“Tell me about yourself.”
Five words - somehow enough to make an otherwise functioning adult forget everything they’ve done since birth. The question sounds enormous: your degree, your work experience, your hobbies, your childhood, the time you broke your arm in Year 8?
Fortunately, the interviewer is usually asking something much simpler: who are you professionally, what’s led you here, and why does this role make sense for you? That’s what your answer should cover.
Keep it short
For most graduate interviews, around 60-90 seconds is plenty. You’re not trying to answer every possible question before they can ask it - your goal is to give the interviewer a clear introduction and create useful routes for the conversation to continue.
Use a simple three-part structure
1. Where you are now
Start with your current situation - nothing dramatic required:
“I’m currently in my final year studying Mechanical Engineering at Sheffield.”
Then give them a useful headline: “Over the last couple of years I’ve become particularly interested in using data and modelling to solve practical engineering problems.” Now the interviewer knows where the story is going.
2. What relevant experience got you here
Pick two or three things, not your entire CV - an internship, placement, university project, society, part-time job, dissertation or personal project. For example:
“Last summer I completed an engineering internship where I helped analyse manufacturing downtime, and at university I’ve been working on a group project involving optimisation of an electric vehicle drivetrain.”
Notice what this isn’t: “In 2023 I started university. In first year I studied thermodynamics. In second year I joined badminton…” Nobody needs the director’s cut. Select what matters.
3. Why this role is the logical next step
Finish by connecting your background to the opportunity: “Those experiences made me realise I particularly enjoy analytical engineering work, which is why this graduate role appealed to me.” That gives the answer direction.
A full example answer
Imagine a final-year Economics student applying to a commercial graduate scheme:
“I’m currently in my final year studying Economics at Nottingham, and I’ve become particularly interested in how businesses use data to make commercial decisions. Last year I completed a summer internship with a retail company where I worked with sales data and helped produce weekly performance reporting, and alongside university I’ve also been involved with our Economics Society, where I helped organise employer events. I’ve realised I enjoy work that combines analysis with understanding how a business actually operates, so I’m now looking for a graduate role where I can build those skills further, which is what attracted me to this programme.”
Simple. No buzzword avalanche. No claim of having been “passionate about commercial excellence from a young age.” Just a coherent story.
Once you’ve drafted an answer, the real test is saying it out loud. Careevio Interview Prep helps you organise your examples and prepare for the follow-up questions your introduction is likely to trigger.
The biggest mistake: reciting your CV
Your interviewer may already have your CV open, so reading it aloud to them isn’t a particularly good use of everyone’s time. Your answer should interpret your experience - it should tell them which parts of your background matter most for this job. That requires selection.
Another mistake: starting too personally
You don’t normally need “I’m Luca, I’m 21, I was born in London, I have two brothers and I enjoy travelling…” None of that is inherently bad - it just wastes the most valuable part of your opening answer. Professional first. You can still sound human.
Don’t memorise every word
Preparing the answer is smart. Learning a 173-word speech like you’re auditioning for Shakespeare is less smart - if you memorise every sentence, you tend to sound memorised, and if the interviewer interrupts, your brain can blue-screen. Instead, memorise the structure: current situation → relevant evidence → why this role. Know the points. Let the exact wording change naturally.
Make your answer role-specific
The basic facts about you stay the same - the emphasis should change:
- Analytics roles: coding, quantitative projects, analytical placement work
- Consulting: solving ambiguous problems, presentations, teamwork, commercial projects
- Marketing: communication, campaigns, audience insight, content creation
You’re not changing your story. You’re changing the camera angle.
Give the interviewer things worth asking about
A good answer quietly places interesting hooks into the conversation. Mention “I built a Python model to forecast electricity demand” and an interviewer interested in analytical ability may immediately ask you to tell them more about it. You’ve just helped steer the interview towards evidence you prepared - so choose your hooks carefully. If you mention something, assume they may ask about it.
What if you have very little experience?
Use what you actually have:
“I’m currently a final-year Psychology student at Cardiff. Most of my experience so far has come through university research projects and working part-time in hospitality, where I’ve enjoyed dealing with customers and working in busy teams. Through my degree I’ve become particularly interested in consumer behaviour, and I’m now looking for a graduate role where I can apply that understanding in a commercial environment.”
Perfectly respectable. You don’t need to apologise for being at the start of your career - it’s a graduate interview. They noticed. If your CV feels thin on experience too, see our guide on writing a CV with no work experience for the same idea applied on paper.
A quick formula
If you’re stuck, fill in the gaps below, then rewrite it in your own language so it doesn’t sound like a template:
- I’m currently ________.
- Over the last ________, I’ve become particularly interested in ________.
- Through ________ and ________, I’ve developed experience in ________.
- I’m now looking for ________, which is why this role appealed to me.
Final rule
Your answer should leave the interviewer thinking: “I understand who this person is, what they’ve done, and why they’re sitting here.” That’s enough - you have the rest of the interview to prove it. Once you’ve nailed your opening, it’s worth preparing a few competency stories too - see how to build them with the STAR method, even without much experience.
