What they are really asking

When the interviewer wants to hear how your best friend would describe you, it's a way to get past your prepared answers. People describe themselves carefully. They describe themselves through a friend's eyes more honestly, and the interviewer knows it. They're looking for your character outside work: are you reliable, warm, funny, patient?

The trap is going blank and saying "Nice, I guess." The other trap is listing formal strengths, like "results-driven," that no friend has ever said about anyone. Friends use ordinary words and tell stories. Your answer should sound like that.

A shape that works

Word, story, work. Give one or two words your friend would really use. Add a short example of when they'd say it. Then, in one sentence, say how that quality shows up at work. You can add a small, gentle flaw your friend teases you about. It makes the answer sound true, and it shows you can laugh at yourself.

Model answers

Listen to how each answer is built, then make it yours.

Answer 1: a sales rep in Chicago
Answer 2: a teacher in Nairobi
Answer 3: a software engineer in Shanghai

Check yourself

1Why do interviewers ask how a friend would describe you?
2Why might a candidate mention something a friend teases her about?
3Which description sounds most like a real friend?

Practice · 3 min

Ask yourself what your closest friend would really say about you, in their words. Write one quality, one short story that shows it, one thing they tease you about, and one sentence linking the quality to work. Record the answer and check that every describing word is one a friend would actually use.

Your recording stays on this device. Nothing is uploaded.

Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.