So…tell me about yourself.
The dreaded small talk and interview question.
“Tell me about yourself” was never a question I thought I had to prepare for. However, I quickly learned that it is one of the only times in an interview where you can speak freely about yourself and your experiences without the stress of answering a specific prompt. This freedom is often daunting, but a powerful opportunity to quickly showcase who you are and what you’ve done.
My answer when I interviewed with Google:
…So Kayla, tell me about yourself?
My name is Kayla Padilla and I am a junior at the University of Pennsylvania studying finance and management. I have previous internship experience in corporate finance and marketing that has enhanced my analytical and client and project management skills while building on my ability to master several relevant systems and platforms like Microsoft Office and Salesforce.
Some fun things about me is that I have been playing basketball for 15 years including now as a member of UPenn’s women’s basketball team and that I have the music taste of someone three times my age as I am a huge lover of 70s music, especially Bruce Springsteen and Fleetwood Mac. But besides that, I’m really excited to be here with you all today and to share some more of my experiences pertaining to the LCS role.
The main components of my answer included:
Education
Prior internship experience
Relevant skills
Fun facts about me
Including some fun facts is definitely not common since interviews are usually pretty serious. However, when appropriate, I like to include them as it makes you seem more personable and gives them another reason to find you relatable.