Tell me about yourself: a 60-second answer for experienced candidates
Present, past, future: a simple structure, a full example for a backend developer and the mistakes to avoid.
"Tell me about yourself" is the first question in most interviews, and your answer sets the tone. A strong tell me about yourself answer for experienced candidates fits in 60 seconds and follows present, past, future.
The structure
- Present: your current role and what you are best at
- Past: one or two achievements that prove it
- Future: why this role is the logical next step
Example for a backend developer
"I am a backend developer with six years of experience, mostly in PHP and Laravel, building messaging platforms that send millions of SMS and WhatsApp messages. At my last company I built the campaign scheduler and the delivery report pipeline, which cut failed retries by a third. I am now looking for a role where I can work on larger distributed systems, which is why this position caught my attention."
Mistakes to avoid
- Reading your resume line by line
- Personal details nobody asked for
- Going past two minutes
Practise out loud
Record yourself on your phone and trim until it fits 60 seconds. Then prepare the follow-up: why are you leaving your current job?
