It’s recruiting season, and if you’re an upperclassman, you might be looking at potential internships for the summer. Across all majors, many interviewers will be asking some of the same, basic questions to get a better sense of you as an individual and what you could bring to their company or organization. The first question is usually something along the lines of, “Tell me about yourself.”
This can be a pretty daunting question for some people. You might be tempted to ramble off your whole life story, but you should avoid mentioning too many details about your life pre-college, as it’s not relevant to the position you’re interviewing for. You should also avoid recapping your resume. Chances are your interviewer has already seen and read your resume before meeting you. They have a general idea of who you are, though you should be prepared to answer questions regarding certain aspects of your resume.
A commonly accepted “formula” of answering this question is the present, past, and future model. But if you’re a student, you can combine the past and present slightly as there will be less to cover.
Past: In a sentence or less, cover the basics of your past. You can mention your hometown and when you graduated from high school. If you worked a job before starting college that is your main work experience, you can talk briefly about that as well.
Present: Talk about what you’re doing now. As a student, mention your current status and major at the school you attend. If you’re also working a part time job, mention that as well. Major university organizations, like professional fraternities or clubs, can also be touched on.
Future: Talk about what you hope to do after graduation, whether it’s higher education or a career in whatever field interests you. You should be able to explain how the position you’re applying for will benefit your career goals.
As a sophomore applying for internships next summer, here’s a response I might give to an interviewer:
“I’m originally from Ann Arbor and I’m currently a sophomore at Michigan State University, where I am majoring in accounting. In addition to managing a 14 credit semester, I also have a part-time job on campus and am involved in my university’s chapter of Her Campus, which is an online collegiate magazine that gives students the chance to write about whatever they are interested in. After graduation, I plan to get my CPA certification and work in audit at an accounting firm where I feel like I can make a difference.”
It’s always a good idea to practice the answer to this question, and maybe even run it by a few people to get some feedback on what you could improve.