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How to Introduce Yourself in an English Interview
"Tell me about yourself" is the first question in almost every English interview, and the one most candidates improvise. It is also the easiest one to prepare, because you already know everything it needs.
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Written and reviewed by Mourade Boulanouar — Founder & Head of Teaching, EnglifyLast reviewed
In short
A good answer to "tell me about yourself" in an English interview lasts 60 to 90 seconds and has three parts: what you do now, two or three skills or achievements relevant to this role, and why you are applying. It is a professional summary, not a life story, and it should not repeat your CV line by line. Because it is the first thing you say, rehearsing it out loud until it comes out without hesitation changes how the rest of the interview feels.
Key facts
- Target length: 60 to 90 seconds
- Three parts: present role, relevant strengths, why this job
- Leave out age, family situation and school grades unless asked
- Finish on the role you are applying for, not on your past
- Rehearse out loud; the first sentence sets your confidence for the interview
Related questions
What the recruiter is actually asking
The question is not a request for your biography. The recruiter wants to know, in under two minutes, whether your background is relevant and whether you can organise your thoughts in English. Both things are being judged at once.
That is why an unstructured answer hurts even when the content is good: if the recruiter cannot follow it, the conclusion is that the candidate cannot explain things clearly — a real concern for any role that involves clients or foreign teams.
The three-part structure
- Now: your current role, employer type and main responsibility. One or two sentences.
- Proof: two or three skills or achievements that matter for this specific job, each with a concrete detail.
- Why here: what you are looking for and how this role fits it. End here.
What to leave out
- Your age, marital status and number of children — not relevant, and not asked
- Your whole education history when you already have work experience
- Every job you have ever held; keep the ones that support this application
- Personal difficulties, and criticism of a previous employer
- Apologies about your English — you are speaking it, that is the answer
Adapting it as a candidate in Morocco
If you are applying to an international company or an offshoring role, name the working languages you use and the teams or clients you deal with: many Moroccan candidates work daily in French, Darija and English and forget to say so. Being trilingual is a genuine advantage in these roles.
If you are a recent graduate with no professional experience, replace the "now" part with your studies and the "proof" part with internships, final-year projects, volunteering or freelance work — and describe what you did, not what the course covered.
How to practise it
Write the content as bullet points, never as a paragraph. Then say it out loud five times, differently each time, and record yourself once. The recording shows the hesitations you cannot hear while speaking.
The last step is saying it to a person who then asks a follow-up question, because that is what happens in the real interview. At Englify a private one-to-one session does exactly that: the teacher listens, follows up, corrects, and rebuilds the answer with you. Private classes cost 100 MAD per hour, live on Google Meet, with Moroccan teachers based in Morocco.
Frequently asked questions
- How long should my introduction be?
- 60 to 90 seconds. Shorter than 30 seconds leaves the recruiter with nothing to follow up on; longer than two minutes and the structure stops being visible.
- Should I start with my education or my current job?
- Start with what you do now if you have work experience — it is what the recruiter cares about most. Start with your studies only if you are a recent graduate, and move quickly to internships and projects.
- Is it a problem if I have a French or Moroccan accent?
- No. Employers in Morocco hire candidates with a French or Darija-influenced accent every day. What matters is that you are clear and easy to follow.
- How much do English lessons cost in Morocco?
- At Englify, small-group online English classes are the most affordable option and private one-to-one classes cost more per hour, because a private teacher works with one student only. Current group and private prices are confirmed on WhatsApp (+212 724 744 137) and on our prices page, since they depend on the format, the number of hours per week and the length of the plan. The trial class is free and no card is required.
- Are Englify classes online or in person?
- Every class is 100% online and live on Google Meet, at Morocco time. Nothing is pre-recorded: a teacher is in the room with you, correcting you as you speak. Students join from Casablanca, Rabat, Marrakech, Tangier, Fez, Agadir and smaller cities, and from abroad.
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Practise your interview with a teacher
Book a free trial class, tell us which interview you are preparing for, and get a plan built around it. Private one-to-one classes cost 100 MAD per hour.