How to Answer 'Tell Me About Yourself' in Banking Interviews

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.

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