Tell me about yourself, and other opening questions

"Tell me about yourself"

This is your 60–90 second pitch, and it sets the tone for the whole interview. Use Present → Past → Future:

• Present: who you are now. "I'm a final-year B.Com student at Symbiosis, specialising in finance."
• Past: 2–3 relevant highlights with results. "Last summer I interned with a CA firm, where I reconciled GST returns for 15 clients and built an Excel tracker that cut month-end closing time by two days. I also led our college's finance club, organising a stock market simulation for 300 students."
• Future: why this role. "I'm now looking to start my career in financial analysis, and your FP&A role excites me because of your rapid expansion into new cities, where good forecasting really matters."

Avoid: reciting your resume line by line, personal details (family, hometown) unless relevant, and starting with "My name is…" (they know it).

"Why do you want to work here?"

Combine them (specific things about the company: product, mission, growth, culture, people), the role (what you'll do and learn), and you (how your skills and goals fit). Generic praise ("a reputed company") scores poorly.

"Why should we hire you?"

Summarise 2–3 strengths matched to the job's key requirements, each with proof, and end with enthusiasm. "You need someone who can analyse data and communicate it to non-technical teams. In my internship I built weekly dashboards that the sales head used in every review, and I won our inter-college case competition, where clear communication was half the score. I learn fast and I'm genuinely excited about your product."

"What are your strengths?"

Pick strengths relevant to the role and prove each one with a short example. "I'm persistent: when our app project kept crashing a week before submission, I spent two nights reading logs, found a memory leak, and we submitted on time."

"What is your greatest weakness?"

Choose a real but non-critical weakness, show self-awareness, and explain what you're doing about it. "I used to say yes to too many things and end up rushing. Last semester I started using a weekly planner and blocking time for priorities, and I've learnt to tell my team lead early when I'm stretched." Avoid fake weaknesses ("I'm a perfectionist") and weaknesses that are core to the job.

"Where do you see yourself in five years?"

Show ambition aligned with the company: growing expertise, taking on responsibility, contributing to bigger outcomes. "I'd like to become a strong analyst who owns a business area end to end, and eventually lead a small team. I'd love that growth to happen here."

Check yourself

• Write and time your "Tell me about yourself" for a role you want.
• Draft an honest weakness answer with an improvement plan.