Tell Me About Yourself: Example Answers for UK Interviews

How to answer "tell me about yourself" in an interview: what the interviewer is listening for, a simple present, past, future structure, and example answers for students, graduates, career changers, experienced professionals and people returning to work.

By Tony Musso on Wed Oct 28 2026

"Tell me about yourself" is the question most interviews start with, and it is the one people most often get wrong. It sounds like an invitation to tell your life story. It isn't. The interviewer wants a short, confident summary of who you are professionally and why you fit this job, and your answer sets the tone for everything that follows.

This guide explains what interviewers are listening for, gives you a simple structure, and includes example answers for five common situations: a school leaver or student, a graduate, a career changer, an experienced professional and someone returning after a career break.

Why interviewers ask it

The question does three jobs for the interviewer:

It warms the conversation up. It is an easy opening that lets you settle in.
It shows how you communicate. Can you summarise yourself clearly, without rambling or reading your CV aloud?
It shows what you think matters. What you choose to mention tells them how well you understand the role.

Similar openings include "Walk me through your CV", "Tell us a bit about your background" and "Introduce yourself". The same approach works for all of them.

A simple structure: present, past, future

Most strong answers follow the same three steps.

Present. What you do now: your current role, course or situation, in a sentence or two.
Past. One or two experiences or achievements that are relevant to this job, ideally with a concrete result.
Future. Why you are interested in this role and what you want to do next.

Aim for about a minute, and no more than two. That is usually between 150 and 250 spoken words. If the interviewer wants more detail, they will ask.

Example answers

These examples show the structure in action. Use them as a model and replace every detail with your own, because an answer built from your real experience will always sound more convincing.

School leaver or student

"I'm in my final year of A levels, studying business, maths and psychology. Alongside my studies I've worked weekends at a local café for the past two years, where I handle the till, train new starters on our ordering system and deal with customers at our busiest times. Last summer I also volunteered at a holiday club, helping run activities for children aged 5 to 11. I enjoy work where I'm busy and dealing with people, and I'm keen to start an apprenticeship where I can learn on the job, which is why this business administration apprenticeship really appeals to me."

Graduate

"I've just finished a degree in geography at Leeds, where my dissertation looked at flood risk in local housing developments. I used GIS mapping and analysed public data sets, and I really enjoyed turning that data into clear recommendations. During my second year I did a summer placement with an environmental consultancy, helping prepare site reports. That experience is why I'm applying for this graduate environmental consultant role: I want to keep using data to solve practical problems, and your work on flood resilience is exactly the area I'd like to grow in."

Career changer

"For the past eight years I've worked in retail management, most recently running a team of 15 in a busy high street store. The parts of the job I've enjoyed most are training new staff and helping colleagues develop, and last year I designed a new induction process that our area manager rolled out to six other stores. That made me realise I want to work in learning and development full time, so I've completed a CIPD Level 3 course in my own time. This role would let me use my experience of training people in a real business while I build my L&D career."

If you are changing career, our guides to career change with no experience and the career change hub can help you explain your move.

Experienced professional

"I'm a management accountant with around ten years' experience, currently at a manufacturing business where I lead month-end reporting and budgeting for two sites. Over the last year I led the move to a new finance system, which cut our month-end close by several days. I'm CIMA qualified and I've increasingly enjoyed the business partnering side of the role, working with operations managers on costs. That's what attracted me to this finance business partner position: it's a chance to focus on advising the business rather than producing the numbers."

Returning after a career break

"I worked as an HR administrator for six years before taking a career break to care for my young children. During that time I kept my skills up to date by volunteering as treasurer for a local parents' group, managing its accounts and organising events. Now my youngest has started school, I'm ready to return to work, and I'd like a role that uses my HR and organisational experience. This part-time HR assistant role fits well, and I'm looking forward to getting back into a team."

Notice what each answer does. It stays professional, includes at least one specific achievement, and ends by connecting to the job on offer.

What to leave out

Your full life story. Skip where you grew up and every job you have had. Choose what is relevant.
Personal details that do not relate to the job, such as relationships, age or health. You are never obliged to share these.
Reading your CV aloud. The interviewer has it already. Pick the highlights and add the story behind them.
Negativity. Do not criticise a current or past employer, even if that is why you are leaving.
A memorised script. Learn the structure and key points, not the exact words, or it will sound rehearsed.

Adapting your answer

For a phone or video interview, keep it slightly shorter and speak a little more slowly. Our guide to telephone interview questions covers how to come across well without face-to-face cues.

For a competency-based interview, your opening answer can mention the skills you will go on to evidence. Our STAR method guide explains how to structure those examples.

For a panel, look at each panel member in turn as you speak, not just the person who asked the question.

How to practise

Write down your three points (present, past, future), then say your answer out loud several times. Time yourself. Record it on your phone and listen back: is it under two minutes, does it sound natural, and does it end on why you want this job? A friend or a mock interview can help you get used to saying it under pressure.

For the questions that usually follow, see our guide to common interview questions and answers.

Want your CV to tell the same story? Your answer and your CV should line up. CV Studio helps you write a CV that highlights the same strengths and achievements.

Build your CV in CV Studio