Tell Me About Yourself
A 60 to 90 second answer that says who you are now, how you got here, and why this role is your next step.
Overview
'Tell me about yourself' is usually the first question in an interview. It sounds casual, but it is a test. The interviewer wants a short, clear summary of your career that makes the rest of the conversation easier. Your answer also decides which topics they ask about next, so it is the one question where you choose the ground.
The interviewer is checking three things. Can you explain your work briefly and clearly? Do you know which parts of your background matter for this role? And does your career have a direction, so that this job looks like a sensible next step rather than a random one?
A weak answer reads the resume in date order, adds personal details nobody asked for, or runs past two minutes. A strong answer picks two or three highlights that fit the role, links them into a short story, and ends with why you are here.
- Length — 60 to 90 seconds, then stops — Three minutes or more
- Selection — Two or three highlights that fit this role — Every job since school
- Structure — Present, past, future — Date order, or no order
- Evidence — One concrete result with a number — Adjectives only ('passionate', 'hard-working')
- Ending — Why this role, in one or two sentences — 'So, yeah, that's about it'
Every story and sample line on this page is fiction, written as an example.
What you will be able to do
- Build a 60 to 90 second answer with the present, past, future structure.
- Choose which experience to include for a given role, and what to leave out.
- Adjust the answer for your career stage, a career change or a gap.
- Prepare a 30 second and a 2 minute version for other openings.
Interview questions
- How should I structure my answer?
- What should I include, and what should I leave out?
- How do I change the answer for my career stage?
- How do I handle a gap or a non-linear career?
- How do I practice so it sounds natural?
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