We’ve all been there: the interview went quite well (or it didn’t), they’ve asked a lot of questions–some made sense, and some didn’t. You answered some, and remained silent with one or two. Nothing to be ashamed of really. And yet when you feel that they must know everything about you–at least when it comes to your experience, motivation, and attitude to work (not about your pleasures and pains), they ask whether you want to say something else about you… This can happen both in an interview, and while you complete an online job application. In both cases they ask whether you have any additional information you want to share about you.
Before we proceed to the sample answers, I want to make sure you understand one thing: you do not necessarily have to force it at this point. If you’ve had enough room to express your thoughts and ideas, if you feel that you did well in the interview, or wrote everything important on your job application, and demonstrated right attitude to work, and motivation to try your best, there’s no need to add anything.
Remember that in 4 out of 5 cases, the hiring managers have a template for the interview. They have a list of questions in front of them (can be five but also twenty-five), and will simply ask you one question after another. This is typically either the last one, or the penultimate one, if the last place is reserved for “Do you have any questions?”
What I try to convey here that they will ask you the question, regardless of whether they feel they know all they need about you. It is simply a part of the standard procedure, one of the questions on their list, and they will proceed to it with each and every candidate… Let’s have a look at 7 sample answers. I try to include on my list both conventional and unconventional answers, and answers that fit different interview scenarios. Do not forget to read also my notes below the list, as they explain some important nuances of a perfect answer to this question.
7 sample answers to “Do you want to tell us anything else about you?” interview question
- I think that we went over all important points. We’ve discussed my education, experience, goals, and you also asked me a few tough behavioral questions. The only think I can add is to thank you for this interview, for giving me a chance to learn more about this interesting working opportunity.
- I want to say that though I may look overqualified for the job, it isn’t really the case. Sure, I had some fancy roles before, but I got tired of the extreme pressure and responsibility that comes with managerial roles. I have earned a lot of money each month, but my life was miserable, because I was always working–staying overtime, answering calls at home, dreaming about work while sleeping. I just wanted to make this clear so you understand why I apply for the job with you, even though with my resume I could have applied for jobs that offer a totally different level of compensation…
- There is one thing I want to tell you. And it is rather personal. I know that employee fluctuation is very high in the hospitality sector, and that you struggle with employees and have to conduct interviews often. You get new people on board, provide them with training, just to see them leave in a few months time, pursuing better offers. If you give me the chance here, however, this won’t happen. I’ve been unemployed for a while now, and more than anything else I seek some stability and security in life. If I get this job with you, I won’t look for any other offer. I will be glad to finally have a job again, and try my best each day.
- I want to tell you just how much I love your brand. I’ve been a regular customer of this store for years, and I really enjoy the level of customer service I get here every time. I believe I know what you expect from excellent sales associates, and it will be a dream come true if I can become a member of this team. That’s it, thank you for hearing me out and for the entire interview…
- I want to share with you that if I could turn back the clock, I would do this interview again. Because I was very nervous. As they rightly say, you are nervous when you care. I wanted badly to do well, to get this job, because I see it as a perfect match for my strengths and personality. My nerves got the better of me, and I did not answer some of your questions the way I wanted to. It is really a pity, and I would love to have another chance. But of course we cannot turn back the clock.
- I just want to stress one more time how motivated I am to get this job with you. I’ve done my research, applied just for a handful of offers, and after everything I’ve seen here and heard in this interview, you are definitely my first choice. This offer is a great match for my strengths and experience, but I also feel that I would fit well to your existing team, and would thrive in the working culture you foster here. Thank you for giving me a chance to interview for this job.
- I would like to return to the position of a market research analyst I had with ABC company for two years. We’ve talked about it already, but I feel that I did not clearly explain what I did, and how it relates to the job I try to get with you. In a typical market research job you sit in a back office, and never really have a contact with the customers. But my role was different. I actually did a lot of research in the field, filling questionnaires with our target audience, and hence I actually have some experience with approaching strangers, and dealing with different personalities. Just wanted to make sure that you understand it, because from my resume it may seems I have very little experience dealing with people. As you can see, I actually have quite a lot of experience in the area.
A second chance to do it right
Most job seekers do not realize it, but this question is actually your chance to answer some other question a second time–or for the first time, if you remained silent when they asked it.
Maybe you were nervous, or you said something outright stupid, in the heat of the moment. Or you forgot to mention an important fact or number when they asked about your working experience. It can happen to anyone, and hiring managers are well-aware of how nervous one can be in the interviews.
You can definitely return to one question at this point, or even to two questions. Just say that you’d like to add something to this or that question, or even change your answer completely, explaining that your nerves got the better of you when you answered it a few minutes ago. Nine out of ten hiring managers will give you a chance to answer it another time.
Needless to say, they have their schedule and rules they follow, and you cannot ask them to get over all questions again… But you can definitely return to one or two questions, and give them some additional information.
* Special Tip: This isn’t the only difficult question you will face while interviewing for any decent job. You will face questions about prioritization, dealing with pressure, dealing with ambiguity, and other tricky scenarios that happen in the workplace. If you want to make sure that you stand out with your answers and outclass your competitors, have a look at our Interview Success Package. Up to 10 premium answers to 31 tricky scenario based questions (+ more) will make your life much easier in the interviews. Thank you for checking it out!
Something obvious to you does not have to be obvious to the hiring managers
Interviewers are not geniuses. They have read your job application, and skimmed your resume, but they may interview ten other applications on the same day, and cannot pay attention to every single detail on your documents.
What I try to say here is that when you feel that they did not ask about some important point from your application or resume, you should definitely bring it up. Maybe you look overqualified for the job, or there’s an employment gap on your resume, or you have some skill or knowledge that can help you stand out from other job candidates.
You may explain these things on your application or cover letter or whatever. But it doesn’t mean that the hiring managers are aware of them (maybe an HR generalist read the applications and shortlisted the candidates for the interviews, and the people sitting in front of you haven’t even read the documents). Keep it on your mind when they ask you this question…
You do not have to force it
At the end I want to stress one more time that you do not have to force it at this point. If your interview went well, if you are more-less satisfied with the answers you gave them, and if you feel that every important point from your application and resume has been already discussed, you do not have to add anything. Just thank them for inviting you for the interviews, wish them good luck, and that’s it.
Ready to answer this one? I hope so! But it won’t be the most difficult question you will face in your interview! Check also 7 sample answers to the following questions:
- Tell me one think about yourself you wouldn’t want me to know.
- Tell us about a time when you had to use logic to solve a problem.
- If you were an animal, what would you be?
