How to Answer “Walk Me Through Your Resume”

Updated June 17, 20221.6k

Many hiring managers will ask an interviewee to give them a walkthrough of their resume. Here’s how to answer this question if it comes up in your next job interview.

Walk Me Through Your Resume

So, you wrote a great resume and cover letter that landed you a job interview - now it’s time to prepare! Of all the common interview questions you might face, “walk me through your resume” is one of the most frequent and important. In fact, it can even be the first question that interviewers ask. As well as being open-ended enough to allow you to showcase your communication skills, this question gives you an opportunity to make an effective first impression and outline your best qualities.

Why Employers Ask “Walk Me Through Your Resume”

Whether you are fresh out of high school and seeking an entry-level role or you’re applying for roles in senior management, hiring managers who ask this question have three goals in mind. First, they want to know what you think your key skills and experiences are, and how you have developed them. Second, they want to get a feel for your communication skills, which will come out in your answer. For example, they will note whether you ramble or give a clear answer. They will also consider how complete your answer is and whether follow-up questions are needed to get simple information. Finally, hiring managers who ask this question are often just seeking a little more detail about the information in your resume, learn how you got to this point in your career and how you might fit in with their team.

How to Answer This Question

The best career advice for anyone looking to improve their interview technique is to perfect an “elevator pitch” for yourself and your resume – a brief encapsulation of who are you are, and your top qualifications. Whether you’re a graduate of business school, you have a post-graduate education, or are entering a vocational career, the ability to sell yourself and your skills in a few sentences is always useful. When you are asked to give an interviewer a resume walkthrough, it is this skill that you should put to good use. No matter what career path you are on, there are four basic stages to answering this question. They are:

1. Begin with education.

Give a brief overview of your most relevant education. If you work in a competitive field like investment banking, then this may be more important. In these cases, where you went to school could be as important as how well you did.

2. Give an overview of your work history.

Discuss your job experiences and what key roles you have held in the past. Try to focus on what you learned in specific jobs and how they helped you to grow. Try to focus on full-time work if you can.

3. Indicate key relevant experiences and achievements.

Quickly indicate which key experiences you would like to discuss later in the interview. Indicate what those relevant experiences are, where and when you had them, and how you feel they were beneficial to your career.

4. Tie it all together and relate to the job.

Finally, bring your resume walkthrough to an end by indicating how your experiences and education make you right for the role that you are applying for.
If you follow this advice, then you will give the recruiter a complete and effective interview answer that gives you a good chance of getting a new job.

What To Avoid When Answering “Walk Me Through Your Resume” in an Interview

There are some common mistakes that you should avoid when answering this job interview question. Here’s what not to do when giving a recruiter a resume walkthrough:

Ramble about negative experiences in previous jobs.
Fixate on one or two parts of your resume, and ignore the rest.
Ignore key accomplishments.
Be vague about your work experiences.
Fail to connect your current career goals with your job search and resume.

If you want to give a great answer to this question, use this elevator pitch approach. Consider general job interview tips and relevant example answers when practicing for your interview and you will have a great chance of making a good first impression.

FAQ: “Walk Me Through Your Resume”

Is “Walk me through your resume” the same as “Tell me about yourself” in an interview?

When you go to a job interview, you could face either of these questions, but it is unlikely that you will face both. While they overlap in many ways, these questions are distinct; the first focuses on your professional resume and its contents, while the second can include information about your wider life. In both cases, you should try to tailor your answer to the job description you are applying for.

How long should it take to answer the “Walk me through your resume” question?

It should not take you more than a minute or two to answer this question. Ideally, you should be as concise as possible. If you write down your answer, then it should take up no more than a single paragraph. Remember that hiring managers can and will ask for more information if they feel it is needed.

How can I make this question work for me?

The best way to make this question work for you is to ensure that you highlight your professional development, and showcase how your skills have progressed. Once you have done this, highlight how the new job you are applying for is the perfect next step for your career, as well as what you can do for the company. Consider sample answers that are relevant to your job search for inspiration.

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About The Author

Cindi Cervone Carlson

Cindi Cervone Carlson is a Senior Vice President for Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. Cindi is responsible for developing, delivering, and implementing a dynamic, world-class organization dedicated to delivering outplacement consulting, training, support, and executive coaching. Cindi started her career at Challenger as a client who had lost her job. Over the past nine years, she has risen from an entry-level, part-time professional to Senior Vice President.