How to answer “Tell me something about yourself”
Specifically for CA freshers
This is the most famous interview question that will be asked in each and every interview that you ever give in your life. Some variations include “introduce yourself”, “tell me about your journey till now”.
This question should be rehearsed yet appear spontaneous. It should not sound robotic.
For a CA fresher, the typical introduction goes like this
“Hello Sir, thank you for giving me this opportunity to introduce myself. Myself Mohit Kumar from Indore, Madhya Pradesh. I have completed my 10th and 12th from KV Public School scoring 86 and 89% respectively. I have done my articleship from AB & Associates, a mid sized firm of Indore having 4 partners. I have worked in Audit and Direct Tax.
Uhhh thank you.”
While there doesn’t seem to be anything particularly wrong about this introduction, a closer look will reveal that there is plenty to be improved
1. This is how 90% of introductions sound like – very bland, stale and typical. You need to make it unique (we’ll tell you how)
2. It starts by “thank you for giving…”. You don’t need to say this. You’re just wasting time by adding fillers like this. Your introduction should be the most power packed 2-3 minute description of yourself so why waste that time?
3. Never say “myself”. Use “I am”
4. You should mention factors that stand out – the % in 10th and 12th in his case are on the lower side compared to what most CAs would have – you can skip it. If you’re a district/state topper or have received 95%+, you can mention it
5. Do not call your firm “mid-sized” even if it is mid sized. Use a better description like “renowned firm in Indore”
6. You have to explain your experience better. Everyone has worked in audit and tax – what have you done differently?
7. You ended it abruptly. You need to have a proper conclusion
Sometimes the interviewer may start with
“Mohit, can you introduce yourself?”
In this situation, do not start your answer by saying “I’m Mohit”. The interviewer already knows your name.
So how should I answer this question?
This question is an opportunity for you to showcase a lot of qualities about yourself
1. Your communication skills
2. Your work experience
3. Your interests
4. Your technical knowledge (we’ll cover how you can do this)
5. Your knowledge about the company
Some other advantages to a well prepared answer –
1. You can drive the questions that come next.
2. You can make a good first impression
3. You can use this as an ice breaker
4. You will be more confident throughout if you answer this well
How do I make it unique?
Here is a way –
If you’ve researched thoroughly on the Hindenburg Report against Adani, you can post a summary of your analysis on linkedin. It doesn’t matter if nobody reads it – that wasn’t the purpose.
Now you can use these lines, which will become the highlight of your introduction
“I love studying the financial health of companies, and analysing stock market and macroeconomic trends. Recently, I published a detailed analysis on the Hindenburg allegations and Adani’s response. What I found was that while Hindenburg is a short seller, and they’re doing it for financial motives, the responses of Adani have not covered some key allegations regarding round tripping and inflating revenue through clandestine shell entities. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the short and long term”
Amazing! Now there’s a high chance there will be follow up questions on this topic
Should I mention family background?
If your parents are working in some important positions, you can mention that – people tend to associate the success of parents with the potential of their children – this is a subconscious bias. If you come from an underprivileged background e.g. your parents are farmers, you can mention this – this will show that you can perform well in hard situations. Whether it’s Shark Tank or an interview, these stories are great to hear.
It is usually a good idea to mention something about your parents background. This gives a human touch that allows you to be remembered. You should know your parents’ business/job in detail. If your father runs a trading concern, you need to know about the product and the operating cycle. You could be asked follow up questions like how will you improve the controls on Procure to Pay in his business. If your mother is a manager at a bank, expect questions like “what are NPA provisioning norms”
This the direction you want the interview to take, because you know this path well – this will take off the pressure from answering pure technical questions (you may or may not know their answers)
Should I mention why I chose CA?
If you have an interesting story behind why you chose CA, mention that. Being a good storyteller is an art that will help you in interviews, as well as in life.
For example: “My parents are civil engineers and they wanted me to do engineering as well. I was bad at physics right from 8th standard and told my parents agar main engineer ban bhi gaya toh bahut kharab engineer banunga. They eventually let me pursue CA”
Adding humour can reduce the pressure, but it must be done carefully
