Tell Me About Yourself

Beginner · 10 min read · Behavioral Interviews Decoded, The Questions Everyone Gets

A 90-second pitch with a clear arc, sprinkled with evidence, that ends on why you are here.

"So, tell me about yourself" is the first question in many interviews, and it sets the interviewer's first impression of you. Most people answer it badly in one of two ways: they recite their resume line by line, or they talk about their childhood love of computers for four minutes.

The structure

Cracking the Coding Interview recommends a mostly chronological pitch that it says works for about 95% of candidates:

A sample pitch

For a backend engineer with five years' experience, applying to a payments company:

Sprinkle in proof, don't list adjectives

"I'm passionate, hard-working and a fast learner" is unprovable and forgettable. Instead, mention things that show those qualities: a promotion, being asked to lead something, being recruited by a former manager, a launch, a number. The book calls this "sprinkle in shows of successes".

Adjust for your situation

What to leave out

Key takeaways

Give a 90-second pitch, not a resume reading: now, the path with reasons, now in detail, why here.
Drop in evidence (promotions, launches, numbers, being asked to lead) instead of adjectives.
Adapt the weighting to freshers, experienced engineers and career changes.
Always end with why this company, and make it specific.

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