Interview preparation

How to answer Tell me about yourself

First-job, internship and early-career applicants preparing their opening answer.

Sduella ·

Use the opening answer to help the interviewer understand your current situation, the experience relevant to this role and why you applied. Choose a few connected facts that lead naturally into the work you would be doing.

Start with a short version you can say comfortably in roughly a minute. Treat that as a practice target, not a rule every interviewer uses. Be ready to expand the project or experience they ask about next.

Build the answer from three notes

  • Where you are now: your current study, training or work, stated accurately.
  • Relevant evidence: one activity that demonstrates a requirement in this role.
  • Reason for applying: the particular work or training you want to do and why it connects to your experience.

Choose an example you can explain

If you have not held a paid job, choose a course project, volunteer task or other relevant responsibility. The example should contain an action you personally took. For an administrative role, a record-keeping task may be more useful than an unrelated achievement.

Keep the background brief. The interviewer can ask about the rest of your CV. Spend the opening answer on the information most likely to help them understand your fit for this particular role.

Practise a follow-up rather than a longer script

After the introduction, ask a friend to choose one detail and ask how you did it. For example: what information went into the spreadsheet, how did you check it, or what would you change? If you cannot explain the detail, rewrite it or choose another example.

Listen to one recording of your answer. Remove repeated statements and words you would not use in normal conversation. Keep the facts and the connection to the role. The aim is to sound like yourself explaining your own experience.

Illustrative first-job answer for an administrative role

I recently completed my college course and am applying for junior administrative work. In a group project, I maintained the task list and checked the information before we submitted the final report. I enjoyed the careful record-keeping part of that work. This role interests me because it includes maintaining records and responding to enquiries, and I would like to develop those skills in a workplace.

The answer identifies the applicant's current situation, names a relevant action and connects it to the role. The course and project are fictional examples; replace them with your own facts.

Final check

  • The answer connects to the actual role.
  • You have included one piece of evidence.
  • You can explain every claim in a follow-up.
  • Your practice version sounds natural aloud.

Further reading

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