Tell me about yourself.

What You Need to Know
How to Prep
Entry Level Example
Experienced Example

This is your first and last chance to make a great first impression. Your interviewer has a vested interest in getting to know you for who you are as a person and as a professional. They are looking for talent and want to get to know you and uncover everything you could potentially have to offer them. This is your opportunity to showcase what you have accomplished to get here. Deliver your best elevator pitch and showcase how you are the only authority on the one subject no one else is more knowledgeable about - you.

Gartner offers this valuable interview advice on their website: "Maximize the conversation. Try to take the lead. Take advantage of the opening introduction by showing your unique personality and highlighting your passion, interests, experiences, etc. A good recruiter will latch onto a good introduction and probe further. Brevity is an important virtue; avoid going around in circles or repeating yourself. Avoid loose talk such as statements that are cliche or non-specific. For example, 'I want to join your company to learn.' Be authentic."

"I graduated with honors from college, and my professor, who was also my mentor, used to work with Gartner and recommended I pursue this internship opportunity. I have a letter of recommendation with me. I am innovative, ambitious, and determined. Looking at the career opportunities Gartner offers is in line with my goals. I am hungry for growth and career advancement and am loyal by nature. I would give back tenfold everything Gartner could give me and have a track record to prove it. Also, similar sentiments are spelled out in my professor's letter of recommendation."

"I have worked for years with Deloitte, and my previous boss left a few years ago to join Gartner. She has been nudging me to come over for the past three years. I had some previous commitments with the company, and I pride myself on my integrity. Now that I have entered a stage in my career that is more friendly to facilitating such change, I am ready to open this dialogue and explore what we can do for each other."