Tell me about yourself.
This common introductory question is often employed as an icebreaker to gauge your personality and to get you to relax. Getting to know you as a person is necessary to identify how well you'll fit into their culture and teams. PwC's recruitment efforts speak to wanting to know who you are. "Join our community of solvers. You're an analyst. An economist. A technologist. An accountant. An innovator. A storyteller. At PwC, you'll join an unexpected mix of people coming together to build trust in society and solve important problems." Showcase your true personality, who you are, where you come from as a professional, where you would like to take your career, and how PwC fits into that equation.
HireVue is an online interviewing assessment vendor with algorithms to interview and study a candidate's performance. Their service is designed to streamline the interview process by reducing paperwork, scheduling, and other logistical concerns for the employer. Their "models focus on skills, behaviors, and competencies specific to the job."
By asking a more informal question to get you out of interview mode, they'll more likely result in a sincere response with which they'll be able to contrast your other more reserved and performative answers. HireVue's website offers the following advice to candidates: "Be yourself. Our solutions are flexible, mobile-friendly, and easy to use, so you can relax and put your best foot forward." This is good advice. Additionally, you'll want to feel confident in your interview performance and ensure you are putting your best foot forward by taking the time to fully prepare for your interview.
"I grew up in a small mountain town in California. As a freshman in high school, I started working at my uncle's small grocery store, which served our small community. By the end of that year, I adjusted how we did our accounting and found several opportunities to eliminate unnecessary costs and increase our profits. Eventually, it got to the point where I was nearly running the business for my grandpa. He then helped pay for my college, which led to me pursuing my business management and accounting degree. I am on my way to graduating at the top of my class, with honors, and landing in a position at PricewaterhouseCoopers is my first choice for launching and growing my career as a professional."