That I usually ask to kick off the interview. The candidate should describe around their professional background and qualifications for the position.
I would learn a couple things:
#1. How articulate the person is. Can he/she clearly express and sell theirselves? It's a bit of an open question that allows people to get creative, therefore it gives me an idea of the persons communication and soft skills.
#2. How is the open position perceived by the candidate? I expect the right candidate to be able to talk around and focus on the essentials of the job. To be able to do a good job, one must understand what he/she's hired to do.
Some people answer in just a couple sentences that's way too short. Others would go on and on but couldn't match their experience to the job descriptions. Therefore the answer should be concise and can't be too short or too long.
The answer to this question is the first impression that usually make or break an interview within the first 3 minutes as also pointed out in another post.
