten words to avoid using on your résumé.

1. Seasoned

Using this will make you sound like you are a steak! Also, it is so dated. There are much better words to use!

2. Authoritative

Recruiters want a collaborator not a dictator, especially in the customer service field. So, replace a phrase such as “I was in an authoritative position…” with “I was in a position of leadership…”.

3. Think outside the box

Give examples of how you were made to think creatively and the benefits that such innovation brought to the company. To do this, it is important to avoid vague phrases such as “I think outside the box.”

4. Detail-orientated

There is a chance, no matter how excellent you believe your grammar to be, that you will make a mistake on your CV. Whilst many recruiters may overlook one minor error, pairing the mistake with the phrase “detail-orientated” could create problems.

5. Track record

If your CV is written correctly, the recruiter will be able to see your track record, so don’t waste your limited space with needless phrases like this.

6. Hard-worker

It is much more convincing to show the recruiter that you are a hard-worker than to tell them. Recruiters will draw their own conclusions from the evidence that you present, so don’t try to confuse them by using vague phrases… it won’t work.

7. Results-driven

Are results your only driver? Don’t limit yourself by using such language. Demonstrate how you are driven by purpose, personal development and colleagues/teammates, as well as by achievement.

8. Go-to person

Not only is this too informal for a CV, it takes focus away from how your skills align with those in the job description. Don’t distract yourself by trying to do everyone else’s jobs – they will be more experienced in these than you.

9. Passionate

This is so over-used. If you were not passionate about an aspect of the role, it is assumed that you would not be applying for the position. So, set yourself apart from the average candidate by trying something different, like noting how fulfilling the passion makes you feel.

10. Team player

It is important to note that you enjoy a collaborative atmosphere, but the phrase “team player” is contrived. Alternatively, refer to a success story of when you worked alongside someone else to bring great benefits to the workplace.

Find out more mistakes to avoid when writing a CV by reading our article: Mistakes to Avoid When Applying for a Job

What Else Should You Be Wary Of?

The advice above can help to shape a CV, but doing any of the following can seriously damage your chances of acquiring the customer service job that you crave.

Writing in Third Person

CVs should never be written in third person. Use first person and choose the present or past tense to showcase the most important and relevant information to your employment goals.

So, for example, do not say “James Bell is…”, instead state “I am…”.

Removing Personal Information

Things to include: your address, postcode, mobile number and email address! So many people are not including this information, making it very difficult for agencies and organizations to know where candidates are looking for work and also to register the CVs on their systems.

It also makes it impossible to find candidates again when searching in specific locations.

Including a Headshot/Photograph

This is just a waste of space, especially as you should already be aiming to cut your CV down into two pages.

Also, don’t save your CV as an infographic. These may look good, but they can’t be used by agencies and often won’t upload to company career sites. Send your CV as a PDF or Word document and keep the formatting simple!

Expanding Margins and Cutting White Space

No one wants to read a CV that is formatted with a tiny font and no white space! White space allows the eye to rest between reading and absorbing the content, and it acts as a cue to important information the employer should read with care.

At the same time, a CV with too much white space will look like you have no relevant experience or skills to offer the employer. Find a happy medium – keep the CV readable and clean, while filling the space.

Including Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation Mistakes

In this day and age there should be NO excuses, but it still happens, and more often than you would expect. These kinds of mistakes can get even the most qualified candidate’s CV thrown into the “no” pile.

Remember, the CV is an excellent way to demonstrate to potential employers or recruiters what type of employee you are, your attitude to work and, most importantly, your attention to detail!

After you have reviewed your CV carefully, have a friend – or two – review it again for you!

Heavily Detailing Secondary Experiences

It is very easy to keep adding a new job to your existing CV, but does your previous role still hold any relevance? Or, looking back, should your previous role actually be enhanced to support more of your present role?

I am responsible for the leadership, coaching and development of 100 FTE. In the past year we have seen an uplift of 5% on service level performance against the previous 5 years.

As your career progresses, your older jobs may not be as relevant as they once were.  Your CV is your opportunity to showcase your career and you need to highlight what is most important, taking space from less important detail that you may now be able to remove.

Listing Your Duties From a Previous Job

Everyone needs to see and understand what you do, but what is it that sets you apart from the crowd?

In addition to listing some, if not all, of your duties and responsibilities, try and include some achievements, tangibles, or context around the role. This could involve something like the following:

You may write: I am responsible for 100 + FTE.

You could write: I am responsible for the leadership, coaching and development of 100 FTE. In the past year we have seen an uplift of 5% on service level performance against the previous 5 years.

Thanks to both of the following recruitment experts for providing much of the information in this article. 

  • Francesca Randle at Cactus
  • Michelle Ansell at Douglas Jackson

We hope that all of these positive words to add to your CV will get you that all-important interview.

If so, come back to this page and check out the articles below, which provide some great advice for dealing with this next stage of the process:

  • Top 50 Customer Service Interview Questions – with Answers
  • Interview Dos and Don’ts
  • Ten Probing Interview Questions

Hey! So that your story does not come out in a dry and simple statement of facts, try to put emotions and impressions into it.

Pay attention to words and phrases that often appear in the story of yourself in English.

A correct and competent story about yourself helps to create a good impression in an unfamiliar society, to reveal yourself from the best side and show your merits, as well as demonstrate communication skills.

Sometimes it is not so easy to cope with such a task due to psychological and social factors. If the speaker experiences difficulties, briefly speaking about himself in his native language, then when communicating in a foreign language, in addition to the language barrier and insurmountable excitement, he faces even greater difficulties.

In such situations, not coping with the excitement, the speaker runs the risk of showing himself not from his best side. Therefore, it is extremely important to be able to correctly present your biography and clearly understand how to tell about yourself in English.

Depending on the circumstances and purposes of communication, your story about yourself in English may differ slightly.

So, if you are applying for a position, the impression depends on the first step and on every word spoken. In such situations, you need to know how to correctly present information about your professional qualities and skills, as well as what aspects of your personality to focus on.

If you introduce yourself to a new circle of friends, like-minded people, colleagues, it will be appropriate to focus on personal qualities.

When you first meet, you must mention the main information about yourself. A classic autobiography in English includes a performance (like «my name is»). Further, your monologue will also differ slightly depending on the audience and listeners.

When it comes to an interview, after the presentation, you need to start the story with education (where, when and how), include information about existing work experience and skills. An important point is the mention of personality traits and their impact on work. Often during interviews, candidates are asked why exactly they should take the post / position. Therefore, you can finish your story about yourself in English with a couple of sentences on this topic.

If you are preparing to introduce yourself for a new campaign, your essay on yourself may be less formal and more lively. If you have a mutual friend, you can explain how and where you met. Tell where you are from, what are your hobbies.

Depending on the purpose, your monologue will be limited in time. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss this issue in advance in order to keep within the allotted time. For example, your essay at school will include about 10 sentences and will only take a couple of minutes, and an interview or exam at the university will be more capacious and meaningful.

So let’s move from words to action. This is what a standard plan for introducing yourself should look like:

A typical monologue in English begins with the words let me introduce myself (let me introduce myself), I would to speak about my biography (I would like to introduce you to my biography). Then comes my name is, I’m 35 years old.

When talking about where you live, you can use the phrases I’m from; I live in (I live in); I was born in (I was born in); My hometown home village (my hometown village), my biography begun in (my biography began in)

At this point, you should talk about parents, sisters / brothers, husband / wife, children, and what they do. Use the following phrases in your essay about yourself:

This part of the monologue should answer the question: where do I study? When talking about education, use the following phrases:

At this point, it is necessary to tell where I work, what professional skills I have. The following phrases will help you:

To describe a character, there are a huge number of adjectives. To introduce yourself in English, phrases such as:

To give a deeper understanding of yourself, tell us what you are passionate about. Text about yourself may include the following phrases:

11 nov.

Learning any foreign language usually begins with a story about myself. Indeed, what do we most often talk about in our native language? About family, work, friends, vacation plans, etc. Even when applying for a job, they ask to introduce themselves briefly. All these topics directly or indirectly relate to the story about yourself. Let’s highlight the main components of a «complex» story about yourself:

Of course, this set of components is minimal. At the same time, if for each of the listed questions you say at least a couple of sentences, consider that you have given the interlocutor a clear picture of your life. On the other hand, if you take each of these topics separately, you get a completely complete story. Let’s start with the minimum wage.

Want to improve your English? Take this 3 minute video tutorial for beginners. Thousands of schoolchildren and students are learning English online at LearnatHome.

Brief introduction in English

  1. Hello / Hi / Good morning / Good day / Good afternoon / Good evening — greet the other person.
  2. My name is / I am / Alexander Petrov — introduce yourself.
  3. I am 30 / I am 30 years old / I am 30 years of age / I am aged 30 — indicate your age (if necessary).
  4. I am a programmer / I work as a programmer / My job is a programmer / I am occupied as a programmer — name your profession.
  5. I work for Microsoft / I work with Microsoft / I do my job at Microsoft / My place of work is Microsoft / I am occupied at Microsoft — designate the organization in which you work.
  6. I — describe what exactly you do at work: for example, I write press releases; I write programs; I edit scientific articles, etc.
  7. Apart from work / besides work / outside my work I — name the activities that you do outside of work.
  8. I enjoy / / am fond of / am keen on — list your hobbies.
  9. It is a good way to relax / have fun / have a rest / get unstressed — so that your story does not look like a business report, insert remarks: for example, about a hobby is a good way to relax.
  10. Apart from me, there are 2/3/4 people in my family.

    They are: — since you started talking about NOT working life, mention family. Tell me how many people are in your family and who they are (brothers, sisters, wife, husband, etc.)

  11. My brother is — list who is who in your family. In short, whatever you said about yourself, tell about others. Mentioning their occupation will be sufficient.
  12. Usually we together with my family — To finish the story of your personal life with dignity, mention what you usually do with your family: for example, meet on Sundays, fish every Tuesday, etc.

An example of a story about yourself

Table 2.

Let me introduce myself. Let me introduce myself.
Hello, my name is Anna Fedorova. Hello, my name is Anna Fedorova.
I am twenty-eight and I work as a public relations specialist at “Learnathome”. I am twenty eight years old and I work as a PR specialist at Learnathome.ru.

Source: https://www.learnathome.ru/blog/about-myself

How to tell about yourself in English on a dating site

As an introduction, it’s good to mention that talking about yourself is not very easy, because you can be objectively assessed only from the outside.

It is hard to speak about myself as only people around me can see me objectively

 Further, the phrase “Let me introduce myself” will be quite appropriate, which turns your interlocutor into an attentive listener.

First of all, it is worth mentioning the first and last name (name / surname), your age (age). Talking about age, you can develop this section and tell when and where you were born (I was born on the (date) of (month) (year) in city / town / village). Several proposals dedicated to the place of your birth (city, village) will be appropriate here.
In order for a story about yourself in English to be logically built, you need to smoothly move from one section to another.

If you started talking about the day and city of birth, then tell us briefly about your family

I have a large / small family with brothers / sisters. I am an only child in a family

 It will be useful to mention the names and professions of your parents.

My mother — name — is a teacher. My father — name — is a doctor

 You can find the necessary information about the family in English in the article of the same name on our website.

If you are still in school, devote part of your story in English to the story of your school life.

I am a pupil form

Share which sciences you are interested in and which ones are difficult

Now I am getting a proper training in such subjects as — for example, English, Ukrainian Literature, Biology etc.

Tell us about your plans for the future, who would you like to become

I am to make an important decision — which profession to choose. I would to become (profession). I am interested in it because

 If you have already graduated from a secondary educational institution, and maybe even a higher one, talk about it in the past tense, devoting several sentences to each period of your life. By the way, if you are already working, you can assess whether your dreams about your future profession have come true.

When I was 15 I dreamed about being a vet. But my dream did not fulfill and now I am working as an accountant

You may need job titles in English.

In the story about yourself in English, your description of your appearance and character must be present. You can include this at the very beginning of the story after giving your name and age. Or after information about your studies and work.

For example, When I look at myself in the mirror I see (description of your appearance).

Read more about this topic in the article «Description of a person’s appearance in English». Just do not get too carried away with one appearance, smoothly go to the character (description of character), mentioning your advantages and disadvantages (drawbacks). Another article «Description of a person in English» will help you.

When sharing your thoughts about your character, name the qualities (qualities) that you appreciate in people (appreciate /), and those that you dislike (hate / irritate / dis).

For example: I to assosiate with polite and inteligent people, I appreciate sincerity and trust. I hate when people lie and betray. Those who are unreliable irritate me.

The final part of the story about ourselves in English is devoted to our preferencies, interests and hobbies.

For example: As for my interests, I am fond ofI am interested inI .I adoreI devote much time to It can be anything — reading, learning foreign languages, knitting, dancing, traveling (traveling) etc. Everything you love to do and what you enjoy. To help you spend less time looking for the words you need, use the thematic dictionary at ladyfromrussia.com.

You can finish your story in English with a couple of sentences stating that you strive to be a careful daughter / son, an efficient specialist, and just a good person.

You have the basis for a story about yourself in English. Depending on who and where you need to tell about yourself, you correct it: remove some sections, swap them. The main thing is that you sound interesting and competent!

When you talk about yourself, about who you are (I am a girl or I am a woman) or describe yourself (I am very nice or I am a beautiful lady), you don’t need to remember or know anything at all.

You just have to put it into your head: I am.
Because if you forget a little word amyou may be misunderstood. Or understand, but frown with disgust.

How would you like a letter from a stranger where he writes something like “I am a nice and very smart man”?

Simple Template

So, no wisdoms.
We take any formula that you like best:

I am a lady I’m a lady
I am a woman I am a woman
I am a girl I’m a girl
I am a person I («person» does not translate)
I am a student I am a student
I am a teacher I’am a teacher
I am a manager I’m a manager
I am an accountant I am an accountant

And we tell about ourselves. We say whatever you want, inserting adjectives from our dictionary instead of dots or directly from Dictionary 1.1, which is given at the end of this page.

I am a romantic lady I’m a romantic lady
I am a pretty girl I’m a pretty girl
I am a kind and caring woman I am a kind and caring woman
I am a reliable and honest person I am reliable and decent
I am a cheerful student I am a cheerful student
I am a creative teacher I am a creative teacher
I am a good manager I am a good manager

What should we get?

I love funny girl Я funny girl
I love good looking young woman. Я attractive young woman.
I love cheerful, sociable, witty person. Я funny, sociable, witty (a person).
I am a manager. I work as a manager (I’m a manager).
My friends say I am reliable and honest. My friends say that я reliable and decent.

When is the article needed?

We noticed that in the sentence I am reliable and honest. not enough word a?
It’s not a mistake! If there is no noun in the sentence (girl, woman, person, manager), then ARTICLE is not put.

We continue to praise ourselves in the same spirit.

I am creative and energetic, also caring and considerate. Я creative and energetic as well as caring, attentive and empathetic.

Pay attention!
If the word after the article a begin with vowel, then you need to write an:

I am an atractive woman Я attractive woman
I am an honest person (honest pronounced as he eats) Я decent people
I am an open, frank girl Я open, sincere girl

Choose a word with a precise meaning

Get used to working with every word. Never use a word if you are not sure that it means exactly what you mean.
Having found the right word in the Russian-English dictionary, write down all its English meanings, and then do not be too lazy to clarify what exactly each of them means. Synonyms do not always have close meanings.

For example

Equilibrium, balanced — balance, counterbalnce, poise, even tempere, well-balanced.

Now we look at each value:

  • Libra — scales, balance, pendulum, accounting balance, balance, weigh;
  • counterbalance — counterweight, balance on the scales;
  • poised — balance, demeanor, posture, balance, keep in balance, weigh in the mind;
  • Even — even, smooth, balanced, calm (about character), equal, the same, even (about numbers);
  • temper — soften, moderate, character, mood
  • even temper — balanced, calm character
  • well-balanced — a balanced person.

That is, out of five meanings, only two are suitable for us, and we must be careful with the use:

I am kind, patient and even tempered I am kind, patient with a calm character
I am a serious and well-balanced person I’m serious and balanced people

Examplesuse:

Source: http://lady-fidieva2012.narod.ru/index/0-20

It is very important to be able to talk about yourself in English, especially if you are applying for a job or want your English-speaking colleagues or friends to know more about you. Self-story in English language (about myself) is initially built on a kind of «template» around which a narrative can be built. It is enough to learn the «template» — the rest will be done for you by your vocabulary of spoken English.

So, if you correspond with foreigners, the story about yourself in English should be more detailed. If you are applying for a job and having an interview, the story about yourself should be more concise and full of facts. If you are writing an essay about yourself, then it is worth telling more about your parents, about your hobbies and plans for the future.

How to build a story about yourself in English (introducing yourself)

All topics about myself begin with introducing yourself. For a start, the phrase “Let me introduce myself” (let me describe myself) is suitable.

Further it is necessary to name name — name, surname — surname (for example — My name is Sergey. My surname is Belov), indicate your age — age.

Also, if you wish, you can indicate where you were born. For example — I was born in Russia in Volgograd City.

If you talk about yourself in English in more detail, you can also mention the composition of your family (I have a large family with two brothers and two sisters — I have a big family — 2 brothers and 2 sisters).

You can also specify the parent’s occupation, for example — My mother Svetlana is a dentist (my mother Svetlana is a dentist), etc.

If you are a schoolboy and you need to compose a story about school life, you can stipulate in which class you study (I am a pupil of 5 form — I’m a 6th grade student). You can indicate which lessons you like the most — my favorite subjects are maths, geography, literature and history (my favorite lessons are mathematics, geography, literature and history).

You can also say about the choice of your profession — I would to become a teacher (I would like to become a teacher).

In the course of telling about yourself in English, you also need to describe your personal qualities and appearance.
For example, in order to describe yourself to the employer, you need to indicate advantages — dignity and drawbacks — limitations. Celebrate your qualities — qualities (for example — I am polite and intelligent).

At the end, you can indicate your hobbies, hobby, interests. For example — I love football (I like football). You can indicate what you like to do and do.

At the very end of the story about yourself (about myself), you can indicate that you strive to become a good person — I want to become a good person.

Next, let’s look at a few stories about ourselves.

Stories — topics about yourself in English with translation into Russian

Option 1 — A short story about yourself and your day

My name is Sveta. I want to describe my daily routine. I wake up at 5.30. Then I go to a bathroom, I wash, I brush my teeth. Then I do my body exercises. Then I put on a make-up. Then I go to the kitchen and make a breakfast to all family. At 6.30 I leave the house and go to work.

It takes me 15 minutes to get there. The working day comes to an end at 16.00 and I go shopping. Then I go home. At home I wash hands and go to the kitchen to make supper. After supper I watch I sit in front of the computer and work under my sites. At 22.

00 I take a bath, I brush my teeth and go to bed at 23.00. I love my life.

Option 1. Translation into Russian

My name is Sveta. I want to tell you about my daily routine. I wake up at 5.30. Then I go to the bathroom, wash, brush my teeth. Then I do my exercises. Then I put on my makeup. Then I go to the kitchen and cook breakfast for the whole family. At 6.30 I leave the house and go to work.

It takes me 15 minutes to get to work. The working day ends at 16.00 and I go to the store to shop. Then I go home. At home I wash my hands and go to the kitchen to cook dinner. After dinner, I look at the computer and work on my sites. AT 21.

00:22.00 I take a bath, brush my teeth and go to bed at XNUMX:XNUMX. I love my life.

Option 2 — A small schoolgirl story about herself

My name is Regina. I am 14. I study at school number 18 in the town of Oktyabrskiy. My favorite hobby is painting. I’ve been doing it since I was 8. I study Russian, English language, mathematics and geography in school. It is not always I have time to walk. And if I am in time, I walking with my friends and have fun time. I want to become a teacher of painting. I want to become a good person.

Option 2. Translation into Russian

My name is Regina. I’m 15. I study at school number 18 in the city of Oktyabrsky. My favorite hobby is dancing. I started doing this when I was 8. I study Russian, English, mathematics and geography at school. I don’t always have time to walk. And when I have free time, I go out with my friends and have fun. I want to become an art teacher. I want to become a good person.

Option 3 — A detailed story about yourself

I am a boy of seventeen. When I look at myself in the mirror I see a boy with short black hair, brown eyes. As to my appearance I’m rather tall and slim. I think that I’m calm and modest. I my friends, I to laugh and joke. I have got a good sense of humor. There are many things in our life I and some I dis. I when everything is good /

I was born on the 15th of February 1996 in the town of Samara where I live now together with my parents and my two sisters and elder brother. I was born in a family of a builder and a doctor.

I am a pupil of 10 form. I to study because knowledge is useful sometimes. I’m fond of reading.

My favorite subjects are English, Russian and literature. I usually did a lot of home preparation for them and I d everything I was doing in them. I really tried hard in them. I am sociable, so I have got a lot of friends among my schoolmates. As for me I appreciate people’s hornesty, kindness, sense of justice and intelligence. I don’t when people are rude and aggressive. I am stubborn at times. Also I never leave things half done. I think I am hard-working and diligent.

Source: https://www.comenglish.ru/rasskaz-o-sebe-na-anglijskom-yazyke-about-myself/

How to correctly tell about yourself in English?

By Natalia August 1, 2018

English is becoming more popular. It is useful in very different situations. Sometimes you need to be able to tell about yourself in English. You write a resume for a prestigious international company, pass an interview, introduce yourself at a university or school for a lecture or a foreign language lesson, communicate with people from abroad.

You do all this using English. Don’t know the language? No problem. This article will help. She will tell you where to start, what is appropriate to say, how to make up the most typical phrases in English, and how to end your “About myself” story. So how do you tell about yourself in English?

Forming a story plan

You need to start by drawing up a story plan. «About myself» — «About myself» translated from English.

In different situations, it consists of information about your:

  • name and surname;
  • age;
  • place of residence;
  • family composition;
  • education;
  • present or future work;
  • hobbies, hobbies, talents;
  • character: advantages and disadvantages;
  • plans for the future.

The composition of the story about yourself in English includes an introduction and a conclusion, where you talk about the reasons that prompted the beginning of the story, and summarize everything that has been said.

Listing in English, these are:

  • Introduction — introduction;
  • General information — general information;
  • The place where you were born and live — the place where you were born and where you live now;
  • Who does your nuclear family consist of — who is your nuclear family (next of kin);
  • Education — education;
  • Job — Work;
  • Hobby, interests and talented — interests;
  • Character — character;
  • Plans for your future — plans for the future;
  • Conclusion — conclusion.

Of course, the content of what you will be talking about in English will vary depending on the situation. Focus on the context in which you were asked to provide some information.

The most common situations when you may be asked to introduce yourself using English:

  • You are interviewing for an international companywhose official language is English, and during it you talk about yourself, or make a resume in a similar situation;
  • You are in an English lesson at school or higher educational institution, and in order to get a high score you need to tell about yourself;
  • You communicate with foreignerswho do not know Russian, but use the English language, and want to tell more about yourself.

How to tell about yourself or write an essay «About myself»?

Not a problem if you do not speak English and you need a written text. We will help you cope with this problem.

For translation, there is a table of typical expressions used in variants of such narratives. Following it, you can easily tell about yourself even in English. Pick up the necessary amount of valuable information: you will not only talk about a hobby at an interview. Let’s take a look at all the points listed above.

How to tell the main information about yourself in English?

Basic information is the main thing in any case. You talk in English about your name, how old you are.

The main phrases for this are shown in the table:

My name is My name is (literally — «My name»)
My surname is my surname
I am years old. I’m years old.

Examples of the use of these words and phrases in sentences in Russian and English:

  • My name is Alexandra… — My name is Alexandra.
  • My name is very famous around the world. — My name is very famous all over the world.
  • My surname is Petrova. — My surname is Petrova.
  • My surname is very popular in Russia. — My name is very popular in Russia.
  • I am 23 years old… — I am twenty three years old.

How to tell in English about your hometown and where you are?

It is also logical to mention this point when talking about yourself in English.

Relevant language vocabulary:

I was born I was born (/ was born)
I am from I’m from
Town Small town
City Big City
My native town / city is My hometown
was founded was founded

Examples of the use of these words and phrases in sentences in Russian and English:

  • I was born on 7th of December— I was born (/ was born) on December 7th.
  • I was born in a small village. — I was born (/ was born) in a small village.
  • Your native town is the place where you were born. — Hometown is the place where you were born.
  • I am from France. — I’m from France.
  • I am from San Marino. — I’m from San Marino.
  • Kolomna it is not a big town. — Kolomna is a small town.
  • This town is old. — This city is ancient.
  • Moscow it is a very big city. — Moscow is a very big city.
  • Saint Petersburg was the capital of Russia, because it is a very important city for the country. — St. Petersburg was the capital of Russia because it is an important city for the country.
  • My native town is small. — My hometown is small.
  • My native city is Voronezh… — My hometown is Voronezh.
  • Saint Petersburg was founded in 1703. — St. Petersburg was founded in 1703.
  • This society was founded for fundraising… — This society was founded to collect money.

What can you tell in English about your family?

Talking about your family in English in the story about yourself is appropriate when the amount of information provided is proportionate. So, at school you can tell more: who it consists of, how do you communicate; the student needs to be less emotional, and for work, you can be content with the minimum.

The story about the family should start with the phrase My family consists of — My family consists of.

Members of the family Family members
parent (-s) Parent (s)
Mother Mother
Mum, mommy, mom Mama
Father Father
Dad Dad
stepfather Stepfather
Daughter Daughter
Conclusion Son
S Sister
Brother Brother
Twin Twin
half-sister Sister by one parent
half-brother Brother by one parent

Source: https://eng911.ru/interesting/rasskazat-o-sebe.html

Story about myself

Each of us has ever had a task to tell about ourselves in writing or orally. It could be when applying for a job, when meeting new people, when filling out a questionnaire, passing an exam, or simply it was the topic of your school essay.

It is important to immediately determine how deep and extensive your story about yourself should be. Of course, it all depends on the situation. If you are preparing for an interview, then the story should be clear, concise, businesslike.

You should focus on your education, work experience, your business qualities, and in general, your strengths and prospects as an employee. If your story is focused on new acquaintances, then most likely you will mainly talk about your hobbies, hobbies, habits, character, etc.

In a school essay, you will definitely have to tell about your family and friends and about your plans for the future. The situations in which you need to tell about yourself can be very different.

Making a plan for a story about yourself «About myself»

If you are faced with the task of telling about yourself in English, then ready-made phrasal templates will come to your aid, supplementing which you will receive a full-fledged essay. First you need to determine personally for yourself what exactly you want to talk about and draw up a clear plan for the story.

I suggest that you explore a “one-size-fits-all” plan for talking about yourself that will work for just about any situation. You yourself can decide which points in your essay will be covered in more detail, and which will not.

For each item, you will be offered template phrases with translation, which you will need to supplement with information about yourself.

The outline of our story will be as follows:

1. Introduction and general information about myself 2. The place where I live 3. Information about family 4. Education 5. Place of work (My job) 6. My hobbies, talents and interests (My hobby, talents and interests) 7. Character traits (Сharacter)

8. Plans for the future

Phrases-templates are the main helpers in composing a story about yourself

Writing a story «About myself»

As an introduction, if the situation permits, you can say this phrase:

  • It’s hard to speak about myself as only people surrounding me can see me objectively — It is very difficult to talk about yourself, because they can objectively perceive me only from the outside

Then you can insert the phrase:

  • Let me introduce myself — Let me introduce myself
  • Let me tell you a few words about myself — Let me tell you a little about myself

First of all, state your name:

  • My name is Valentin — My name is Valentin

If your loved ones call you differently, you can add the following words:

  • But my friends call me Vel — But friends usually call me Val
  • But people usually call me Valea — But they usually call me Valya
  • But you can call me Vel — But you can call me Val

You can indicate the origin of your name or something interesting about it:

  • It is a Latin name — This is a Latin name
  • I was named after my grandmother — I was named after my grandmother
  • My name is quite unusual and I it — My name is quite unusual and I like it

After that, you can specify the age:

  • I am 25 years old — I am 25 years old
  • I was born in 1988 — I was born in 1988
  • I will be 30 in three months — I will turn 30 in three months
  • I will be 20 next Octomber — I will turn 20 next October

This was your general data. Next, you should tell about the place where you live:

  • I am from Saint Petersburg — I am from Saint Petersburg
  • I come from France, I live in Paris — I am from France, I live in Paris
  • I used to live in Saint Petersburg, but now I live in Moscow — I used to live in Saint Petersburg, and now I live in Moscow.
  • I was born in London and I have lived there all my life — I was born in London and have lived there all my life
  • I was born in Balta. It is a small town near Odessa. When I was 16 I moved to Saint Petersburg with my family — I was born in Balta. It is a small town not far from Odessa. When I was 16, I moved to St. Petersburg with my family

If your interlocutor is interested, then you can devote a couple of sentences to your city, its location and attractions. In America, when meeting a new person, this item is simply a must. For some reason, this is very important for Americans. A person can be born, for example, in the state of Illinois and in early childhood move to another state, but when meeting, he will certainly mention that he is from the state of Illinois.

  • My home town is very big, one million people live there.
  • It is located in the south of the country — It is located in the south of the country
  • My home city is the center of light industry — My home city is the center of light industry
  • My home town is famous for its theater — My hometown is famous for its theater

If you are writing an essay about yourself in English, then you definitely need to mention your family:

  • I come from a large / small family — I come from a large / small family
  • All members of my family are helpful and friendly — All members of my family are friendly
  • There are five of us in the family — There are five of us in the family
  • We get on well with each other — We get on well with each other
  • I have a father a mother and two younger brother / sister — I have a father, mother and two younger brothers / sisters

If necessary, include general facts about each family member. Tell us about how old they are, what they do, who is by education, where they live, etc. But don’t get too carried away. The whole story is about you, not about your family members.

The next item in our plan concerns education. It will most likely be required in any case. If you are still in school, but you can use the following phrases:

  • I go to school. I am in the ninth form — I go to school. I’m in ninth grade
  • I am good at German and Math — I do well in German and Math
  • My favorite subjects are Spanish and Literature — My favorite subjects are Spanish language and literature

If you have already graduated from high school and are a student, then the following phrases are for you:

  • I finished school in 2010 — I finished school in 2010
  • I am a student of London University of the Arts — I am a student at London University of the Arts
  • I am a first-year / second-year student — I am a first / second year student
  • I am in my first / second / third year — I am a first / second / third year student

Source: https://englishfull.ru/topiki/rasskaz-o-sebe-na-anglijskom.html

Telling Yourself in an English Job Interview

A job interview can be attributed to the most important events in our life. And in order for this event to go off with a bang, it is extremely important to properly prepare for the questions we are asked.

One of the most popular questions on a job interview, one might say, an indispensable attribute of it, is the traditional question: «Could you describe yourself?» («Could you describe yourself?») And its variants: «Please describe yourself», «Tell me about yourself», «Walk me through your background», «What should I know about you?»

This question is a great opportunity to present yourself and tell about yourself in English. This is your chance to make a profitable first impression on the other person (perhaps your future employer)!

In addition, it is a useful exercise for those who seek to «know themselves», critically reflect on their achievements and failures, draw conclusions and reach a new level of development.

A common mistake is talking about personal

However, many untrained job seekers get lost, begin to talk in detail about themselves in English, about their private life, children, pets, hobbies, etc. (more about how to talk about a hobby).

Do not forget — the question is asked at a job interview and the answer should only relate to the professional aspects of your life. The sole purpose of the interviewer asks you this question is to make sure that you are the ideal candidate for a particular job.

Therefore, concentrate on your professional qualities that are useful to the employer (and to find out which of your merits the employer will appreciate, optimize your story about yourself in English by studying the company profile and a detailed job description in advance).

3 ingredients for a successful self-story in English:

1. Introduce yourself and indicate who you are professionally.

Correctly:
I’m an HR manager with 8 years of experience for Fortune 500 companies. I am an HR manager with eight years of experience in the top 500 companies in the United States.
— Brief but informative. Not right:
Well, I grew up in Cincinnati. Well, I grew up in Cincinnati.
As a child, I wanted to be a fireman, then later became interested in dinosaurs. As a kid, I wanted to be a firefighter, but then I became interested in dinosaurs.
I excelled in the sciences from early on, placing first in my fourth-grade science fair. From an early age, I excelled in the sciences: in the fourth grade, I won first place in a natural science exhibition.
Funny story about that I’ll tell you a funny story about this
— Too much unnecessary information.

2. In a nutshell, tell us about your education relevant to the selected vacancy (for example, if you are applying for the position of a system administrator, you do not need to mention the completion of astrology courses).

3. Briefly describe your professional experience. Mention especially the most reputable and well-known firms in which you have worked.

Correctly:
I have spent the last six years developing my skills as a customer service manager for Megacompany Inc., where I have won several performance awards and been promoted twice. For the past 6 years, I have been cultivating my customer service manager skills at Megacompany Inc., where I have received multiple awards for excellence and two promotions.
— The emphasis is on experience and recognition of professional achievements. Not right:
My first job was as an administrative assistant for Macy’s in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. My first job was as an Administrative Assistant at Macy’s in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
I learned a great deal in that role that served me well over the next 12 years. In this position, I learned a lot that served me well for the next twelve years.

Source: https://skyeng.ru/articles/gotovimsya-k-sobesedovaniyu-na-anglijskom-yazyke-rasskaz-o-sebe

Self-story in English — phrases and examples of ready-made stories

›Learning a language› Vocabulary ›Topics› How to write a story about yourself in English, as well as ready-made examples

Foreign languages ​​are primarily studied for communication, so it is extremely important to learn coherently and speak freely. And one of the leading exercises of this kind for beginners is telling about yourself in English.

Such an essay includes in the work all the baggage of acquired knowledge (vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation) and allows you to quickly learn how to express your thoughts in English. Of course, the task is difficult, so today we will learn to talk about ourselves in English.

Here are some tips for writing text, we will study standard phrases and speech clichés, and, for example, consider samples of stories about ourselves in English for children, students and adults. So let’s get started!

What to include in a story about yourself in English

Let’s start the analysis with general recommendations on the content of the text, since the first difficulty for any student is the question of what to tell about me. In fact, there is nothing complicated here, and there is no need to invent some fascinating story of your life.

To compose an essay about yourself in English, it is enough to focus on the standard structure, which one way or another occurs in any text on this topic.

If we generalize the examples of essays and deduce a certain pattern, then the template for a story about yourself in English looks like this:

  • Introduction (greeting, introduction);
  • Brief information about yourself (name and surname, place of residence, age, education);
  • A story about a close social circle (family, friends, colleagues);
  • Enumeration of personal qualities and hobbies (character, hobbies, habits);
  • Conclusion (final thought, plans for the future, questions to the interlocutor).

That’s all. In fact, the essay simply requires detailed disclosure of the five points listed above. Moreover, it is desirable to do this rather succinctly.

No, of course, the English language about yourself allows you to compose any volume and style — it is no accident that in total it has more than 1 million words. But our task when writing a story is both to describe ourselves in English and to learn how to correctly formulate our thoughts.

In other words, an excessive heap of phrases, epithets and uninteresting information can significantly spoil the impression of your independent essay “business card”.

At the same time, it is clear that in one or two sentences, a story about yourself in English will not work even for grade 1 of school. Here you need to find a middle ground, i.e. to describe your life as interestingly, competently and, so to speak, without spreading thoughts along the tree. The optimal volume for a story about yourself is 10-20 sentences, depending on the situation and the audience for which the essay is designed.

That’s all with regard to general recommendations for the essay plan. But how to correctly and easily make a translation into English for a Russian text about yourself — we will tell you in the next section.

English phrases for composing a story about yourself

So, what is an essay about your life in English in terms of content, we told, now let’s move on to the difficulties of grammar and translation. After all, it is not enough to write an interesting essay, you also need to submit it correctly.

Typical words and phrases of the English language, which are often found in the stories of schoolchildren, students and adults about themselves, will help us to correctly form the story.

And in order to make the information readable and easy to perceive, we have divided speech clichés into several thematic subsections. Let’s take a closer look at each of them.

Information

This is the opening paragraph of the essay, in which you greet your listeners / readers and briefly say the most important things about yourself. As a rule, this is the first and last name, age, city and country of residence.

Compiling such a short story about yourself in English takes a separate paragraph, which includes only a couple of sentences. Writing it is easy, but still, each style of storytelling has its own characteristics.

Therefore, here are some introductory phrases for a story about yourself in English with translation.

English expression Russian translation
First of all let me introduce myself. First of all, let me introduce myself.
Let me introduce myself, my name is Let me introduce myself, my name is
Let me tell you a few words about myself. Let me tell you a few words about myself.
My name is My name
My surname is my surname
I was named after my great-grandfather. I was named after my great grandfather.
You can call me You can call me
People usually call me People usually call me
I was born in (year) I was born in (year)
I was born on the (date) I was born (full date)
I am years old. Me (years).
I am (age) Me (age)
I will be (age) next summer. I will be (years old) next summer.
I will be (age) in two weeks. I will be (years old) in two weeks.
I was born in Russia in (city) I was born in Russia in (city)
I am from (country, city) I’m from (country, city)
I come from (country, city) I came from (country, city)
I live in (country, city) I live in (country, city)
My hometown is located My hometown is located
My hometown is (description) My hometown (characteristic)

Family

Relatives, friends, close circle — this is the topic, without which an essay about your life would definitely be incomplete.

You should not, of course, strongly devote listeners or readers to the history of the family and describe in detail everyday situations, but in short you need to write a story in English about relatives or close friends.

Most often, the essay reports on the age of relatives, their qualities, professions and hobbies. Again, a single paragraph of text with several sentences will be enough to tell the story of a family.

English expression Russian translation
Now let me tell you a little about my family. Now let me say a few words about my family.
I live at home with my parents. I live in a house with my parents.
I live with my husband (wife) and children. I live with my husband (wife) and children.
My family is small. My family is small.
My family is big. My family is big.
My family is not very large. My family is not very big.
I have a big family. I have a big family.
I have a mother, a father, an elder sister and three younger brothers. I have a mom, dad, an older sister and three younger brothers.
I come from a small (large) family. I am from a small (large) family.
There are (number) of us in the family. We are in the family (number, for example, five, four).
I have a lot of relatives. I have many relatives.
My parents have one more child (or number children), besides me. Besides me, my parents have one more child (or (number) more children).
I have neither brothers nor sisters. I have no brothers or sisters.
My father’s name is My father’s name is
My mother is a (profession) My mom is by profession (profession).
My elder brother (sister) is married. My older brother / sister is married.
My mother / father / sister / brother s My dad / mom / sister / brother likes
All members of my family All my family members love
All members of my family (description) All members of my family (description, e.g. kind, helpful, etc.)
My family always supports me. My family always supports me.
I am happy to have such a friendly family. I am happy to have such a close-knit family.

Education and work

Also, you cannot compose a story about yourself in English and not share information about your current place of study, work or your profession. The following phrases will help you write this paragraph.

English expression Russian translation
I go to school / gymnasium / lyceum number I attend school / gymnasium / lyceum room
I am a pupil of (number) form. I am a student (number) of the class.
I am in the (number) th grade now. I am currently in (number) class.
My favorite subjects are My favorite subjects are
I am good at I am doing well in
I try to get on well in all the subjects. I try to do well in all subjects.
I’m doing quite well at school. I study well at school.
After school I plan to enter the University. After school, I plan to go to university.
I would become a (profession) I want to get a profession (profession name)
I want to be a (profession) in the future. In the future, I want to become (profession name).
I finished school in (year) I finished school in (year).
I am a student. I am a student).
I am a student of the faculty of economics. I am a student at the Faculty of Economics.
I study the history of East Asia. I am studying the history of East Asia.
At University I study many subjects. I study a lot of subjects at the university.
I am a third year student of (University / Instinute) I am a third year student (name of university, institute)
I am in my first / second / third year. I am a freshman / sophomore / third year student.
I graduated from University in (year). I graduated from university in (year).
My major is My speciality
[/ sayit] I graduated with honors. [/ sayit] I graduated with honors.
Now I am looking for an appropriate job. Now I am looking for a suitable job for myself.
I work as a (profession) I work (name of profession).
I work for (the name of the company) I work for (company name)
I am unemployed at the moment. At the moment I am unemployed.

Personal qualities

Be sure to include a list of personal qualities and character traits in the text about yourself in English. But this must be done quite carefully so that the impression is not created that the speaker in the story in English praises himself or, conversely, suffers from low self-esteem. The table below will help you find the right words for your essay.

English expression Russian translation
As to my appearance As for my appearance
I have blue eyes and dark hair. I have blue eyes and dark hair.
I am quite tall. I’m pretty tall.
I am slim. I’m slim.
My hair is curly. I have curly hair.
My eyes are brown. My eyes are brown.
I know that telling a lot of nice words about yourself is not modest but I am I know that it is not customary to say a lot of good words about myself, but I
My friends say that I am quite handsome. My friends say that I am very handsome.
My friends find me rather attractive. My friends find me pretty attractive (oh).
As of my traits of character Talking about my personality traits
My best qualities are My best qualities are
cheerful hilarity
responsive responsiveness
creative creativity, fantasy
faithfull loyalty, devotion
ambition ambition

Source: https://speakenglishwell.ru/rasskaz-o-sebe-na-anglijskom-yazyke-primery/

How To Easily Write About Yourself in English (About Myself)

It’s not so difficult to tell about yourself in English if you follow to the plan and have all the necessary vocabulary. The outline of the story depends on the purpose. What is such a story for? There are several situations in which we need to talk about ourselves in English.

This article provides a story outline, words to describe physical appearance, personal characteristics, things people like to do, watch, and listen to, and examples of small school essays. 
General important points about how to write any essay or essay in English, we wrote in the article «How to write an essay in English.»

And now specifically on the topic: «About myself in English.»

Here are some ideas that might serve as a blueprint for writing a self-story in English.

You don’t have to talk about everything, choose what you like, what you want to talk about.
1. What is your name, what name do your relatives call you:

My name is Monica. My nickname is Mo.

2. How old are you or date of birth:

 I’m 13 years old. My birthday is on the 5th of February 2004.

3. You can describe your appearance, if appropriate:

 I’m tall and slim. I have short fair hair and brown eyes.

4. Where do you live: city or village, small apartment or large house:

I’m from Russia. I live in Novgorod.

5. Your room:

I have my own room in our flat.
It is not very big but I love it very much because I can relax there.

6. Your family: parents, brothers or sisters, may you live with your grandparents:

 There are four people in my family. They are my mom, dad, I and my younger sister. My father is a driver and my mother is an accountant.

7. Pets:

  I have a nice pet. It is a cat which is very funny.

8. Your personal qualities:

 I am a very honest, friendly, and sincere person. I am very hard working and easy going person.

9. What do you like: what kind of movie, what kind of music, what games do you play:

I to play different games. I also love to listen to music, and my favorite music is rock. As for movies, I prefer action movies and science fiction. They are very interesting.

10. What food and drinks do you prefer:

My favorite food is pizza and sandwiches. My favorite drink is tea.

11. Your hobbies, what do you like to do in your free time:

My hobby is playing the guitar. In my free time, I also reading, painting and playing futball.

12. What you don’t like to do:

I don’t cleaning my house, washing dishes, and taking out the trash.

13. Your friends:

I have my best friend. Her name is Anna. We often go hiking to different places where we can see interesting animals, birds, flowers, and rivers.

14. A little about the class or university:

I am a student of Aerospace University.

15. What subjects are you interested in, and what — on the contrary:

My favorite subject is Math because I think it’s important for my future profession.

16. Something interesting about yourself that you can tell others:

The most important thing / person to me is ..
You might not know this about me, but I dancing. However I don’t go to any dance schools, because I have not enough time.

17. Who would you like to become:

I would to be a computer programmer because I think it’s a very interesting and high-paying job.

Vocabulary you need to tell about yourself in English

Source: https://lingvana.ru/about-myself.html

How to tell about yourself in English

The title speaks for itself, so I will just clarify that in this article you will find 4 of the most important, in my opinion, points that are worth mentioning in a story about yourself — personal data, place of residence, hobby and profession.

So, we don’t waste a minute!

1. Personal data

Where to begin? Of course, from the name.

NAME

I am My name is

Both variants in Russian mean «my name is». Substitute your name after the verb «am» or «is».

Example:

My name is Alisa I am Alisa

The choice of «am» or «Is» depends on what your subject is — if «I» (I), then you should say «am». If «my name», then you should say «is».

SURNAME

Again, there are two options:

My surname is My last name is

After the verb «is» just substitute your last name.

ВОЗРАСТ

Here you need to remember just one sentence, by the way, we have already seen it in the section about the name:

I am / I am years old — I am years old
We substitute the desired number and we get: I am 20

I am 32 years old

3. Hobby

Well, how can you not mention your hobby in a story about yourself? This is what we will do just now. Here I will briefly outline this topic, but I have a separate article (with a list of various hobbies in English) in which I describe in detail possible grammatical and lexical constructions for a detailed story about my hobby. There she is.

So, in Russian, we say this: «I like to draw», «He likes to play football.» In English, the verb «» will come to our rescue — just keep in mind that an English sentence must begin with a noun or a personal pronoun, no «Me» — I like it — it can’t be, only «I». «We like» — «We».

Going further, in English, as a rule, the second verb is placed either in the infinitive (this is “to”), or the ending “ing” is added to it. We were lucky with the verb «», because to the next verb after it, you can freely add both «To» and «ing» — both will be correct. Therefore, let’s take a look at these examples:

I cooking / I to cook — I love to cook
I to travel / I traveling — I like to travel

The phrase «I to» is pretty simple, and if you want to complicate your speech a little, to make it more sophisticated, let’s add synonyms.

The phrase below also means “I like it,” but the structure is grammatically different.

TO BE KEEN ON — to like

Let’s first understand what «to be» is and how to work with it. First, «to be» is a verb. And, since we need the present tense (we’re talking about what we like now), «TO BE» breaks down into three verbs AM, IS, ARE, depending on the subject (what or who is referred to in the sentence ):

I (I) — amShe (she) / He (he) / It (it) — isYou (you, you) / We (we) / They (they) — are either a noun (books, music, films), or a gerund — a verb with the ending «ing» (reading — reading, swimming — swimming, shopping — shopping).

examples:

I am keen on sport — I like sports I am keen on books — I like books I am keen on good food — I like good food I am keen on shopping — I like shopping

I am keen on cooking — I like to cook

4. Job

There are several options for how you can talk about your work.

1. You just say who you work.
We need a construction: I am a After the article «a» (it comes before the professions), you just name the profession. I am a teacher — I am a teacher I am a bank manager — I am a manager in a bank

I am a police officer — I am a police officer

2. You name the area in which you workI work in — I work in (area) Below, as an example, I have listed different areas. Oil industry — oil industryFashion industry — fashion industryFinance — financeMarketing — marketingIT — information technologyEducation — education

Research — research

Examples: I work in finance — I work in finance

I would to work in fashion industry — I would like to work in the fashion industry

3.

Name the company you work forI work for — I work for (a company) In addition to specific company names (American Airlines, KIA Motors), this construction will be suitable for «generic names» For a bank — in a bank For a law firm — in a law firm For a hospital — in a hospital For myself — to myself

In fact, if you have to say: “I work in a bank”, you intuitively want to put the preposition “in”, but if the sentence sounds “I work in a bank”, this does not mean that you are somehow connected with finance. or banking. «In a bank» means «in a bank building», that is, you can work with anyone from a security guard to a lawyer. If your activity is connected with banking, “for a bank” is the right choice.

That’s all for me, success in learning English!

Source: https://linguafromhome.com/blog/kak-rasskazat-o-sebe-na-anglijskom/

How to prepare for a job interview in English. Telling Yourself in an English Job Interview

Any interview in English begins, it would seem, with the simplest question: “Tell me about yourself”. Self-story in English often sets the tone for the rest of the interview and increases your chances of success.

The most important thing about an interview is to express enthusiasm in a believable way.

~ Joan Harris

For many job seekers, this is the hardest question to answer, as it is not clear what the interviewer really wants to know “about you”. In this article, you will learn how to properly tell about yourself in English, which should include selling self-presentationto impress a potential employer.

How to prepare for a job interview in English

The purpose interviews in English maybe not only find out if you are suitable professionally, but also assess your level of English proficiency.

After you put together a great resume in English and your cover letter was so convincing that you were invited to job interview, you need to thoroughly prepare for it, because this is the last test on the way to the work of your dreams and you need to overcome it with dignity.

What you need to know before your job interview in English

Preparing carefully for your interview is the key to your success. Make sure you can clearly, concisely, and logically explain everything on your resume and cover letter, and provide specific examples of tasks and accomplishments (especially those related to job requirements).

Be sure to prepare and practice a speech in which you need to briefly tell:

  • about your education, and how it relates to the requirements of the vacancy;
  • previous work experience (which may include internships, volunteer work, employment in student unions, etc.).
  • structure your speech so that it is clear how you can effectively use your previous experience in doing the job you are applying for;
  • why do you want to work for this company and in this position.

Remember that your time will be very limited (most interviews last from 30 minutes to an hour), you will worry and may get confused, forget something, or start repeating yourself.

The best impromptu is a well-prepared impromptu.

Therefore, preparing and practicing your speech is very important. We recommend that you work out the answers to the most likely questions in the form of a rehearsal interview with your parents, friends or classmates.

You can also practice the answers to the most common questions using the video simulator.

Take the time to find information about the organization where you are scheduled to interview. Check out the information on their website, read materials about them in the press, check their social media profiles, find out who their main competitors are, try to find information about the people who will be present at the interview.

“Tell me about yourself” — This simple but important question can motivate candidates to tell their life stories. But do potential employers want to hear this?

Tell about yourself at the interview employers ask you to understand how well you prepared and whether you are suitable for this position.

You need to unobtrusively show yourself to the interviewer from the best side — «sell yourself», briefly tell about yourself — «present yourself», while not going into unnecessary details.

We also recommend that you watch the video on How to tell about yourself in English.

When preparing for a story about yourself, you can use ready-made templates. The highlighted phrases can be used as a basis for any vacancy.

Sentence in EnglishTranslate into Russian

I graduated from the Technical University and I have a degree in Information Systems and Technologies. Я graduated Technical University, and i have a degree in the field of information systems and technologies.
I have been working as a system administrator for five years. I am working system administrator for five years.
My professional experience includes LAN (local area network) administration, equipment maintenance and negotiation with suppliers. My professional experience includes local area network (LAN) administration, equipment maintenance and negotiations with suppliers.
I am currently working for the IT company which specializes in website creation and Provides hosting for its clients. I am currently working in IT companies, which specializes in website creation and provides hosting for their clients.

Source: https://ienglish.ru/blog/business-angliiskiy-po-skype/resume-na-angliiskom/rasskaz-o-sebe-na-angliyskom-sobesedovanii

Понравилась статья? Поделить с друзьями:
  • Word for understanding others
  • Word for understanding each other
  • Word for understanding a situation
  • Word for understand the situation
  • Word for under researched