Hannah Simons
As a graduate stepping into the world of interviews and assessment centres there's one question you can almost guarantee will come up, "tell me about yourself".
On the surface, it seems like a simple opener but how you answer it can set the tone for the rest of the interview. Get it right, and it shows confidence and credibility. Get it wrong and you risk rambling or underselling yourself.
So how should you approach this crucial question?
Why employers ask this question?
This question gives hiring managers an insight into your:
- Confidence and communication style
- Understanding of the role
- Your ability to sell yourself
- Professional focus and self-awareness
In sales, first impressions are critical. Your answers should showcase your ability, professionalism and alignment with the company's goal.
A simple framework for your answer
Think of your response in three parts: past, present, future.
Past
- Briefly introduce your background and relevant experience
Present
- Highlight what you're doing now and why it's relevant
Future
- Connect your goals to the company and role you're interviewing for.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Rambling: Keep your response no longer than 2 minutes.
- Being too personal
- Being too vague
Strong example answer:
"I've recently graduated with a degree in Business and Marketing from (University name), where I developed a strong interest in sales and customer engagement. While I don't have formal sales experience yet, I've taken on several roles that have helped me to build transferable skills, including part-time work in hospitality and a summer internship with a marketing agency, where I worked closely with the client services team.
In those roles, I became confident speaking with a wide range of people, learned how to manage deadlines and got a real feel for working in a fast-paced, target-driven environment. I also led a University project where we pitched a mock product to a panel of local businesses and my team won for best pitch, which really confirmed that sales is the direction I want to go in.
I'm excited to start my career in sales because I'm naturally competitive, i enjoy solving problems for people and I'm motivated by targets and progression. What really drew me to this opportunity is your structured training programme, your reputation for developing graduates and the chance to work with a high-performance team where I can learn quickly and grow."
Why this works:
- It's structured: Background - transferable skills - motivated - company fit.
- It's honest: Doesn't pretend to have experience they don't
- It shows potential: Highlights attitude, communication, ambition and
coachability . - It's tailored: Show that you want a sales job, make it specific.
Final thoughts
'Tell me about yourself' isn't just an icebreaker, it's your evaluator pitch to a potential employer. Nail it, and you'll set the tone for a confident, high-impact interview. As a sales recruitment agency, we've seen firsthand how a sharp answer to this one question can be the difference between a forgettable interview, and a job offer.
Need help preparing for your next job interview? Apply to one of our live roles and receive complementary advice from our talent team.
