Interview essentials
How to answer “Tell me about yourself” in an interview
“Tell me about yourself” is broad enough to make a prepared candidate hesitate. Should you explain your whole career, repeat your CV or jump straight to why you want the role?
A useful starting point is a short professional introduction that gives the interviewer a few relevant threads to explore. You can prepare its shape without writing a speech.
Use three simple prompts
Try now, evidence, next as a practice structure. This is a writing aid, not an employer's scoring rule.
- Now: what kind of work, study or responsibility currently describes you?
- Evidence: which experience best connects you to this opportunity?
- Next: what are you looking for, and why does this role make sense?
Choose details from the job description to decide what is relevant. For a role that involves explaining technical decisions to customers, that part of your experience may deserve more space than a list of every tool you have used.
A fictional example for an experienced candidate
The examples here are invented for teaching. Replace their content with facts from your own experience.
“I'm a software engineer working mainly on internal tools for a customer operations team. Recently, I helped replace a manual case-allocation process, which involved sitting with the people using it and turning their feedback into small changes we could test. I've found that I especially enjoy work where I can understand the user's problem as well as build the solution. This role interests me because it combines product engineering with direct collaboration across the business.”
This introduction establishes a current role, one relevant piece of evidence and a reason for the next move. It leaves space for follow-up questions about the project and the candidate's contribution.
If you are early in your career
Your introduction does not need to imitate someone with years of professional experience. Start with your current studies, practical work or other responsibilities, then explain a relevant example.
“I'm finishing a computing course and have been building a small booking tool as a group project. I took responsibility for testing the main booking journey and working through the issues with the rest of the group. I enjoyed translating a vague bug report into something we could reproduce and improve. I'm looking for a junior role where I can develop that approach while learning from an experienced engineering team.”
For a career change, use the same shape. Name the transferable skill, give evidence from your previous work and explain what you have done to prepare for the new area. Be clear about what you are still learning.
Edit for relevance
Read your first draft and ask of each sentence: does this help someone understand why I am having this conversation? A complete chronology often makes the listener work too hard to find the connection.
Replace broad descriptions such as “passionate problem solver” with a concrete example. Avoid making claims about the employer that you have not checked. A specific responsibility in the vacancy is a sounder starting point than generic praise.
You can explain a career break briefly if it matters to the story you want to tell. You do not need to volunteer private personal details to make a professional introduction coherent.
Practise the opening, then let it breathe
- Write one bullet for now, one for evidence and one for next.
- Say the introduction aloud. As an exercise, try a version around a minute long, then adjust to the interviewer's prompt and format.
- Ask a listener what they remember. Check that the relevant experience came through.
- Practise a follow-up about the example, including what you personally did.
Remember the points you want to cover instead of fixing every word. If the interviewer asks specifically for your career history or a longer presentation, follow that instruction.
Prepare the story behind the introduction
Your opening creates useful starting points. Make sure you can explain each one in more depth. For a specific experience, our STAR practice guide can help you organise the details.
For a more focused selection of examples, turn the job description into a preparation plan before your next rehearsal.
Further reading: National Careers Service advice on common interview questions covers connecting examples to the role. The “now, evidence, next” exercise is MockReps guidance.