How to Answer “How Would Your Friends Describe You?”

1. Why do recruiters ask this HR interview question?
2. Tips to answering " How would your friends describe you?"
3. How to answer " How would your friends describe you?"

Job interviews can make many jobseekers nervous and to make them feel comfortable, recruiters ask some interview questions like “Tell me about yourself”.

One such HR interview question is “How would your friends describe you?”

In this blog, we will provide all the answers pertaining to your question about how to answer “How would your friends describe you?”

Let’s begin!

Why do recruiters ask this HR interview question?

Before answering any HR interview question, it is important that you understand why the recruiter is asking it.

So, let's find out why recruiters ask "How would your friends describe you?" First, your friends' description of you is a really intimate version of your personality outside of work. However, your personality traits are somethings that will leave an impact even after work is done.

Second, the recruiter wants to understand how well you understand yourself. Also, a recruiter is always looking for a long-term candidate thereby making it critical that employees match the company culture.

Finally, some HR interview questions are a disguise where the recruiter wants you to present your best personality traits that make you a perfect fit for the job.

Tips to answering " How would your friends describe you?"

Now that it is clear why recruiters ask this HR interview question, here are a few tips to help you frame your answer for “How would your friends describe you?”

Use the STAR method to answer

The Situation Task Action Result (STAR) method is an easy technique that can be used to answer any HR interview question. This technique helps to frame your answers in a clear and concise manner.

When answering “How would your friends describe you?”, the STAR method can be used to talk about a situation and justify your answer properly. This is how you can use the STAR method in answering this HR interview question,

Situation (S): You can start describing a situation and the greater picture surrounding it.

Task (T): Next, you can talk about the problem you were facing and why finding a resolution was priority.

Action (A): What solution did you offer after analyzing the task and why.

Result (R): Finally, you can talk about the result your solution yielded and did it solve the problem in a short-term/ long-term manner.

Pro tip: You can talk about an outing or vacation situation with your friends where you faced a situation and you solved the issue.

Be relevant and concise

Avoid going on and on when answering this HR interview question.

As interested as the recruiter will be in knowing you but a major part of it will be from a prospective employee, try to keep the answer short and concise. This will also showcase your excellent communication skills.

In addition, try to stick to an answer that will showcase skills and qualities that will be relevant to the job role.

Take the help of your closest friend(s)

Reach out to your closest friend(s) if you find yourself feeling confused about how to answer the HR interview question “How would your friends describe you?”

Ask them to list 3 top qualities about you and why, this will give you an honest insight into what your friends actually think about you and you can frame your answer accordingly.

Practicing is the key to confidence

It is important that you answer “How would your friends describe you?” confidently, otherwise it will just sound fabricated. Therefore, to gain confidence try practicing answering this HR interview question.

However, ensure that you do not sound robotic as it will have the same implications as being under confident.

Tip: Take a deep breath and gather your thoughts before answering. Also, answer slowly and clearly.

How to answer " How would your friends describe you?"

Sample answer #1:

"If my friends were to describe me, I believe it would be that I am a people-person and extremely level-headed. Let me tell you about an incident, last time I went back home, we friends decided to catch up.

However, the problem was everyone was scattered all across the city and finding a meetup spot was turning out to be a disaster.

So, I suggested to meet at a central point which will be accessible to everyone and since I knew everyone's preference regarding a hangout spot, I suggested a rooftop cafe that suits everyone's needs, and it turned out to be a perfect evening with us reminiscing old days."

Sample Answer #2:

"If asked, my friends would probably describe me as persistent and go after something I really want. For example, in college my seniors were trying to book a particular popular band to perform at our annual fest, but weren't able to reach out to them.

So, after researching about their booking policies and everything, I looked up their manager's contact information from a friend whose pub hosts popular bands and realized that the team was trying to reach out to outdated and hence they were meeting a dead end.

On reaching out, the band immediately wanted to perform as one of the members always admired our college. So, with a little persistence we got our favorite band to our fest and it was an evening worth remembering!"

Hopefully, these tips to answer “How would your friends describe you?” will help you to frame your own unique answers and impress the recruiter.

However, do not take this HR interview question lighter than the other frequently asked HR interview questions and answers, as how you answer it can make or break your chance of bagging the job.