"Tell me a little bit about yourself."

When an interviewer asks you about yourself, he or she doesn't necessarily want to know where you were born, what your hobbies are or a laundry list of your job skills. In reality this is an extremely important question. Interviewers ask it for a number of reasons:

► To get a sense of what you feel is most important about yourself;

► To see how well you've prepared for the interview; or

► To find out why you think you're the best candidate for the job.

There is a lot riding on your response to this question, so make sure you knock it out of the park. Here are a few quick tips for answering the "tell me about yourself" interview question the right way:

► Be brief. Keep the answer short - no more than two to three minutes.

► Practice, practice, practice. Write your answer out, then rehearse it until it's second nature.

► Cite examples. When you develop your answer, include one or two examples that best demonstrate why you're well-qualified for the available position.

Take advantage of your time in the driver's seat by selling yourself, creating a great first impression and setting a positive tone for the rest of the interview.