How to Answer 'Tell Me About Yourself' in Banking Interviews
Michael King, PE Investment Manager · 7 min read · (updated )
Why This Question Is Harder Than It Sounds
"Tell me about yourself" is almost always the first question in an IB interview. It feels easy, which is exactly why candidates botch it. They either ramble for 3 minutes reciting their CV, or give a 20-second answer that says nothing.
This question sets the tone for everything that follows. A strong answer builds momentum. A weak one puts you on the back foot for the rest of the interview.
The 90-Second Arc
Structure your answer in three parts, taking no more than 90 seconds total:
- Background (15 seconds): Where you are from, where you studied, what you studied. Keep it brief — this is context, not the main event.
- Relevant experience (45 seconds): The most relevant thing you have done — an internship, a project, a role. Focus on what you did and what you learned, not a job description.
- Why you are here (30 seconds): What specifically drew you to this firm and this role. Reference something concrete — a deal, a team, a conversation.
The "Personal Identifier" Technique
Interviewers meet 15-20 candidates in a superday. By the end, names blur together. The candidates who get remembered are the ones who anchored their story to something distinctive early on.
After your one-sentence background, add a brief personal identifier: the thing that makes you "the candidate who ___." This is not a hobby list. It is a single detail that reveals a quality relevant to banking:
- "I grew up helping my parents run their manufacturing business, which is where I first became interested in how companies are valued." (Entrepreneurial, commercial awareness)
- "I competed nationally in rowing through university, which taught me how to perform under sustained pressure with very little sleep." (Stamina, discipline)
- "I built and sold a small e-commerce business during sixth form, which gave me my first exposure to financial statements and margins." (Initiative, financial literacy)
The identifier should take 10-15 seconds and connect naturally to why you are pursuing banking. It is not mandatory, but it is the single most effective way to be remembered in a crowded interview slate.
What NOT to Say
- "I am passionate about finance." Everyone says this. It adds zero information.
- "I want to go into PE eventually." This tells the banker you are using their firm as a stepping stone. Even if it is true, do not say it.
- Your entire life story. They do not need to know about your gap year or your childhood ambitions. Stay focused on what is relevant.
Example Answer — Target School Student
"I am in my final year reading Economics at [University], where I developed an interest in corporate finance through a valuation project that won the university investment competition. That led me to a summer internship at [boutique firm], where I worked on two live sell-side mandates in the consumer sector — I built the comparable company analysis and supported the management presentation. That experience confirmed that I want to spend the early part of my career in transaction advisory, and I am particularly drawn to [Bank]'s strength in [sector] and the exposure analysts get to client-facing work from day one."
Example Answer — Career Switcher
"I spent two years in management consulting at [firm], where I led due diligence workstreams on three M&A transactions for private equity clients. Through that work I realised I wanted to be closer to the transaction itself — structuring the deal, running the process, advising on valuation — rather than evaluating it from the outside. That is what draws me to investment banking. I have since completed financial modelling training and built my own DCF and LBO models, and I am particularly interested in [Bank]'s [sector] practice given my consulting background in that space."
Handling Follow-Ups
Your answer should naturally invite follow-up questions. If you mention a deal, be ready to discuss it in detail. If you mention a project, know the numbers. If you reference the firm's work, know the deal specifics.
Common follow-ups: "Tell me more about that internship" — have a 2-minute version ready with specific contributions. "Why not stay in consulting?" — frame it positively (moving toward IB, not away from consulting). "What do you know about our [sector] team?" — reference a specific deal they advised on.
Take Your Preparation Further
For 50+ behavioural questions with STAR framework answers, see the Behavioural Question Bank. Download our free Interview Day Checklist for a complete preparation timeline.
For the obvious follow-up that almost always lands next, see How to Answer Why Investment Banking. For the CV bullets that have to back up everything you say in the spoken pitch, see IB Resume Bullet Points.
Ready for personalised feedback? Book a 1-on-1 mentoring session with an experienced IB/PE professional.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a 'tell me about yourself' answer be?
No more than 90 seconds, split three ways: about 15 seconds of background covering where you are from and what you studied, about 45 seconds on the single most relevant thing you have done, and about 30 seconds on what specifically drew you to this firm and role. The failure modes sit at both extremes — rambling for three minutes through a CV, or a 20-second answer that conveys nothing.
What should you avoid saying in a 'tell me about yourself' answer?
Three things in particular. 'I am passionate about finance' is said by every candidate and adds no information. 'I want to move into private equity eventually' tells the interviewer you regard their firm as a stepping stone, and remains a mistake even when true. And your full life story — the gap year and the childhood ambitions are not relevant and consume the time that should go on your most relevant experience.
What is the personal identifier technique?
An interviewer meets 15 to 20 candidates in a single superday, and by the end the names blur. A personal identifier is one distinctive detail, delivered in 10 to 15 seconds after your background sentence, that reveals a quality relevant to banking — running a family manufacturing business, competing nationally in a sport, building and selling something. It is not a hobby list, and it is not mandatory, but it is the most reliable way to be remembered in a crowded slate.
How should a career switcher answer the question?
Frame the move as toward banking rather than away from the current job. Lead with concrete transaction exposure from the existing role, state the specific reason for wanting to be closer to the deal itself — structuring, running the process, advising on valuation — rather than evaluating it from outside, and then evidence the commitment with something tangible such as completed modelling training. Close on a specific reason for that firm.
What follow-up questions should you expect?
Your answer should invite them, so prepare for each thread you open. Mention a deal and expect to discuss it in detail; mention a project and expect to be asked the numbers. The most common follow-ups are 'tell me more about that internship', which needs a two-minute version with specific contributions, 'why not stay where you are', which should be framed positively, and a question about the firm's team in your stated sector, which requires knowing a specific deal they advised on.