Anonymous wrote:Tell me something about yourself that I wouldn't know from your resume.

Would you stick to character traits, skills, a specific work experience that was formative or something else?

I was in an interview recently where this was asked after a bunch of nonsense questions, many of which were non-work related. This was for a large, reputable contracting company so I was thrown. FWIW, mid-40s professional.

I would tell them a work story. I have so many from my job - some funny, some show resilience, some show work ethic, all interesting. I have a long and varied history, so many stories to choose from. What they are getting at is are you going to be a good fit to the team and organization. If you cannot talk about yourself and share stories, it will be harder to get to know you. Personally, when I hire someone “fit” is way more important than skill or their ability to do a job. I can teach most smart people anything, so it’s better that the other members of my team like them.

There is no right answer. They are looking to see if you can go off script. I would answer in context of the current conversation we had flowing. For example, if I had just talked about my management strengths, I would pivot and say, “I’ve talked about my management style and strengths, but I don’t think my resume fully conveys *why* I operate this way.” And I would then go to some anecdotes about the various influences and values that inform my work style. But a question like that is just about rolling with it.

I think it's sort of a test to see how well you think on your feet, not just information gathering. I'd talk about something work related.

Anonymous wrote:I would answer with something work-related.

When I read the OP my mind went right to: I would answer with something that sounds work-related but is completely made up. Or, maybe it's true but is completely unhelpful, like working for a client who ended up in prison for a white color crime.
It's something about my brain. I just don't do well in interviews (or first dates).

Probably best to rehearse for questions like this.

I would answer with something work-related.

I would say a book you have read recently or a trip taken. It shows you are doing something with your mind and body besides staring at a screen.

Anonymous wrote:As long as you don't answer, "I've been married 17 years and am raisint 3 incredible children," you'll be fine (yes, someone answered that when we asked them to tell us about an achievement or something they were proud of). We were looking for an example from work

To be fair, if you want an example from work, say that. "Tell us about a work achievement that you're proud of." Sure, they might say "I'm proud to have nursed all my children to the age of two while working and pumping simultaneously," but you can hope for more.