Among the most common interview questions you might get asked, “Tell me something that is not on your resume” can be particularly confusing because it’s hard to know what interviewers are looking for. But don’t worry, they’re simply trying to learn more about your personality, interests, and who you are.
You can think of this question as, “What do you want us to know about you that we wouldn’t learn from your resume alone?” It’s open-ended, which means that interviewers aren’t expecting you to follow a certain answer format.
Instead, they’re giving you a valuable opportunity to highlight something about yourself — whether it’s a special skill, travel experience, or lifelong goal — that’ll make you stand out and help you demonstrate how you’re a great culture fit.
Here’s how to answer this question effectively:
1. Choose a focus
When an interviewer asks you to tell them something that’s not on your resume, it’s best to pick an answer that’s authentic to you, and something you’re proud of.
Once you’ve chosen your topic, craft an answer that conveys how much it means to you, as well as what you’ve learned or how you’ve grown as a person.
If you want to use your answer to further showcase how you’re qualified for the role or how you align with the company culture, you can connect your answer back to the job you’re applying for by choosing something directly relevant to the role. However this isn’t necessary, so it’s up to you – use your best judgment about what each interviewer will respond to.
Here are a few ideas for you to consider in crafting your response:
Share a hobby
Discussing a hobby like photography, playing music, or a specific sport can highlight values such as perseverance, discipline, and overcoming challenges. Plus, you can use the opportunity to show your personality and demonstrate skills that will help you excel in the role.
Here are a couple examples:
Showcase your soft skills
“I really love gardening. For the past two years I’ve been growing flowers and vegetables in pots on my balcony, and before I started I never realized how much work it takes to just grow something. You really have to water them every day, check the soil, add compost, and then you might still not get anything edible. It’s a really interesting process and I have come to love the routine and the dedication that it takes.
For me, it’s not about the result of getting that one perfect tomato, it’s about the process of maintaining a well-tended garden, giving the plants everything they need to grow and thrive, no matter the season. Gardening has taught me a lot about dedication, patience, and the importance of having a long-term growth mindset. Caring for my plants is also therapeutic and really helps me decompress after a long day at work.”
This response shows how the candidate’s interest in gardening has also helped them cultivate dedication, patience, the ability to manage stress, and resilience – qualities that are transferable to any job.
Share a passion
“I’m passionate about giving back to the community and making a positive impact through volunteer work. Most recently, I’ve been volunteering at the local school for the blind, but I’ve also had the privilege of working with diverse organizations doing youth mentoring, working at the food bank, participating in beach clean-ups, and taking care of animals at the local shelter. I’ve met so many passionate people through volunteering, too, and it has strengthened my interpersonal and teamwork skills.”
Through this response, the candidate highlights their commitment to community service and their diverse experiences in volunteering. It emphasizes their passion for making a positive impact and the valuable soft skills they gained.
Share a unique experience
Besides hobbies, you can choose to focus on a life experience that gives the interviewer insight into who you are as a person. This could be any event that was formative, unforgettable, or unique in some way.
For example:
Show an achievement
“I once ran a half marathon for charity with my two brothers to raise money for the local Children’s Hospital. It was really amazing because none of us were runners before, and I was in pretty bad shape. We started training about three and a half months before the actual race, running in the mornings and on weekends. It was really tough waking up early to go running, especially in the winter, but I was motivated by my desire to give back to the community. The feeling of accomplishment I felt when I crossed the finish line was something that I’d never felt before, and the whole experience taught me the power of determination and hard work. Now, every time I go into a difficult challenge, I think about everything I learned in my training to run the half marathon.”
This response effectively demonstrates the candidate’s determination and commitment to giving back to the community by overcoming a personal challenge, and highlights how the experience has shaped their mindset toward facing challenges in other aspects of their life.
Share a goal
Another way to respond to “tell me something that’s not on your resume” is to highlight a goal or a dream. This could be a learning, fitness, or professional goal, or something else that motivates you.
For example, you could talk about your aspiration to climb a mountain, learn a new language, or develop a specific role-related skill. Emphasizing your desire to achieve difficult long-term goals can also signal that you are a good fit for companies that value this quality.
When sharing a goal, provide insight into the steps you plan to take to achieve it and what motivates you to pursue it. Here’s an example of a job-seeker applying for a job as a technical writer, a job that requires independent learning and research skills:
Share a learning project
“My family has been planning a trip to Portugal for a few years, and one of my personal goals has been to learn Portuguese before we go. I really want to be able to get around and talk to the locals when we go, so I bought a few books and have been taking lessons online. It’s actually been really rewarding to be able to take myself from a beginner to an intermediate level in a foreign language by myself. Our trip is at the end of the year and I plan to keep learning Portuguese even after it’s over, because knowing a second language has added so much richness and value to my life.”
The candidate’s story highlights their ability to set and pursue goals independently, and their commitment to continue learning after the trip shows their desire for personal growth. These qualities help the interviewer see that they would be a good culture fit on a team where being self-driven and having unique interests are encouraged.
2. Avoid inappropriate answers
Even though there’s no right answer to this open-ended question, it’s important to avoid oversharing in an interview.
And, even though your sense of humor might be an important part of your personality, it’s best not to respond with a joke. You can add a bit of humor to your answer, but remember that employers want to hire people who take themselves and their jobs seriously.
Here are some specific things to avoid when answering “Tell me something that’s not on your resume:”
- Any dangerous or illegal activity
- Controversial subjects like politics or conspiracy theories
- Activities that directly interfere or compete with the job or company you’re applying for
- Jokes or false statements
- Anything negative about previous employers or coworkers
3. Use ChatGPT prompts to create an effective response
Did you know you can use ChatGPT to help you prepare for this interview question? We’ve created two ChatGPT prompts that’ll help you generate ideas and create a sample answer.
Use this first prompt as a way to get ideas for how to answer this question at your own interview. Simply fill in the underlined parts with your own information, and ChatGPT will create three different example answers for you:
You’re a [job title] interviewing for a full-time job as a [position you’re applying for]. The interviewer says “Tell me something that’s not on your resume.” Create 3 different answers that focus on [a specific hobby, unique experience, or goal], highlighting the ways in which the experience makes you a standout candidate.
If you want help creating a more tailored response, you can try this prompt, which asks ChatGPT to create a sample response for you by asking detailed follow-up questions:
You are an experienced career coach and I need your help preparing for an interview! The interviewer will say, “Tell me something that’s not on your resume.” They are looking to find out what kind of person I am beyond what’s written on my resume. It’s an opportunity for me to give them a glimpse of my authentic self.
Please ask me what I’d like to talk about in my answer. After I reply to this question, ask me two or three questions that will help you create a sample response for me to use at my interview. Then, create a sample answer for me. It should introduce my topic, add relevant details, and explain why I chose it. Also, provide suggestions for how I can best tailor the sample answer to make it more compelling and impress the interviewer.
Additional interview resources
Here are some other common interview questions that you might also encounter in your job search:
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