You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
And even though it’s a bit of a cliché… it’s true.
Some questions are guaranteed to come up in all your job interviews – regardless of the firm (McKinsey, The BCG, or Bain & Company), the position (Associate, Senior Consultant, or Project Manager), or the candidate’s profile (young graduate, MBA, experienced candidate).
At the top of this list, there is Tell Me About Yourself.
Or a similar question such as:
- Walk me through your resume
- Tell me more about your background
- Can you walk me through your experiences?
Since the first question to be asked in an interview is often Tell Me About Yourself, it’s your big chance to make a first impression.
In fact, the Tell Me About Yourself question is an opportunity – an opening to set the tone of the job interview and emphasize the points that you want your dream consulting firm to know about you.
Don’t waste the opportunity by simply diving into a long recitation of your resume.
This also isn’t the time to mention that you love flamenco dancing and bingo.
In this article, I’ll show you the CareerInConsulting Formula for crafting your perfect, concise, and enthusiastic response to the Tell Me About Yourself question.
Also, you’ll get some examples to inspire you.
Important: besides fit interviews, you must stand out during your case interviews. Don’t know what to do? Check out this free case interview course to learn how.
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Learn Why Interviewers Ask "Tell Me About Yourself"
First, it’s an easy and open-ended way to start the conversation.
Your interviewer is hoping that this question will get you talking.
This question is almost always asked first, perhaps right after some chit-chat about traffic and the weather.
Therefore, your answer will dictate the interviewer’s first impression of you and set the tone for the entire interview, letting you lead with your strongest selling points.
Secondly, the ultimate goal of the interviewer is to get to know you better. Professionally, not personally.
In other words, your interviewer wants to know:
- What are your motivations, and what drives you?
- Which problems you had to solve, and how you solved them?
- How do you deal with people?
- What impact have you had in the past?
To conclude, the interviewer’s expectations are well explained in this video about the experience interview from McKinsey’s website (click on the image to launch the video):
Related article: learn about the McKinsey PEI (Personal Experience Interview) by clicking this link.
Begin Your Answer By Giving An Overview Of Your Background
Management Consultants always step back from the details and look at the big picture.
Because they don’t want to waste their time on meaningless details.
Thus, if you start by giving an overview (the big picture) of your education and professional experience, you’ll look like a consultant and tell your interviewer in one or two sentences who you are.
For instance, a good overview includes the following:
- Education: the list of your diplomas
- Professional experience: your number of professional years and your area of expertise
Good example:
I am a Mechanical Engineer by training and hold an MBA from HEC Paris. I have 5 years of work experience as a Project Manager in the Oil & Gas industry. In this role, I manage all aspects of the projects for which I’m responsible: budget, team members, communication with clients, and quality of deliverables.
Bad example:
I grew up in Paris. As a child, I originally wanted to be a fireman. In college, I excelled in Sciences and won the first prize in my school science fair. Here is a funny story about that…
Explain Why You Choose Your Major (For Undergraduates Only)
If you are a young graduate (with less than 1x year of work experience), tell your interviewer why you chose a major, and explain your reasoning.
For instance, it can be based on your:
- Interests and passions: what do you like doing
- Abilities: what you can do
Good example (based on your passions):
I chose an environmental policy major because I have always been passionate about protecting the environment. Besides, I’m convinced that only strong public regulations will have an impact. So, I decided to combine my environmental policy studies with a law degree.
Good example (based on your abilities):
I decided to major in Economics because I’m a very analytical person. Thus, I thought economics perfectly matched my mathematical skills and my deep interest in modeling real-world business problems.
Describe Your Work Experience In A C-Suite And Engaging Way
To begin with, you should know that this part is the most important one if you want to craft a perfect answer to the “Tell me about yourself” question and stand out from the competition.
Because consulting firms want to get to know you professionally.
For this reason, they want to learn about your accomplishments and understand your motivations.
Thus, for each of your work experiences (from the oldest to the most recent), I recommend using the 3x following components to describe what you did.
First Component: Your Title (As Stated In Your Resume)
Start with the job title you have on your resume.
There is no added value here, but to help the interviewer refer to your resume.
Good example:
I was a Marketing Associate at Samsonite Spain.
Second Component: Your Responsibilities (But Described As A Senior Executive Would Do It)
Do NOT describe your responsibilities by telling your day-to-day tasks.
Instead, use the CEO (or Strategy Consultant) lens to describe how your job impacted the company’s P&L.
In other words, you must take a high-level perspective on your position and describe what was the ultimate goal of your job: to increase sales? Reduce costs? Improve customer satisfaction? Increase productivity? Reduce the time to market? Improve product quality? Etc.
To do so, think of your boss’s responsibilities. And then of your boss’ boss responsibilities. Or think of the main missions of the service/ department you worked in.
Bad example:
As a Project Manager, my main role was to implement a new CRM system.
Good example:
My role consisted in building customer loyalty by implementing a new tool that effectively managed the interaction between our sales team and our top 100 customers.
Bad example:
As a Marketing Associate at Samsonite, I was responsible for customer interviews, market research, and competitive benchmarks.
Good example:
As a Marketing Associate at Samsonite, I helped increase sales in the Spanish market by 15% year-over-year by better understanding customer needs and competitors’ offerings.
Why is this a good example?
Because this shows clearly the problem solved (increase sales) and how the problem was solved (better understanding of the market)
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Third Component: Your Positioning (i.e. Your Expertise Highlights)
Now, this is the most important component of the CareerInConsulting Formula.
Before jumping in, let me tell you this is your big chance to stand out.
Because most candidates make the first mistake that will be discussed later in this article.
On the other hand, if you execute this part perfectly, you’ll show your interviewers exactly what they are looking for when asking you, “Tell me about yourself”: what are your key skills and what drives you.
So, how can you find your “positioning”?
By asking yourself these 4x WHY questions:
- 1x: why did you like this position?
- 2x: why did you like this working environment?
- 3x: why was it challenging?
- 4x: why were you good at this job (what differentiates you from your peers)?
Good example:
I loved this position because it was very analytical. I had to analyze qualitative and quantitative inputs to define the best marketing strategies.
Good example:
I loved this position because this gave me the opportunity to present to senior executives my recommendations on potential M&A opportunities.
Two Important Tips On How To Determine Your Positionings
First, choose a clear and unique skill per positioning: 1 work experience = 1 positioning.
If you choose more than one skill, it will create noise.
Second, choose one different positioning for each work experience to create a well-balanced profile.
For instance, with 3 different work experiences, you can highlight your:
- Problem-solving skills for your first work experience
- Communication skills for your second work experience
- Leadership skills for your latest work experience
End Your Answer By Saying That You Want To Move Into Consulting
Good example:
Now, I feel that I’m ready for new challenges and want to move to consulting.
Why is this a good way to end your answer?
- This is concise, positive, and clear
- The next question that your interviewer will ask will be: “Why do you want to move into consulting?” (and, of course, you’ll have a strong answer to this question)
Bad example:
The problems I worked on as an Engineer were too technical, and my impact was limited. That’s why I want to get closer to where decisions are made and move into consulting.
Why is this a bad way to end your answer?
Because it sounds negative and undermines your past work experiences.
Avoid These 4 Mistakes At All Costs
Mistake #1: Paraphrase Your Resume
Do not simply dive into a long recitation of your resume.
In other words, do not repeat what can be easily read in your resume.
On the other hand, stand out from the competition by telling, positively and concisely, your WHYs.
To do so, use the CareerInConsulting Formula.
Mistake #2: Have A Too Long Answer
When they ask, “Tell me about yourself,” the interviewers don’t need your biography.
They just need to know if you can do the job and if your personality is a good fit for the team.
As a result, a good answer must last between 2 and 3 minutes.
First, less than 2 minutes: you are not using all the time you have to make a strong first impression and share your positioning well.
Secondly, above 3 minutes: you are probably talking too much, and the chances that you fall into one of these categories are high:
- Your answer is not structured enough and goes all over the place
- You give too many details or irrelevant information; this shows poor prioritization skills, which is a very important consulting skill
- Your interviewer gets bored
To summarize, a good fit interview is a dialogue, not a monologue.
Thus, keep it concise and allow your interviewer to dive in and ask questions.
Mistake #3: Talk About Hobbies And Personal Preferences
Many recent grads misinterpret the question and talk too much about their personal lives and hobbies
For instance, this isn’t the time to mention that you love flamenco dancing and playing poker.
As a result, this gives a weak first impression.
Instead, focus on what matters to consulting firms:
- How you deal with problems and people
- What impact have you had in your past experiences
Mistake #4: Be Too Modest
Many candidates make the mistake of being too modest.
For instance, they fail to communicate why they are qualified for the position clearly.
Why is this a mistake?
Because they rely on the interviewer to see through their humble exterior and figure out how great they are.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like this.
So, to be sure you won’t be too humble and sound arrogant, I recommend sharing fast-based statements.
Bad example (too arrogant):
I’m the best salesperson in the world.
Good example:
I have led my sales division for the last three years and added over $18 million of new business.
Related article: learn about the McKinsey PEI (Personal Experience Interview) by clicking this link.
Tell Me about Yourself: A Full Example
Here is a full example of how to answer the “Tell me about yourself” question.
[Give an overview of your background]
My name is Sébastien, and I’m an accountant by training. I hold a Master’s in Accounting from NYU and a bachelor’s in Finance, and I have over a year of work experience done via 5 internships.
[Explain Why You Choose Your Major (For Young Graduates Only]
I decided to study Finance initially because I wanted something that bridged my quantitative skills with something that could help companies succeed.
Then, wanting to get a big-picture view of business and the ability to make an impact personally, I joined HEC’s Grande Ecole master’s in management, majoring in Strategy.
[Describe Your Work Experiences In a C-Suite And Engaging Manner]
Before coming to HEC, I had three research experiences, the most notable at Nobel Economist Robert Engle’s Volatility Institute during the 2016 summer.
As a Research Analyst, my role was to model the relationship between Chinese insider trading and volatility.
This experience was exciting because it was very intellectually challenging. I had to use my problem-solving skills to solve an issue in Finance never done before.
Plus, my research is now used at NYU to educate current students.
Next, I did an internship as a Consulting Intern at Pitié-Salpêtrière University Hospital, the biggest hospital in France.
My role was to optimize the emergency department operations by reviewing current processes and identifying potential inefficiencies.
I loved this experience. It gave me an opportunity to use my leadership skills. In fact, I led a team of 8 other interns to streamline emergency call wait times or paramedic lounge organization.
Finally, in my current role as a Group Consolidation Assistant at Sanofi, I ensure that the main financial statements are correct by analyzing financial documents with $23 Bn in assets.
I enjoyed this experience a lot because of the teamwork involved. In fact, I had to collaborate with affiliate CFOs to ensure an efficient reporting process.
Besides, I got to see the degree of impact I could make working in a large company.
[Conclude By Saying That You Want To Move Into Consulting]
Now, I feel ready for new challenges and want to move to a career in consulting.”
Conclusion
Important: besides fit interviews, you must stand out during your case interviews. Don’t know what to do? Check out this free case interview course to learn how.
Now that you know how to approach the Tell Me About Yourself question, I feel you’ll love hearing this question in an interview.
What should you do now?
Take a few moments to sit down and plan how you’ll answer this question.
This exercise and the CareerInConsulting Formula will help you write a better resume and cover letter.
Then, if you have an interview coming up, there’s a lot more to prepare after introducing yourself and your background.
I can help you prepare your resume, cover letter, and interviews. Click here to learn how.
To your success,
Sébastien
Get 4 Complete Case Interview Courses For Free
You need 4 skills to be successful in all case interviews: Case Structuring, Case Leadership, Case Analytics, and Communication. Join this free training and learn how to ace ANY case questions.
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hello,
I am priyanka. I have a query about interview. My question is “Tell me about your self ” . Actually i have four month experience as a sales councellor in a private agency. so, how could I make my answer. I am confused how to present myself.
Hi Prianka. It’s all about showing how you had an impact. Be clear on which company-wide problem you had to solve, which skills you used to solve this problem, and why you liked this position. Thanks!
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Hey Sebastien,
Great Post.I have 2 questions for you; the first being I have 8+ years of experience in Digital Marketing. Recently, about 3 months back I have moved to a FINTECH & have BCG interview aligned. Following are my query which I want an answer to:-
1. Why would you like to move out of the current role just after 3 months. How can I answer it positively?
2. Since, I have 8 years of Experience what kind of examples I can use to showcase the leadership as well as Problem solving capabilities I possess?
Hi Tarun,
I recommend booking a call with me to discuss about it: https://calendly.com/careerinconsulting/discovery-call-with-sebastien
Best regards,
Sébastien
Sebastien,
Thank you for creating those posts and walking us through this process.
Tomorrow, I’m sure your tips will play a great deal during my interview.
Keep it going, and I hope you’re doing well.
Thanks Slava