"Tell me about yourself" is the first question in most interviews, and it sets the tone for everything after it. Interviewers are not asking for your life story. They want a short, confident summary that explains why you are a good fit for this role.
"I'm a backend developer with four years of experience, currently at a fintech company where I own the payments reconciliation service. Last year I rebuilt its batch jobs and cut processing time from six hours to forty minutes. Before that I spent two years in a services company working on Java and Spring Boot projects for banking clients, which is where I got comfortable with high-volume transactional systems. I'm now looking for a product role where I can work on scale problems end to end, and your payments platform is exactly that."
"I recently completed my B.Tech in Computer Science from Pune with an 8.2 CGPA. During my final year I built a library-management web app in React and Node.js that our college now uses for around 2,000 students, and I did a two-month internship where I wrote automated tests that caught a release-blocking bug. I enjoy turning messy requirements into working software, and I'm excited about this graduate role because of the structured training and the chance to work on client-facing projects early."
Record yourself answering three times. By the third attempt it should fit in 60–90 seconds without notes. In a resumes-gpt AI mock interview, this is usually the first question, and the report scores your answer and tells you exactly what to improve.
60 to 90 seconds. Under 45 seconds feels thin; over two minutes loses the interviewer.
Only briefly, if at all. Focus on education, projects, internships and why you want the role.
Keep the structure, but change the achievement and the final sentence so they match each job description.