"Tell me about yourself" at A2, B1 and B2: example answers

Short answer

Say who you are now, one real example, and why this job. At A2, use short, simple sentences; at B1, join them with "because" and "so"; at B2, add a result and a detail from the job advert. Choose the level you can say without reading — a clear A2 answer is better than a B2 answer you cannot remember.

The same three parts at every level

A2, B1 and B2 are levels on the CEFR scale that many English courses use. The levels below are a simple guide, not a test. At every level, the answer has the same three parts:

  • Now: your job or situation today.
  • Proof: one skill, with one real example.
  • Why here: why you want this job.

Example 1: a shop assistant applying for a customer service job

A2 — short, simple sentences

I work in a supermarket. I am a sales assistant. I have done this job for three years. I help customers every day. Sometimes customers are angry. I stay calm and I help them. I want this job because I like helping people, and I want to use the phone and email more.

B1 — sentences joined with because, so and for example

I have worked as a sales assistant in a busy supermarket for three years. Every day I help customers find products, and I also deal with returns and complaints at the customer service desk. For example, last month a customer was upset because his online order was wrong, so I listened, checked the order and arranged a refund the same day. I am applying for this role because I enjoy solving problems for customers, and I want to do it full-time.

B2 — a result, and a detail from the advert

I'm currently a sales assistant at a large supermarket, where I've spent three years on the shop floor and, more recently, covering the customer service desk. That's the part of the job I enjoy most: returns, complaints and online order problems. Recently I noticed that many complaints were about missing items in home deliveries, so I started keeping a simple log and shared it with my manager, which helped the delivery team find a packing problem. Your advert mentions answering customers by phone, email and live chat, and I'd like a role where solving problems is the whole job, not just part of it.

What changed between the levels

  • Sentence length: A2 uses one idea per sentence. B1 joins two ideas. B2 adds a third idea inside the sentence, such as "where…" or "which helped…".
  • Tense: A2 stays mostly in the present. B1 adds "I have worked" for something that is still true. B2 mixes tenses easily: "I've spent", "I noticed", "I'd like".
  • The example: A2 names a skill. B1 tells one short story. B2 tells the story and gives the result.
  • Why here: A2 gives a general reason. B1 links it to the job. B2 quotes a detail from the advert.

Example 2: a cook, new to the UK, applying to be a kitchen assistant

A2

I am a cook. In my country I worked in a restaurant for five years. I cooked rice, soup and grilled meat. I am new in the UK. I have a food hygiene certificate from here. I work fast and I keep my area clean. I want to work in a kitchen here and learn from your team.

B1

I worked as a cook in a family restaurant in my home country for five years, mostly on the grill and preparing vegetables and sauces. I moved to the UK last year, and I have just finished my Level 2 food hygiene course, so I know the rules here. I am applying to be a kitchen assistant because I want to start in a UK kitchen, learn how your team works, and then move back into cooking.

B2

I'm an experienced cook. For five years I worked in a busy family restaurant back home, where I ran the grill on my own during dinner service and trained two new staff. Since moving to the UK, I've completed a Level 2 food hygiene course, because I know the standards and labelling rules here can be different. I'm applying for a kitchen assistant role because I'd rather start by learning how a UK kitchen runs properly, and your advert mentions training kitchen staff towards a commis chef role, which is exactly the path I'd like to follow.

Example 3: a recent graduate applying for an office job

A2

I finished university last year. I studied business. At university I worked part-time in a café. I was also the secretary of a student club. I wrote emails and I kept the list of members. I like to be organised. I want to start my career in an office.

B1

I graduated last year with a degree in business. While I was studying, I worked part-time in a café and I was the secretary of a student club. As secretary, I organised meetings, kept the members' list up to date and answered emails, so I am used to admin work. I am applying for this job because I want to use these skills every day in an office.

B2

I graduated last year in business studies. Alongside my degree I worked in a café and was secretary of the international students' society, which meant running the membership spreadsheet, booking rooms and handling most of the society's emails. Balancing that with my studies taught me to plan my week carefully. Your role combines diary management and data entry, which is close to what I enjoyed most as secretary, and I'd like to build a career in operations from there.

How to choose your level

  • Say the B1 version of your answer out loud twice, without reading. If you stop often or lose your place, use A2 for now.
  • If B1 feels easy and you can still speak at a calm speed, try adding one B2 detail — a result, or a word from the advert.
  • Use the same level you can keep for the rest of the interview. A very polished first answer followed by much simpler answers can sound memorised.
  • Many people's speaking level is lower when they are nervous. Choose the level you can manage on a bad day.

How to move your answer up one level

  1. Join two sentences: "I work in a shop. I help customers." becomes "I work in a shop, where I help customers every day."
  2. Add "for example": Follow your skill with one real moment: "For example, last month I…"
  3. Add the result: Say what happened because of what you did: "…so the customer got a refund the same day."
  4. Use the advert: Take one phrase from the job advert and connect it to your experience.

Useful phrases by level

  • "I work as a [job].": A2. Your first sentence. Simple present for your job today.
  • "I am good at [skill]. For example, I [action].": A2. One skill and one real example, in two short sentences.
  • "I want this job because [reason].": A2. Ends the answer clearly, so the interviewer knows you have finished.
  • "I have worked as a [job] for [time].": B1. Present perfect, for work you started in the past and still do.
  • "For example, last [month/year], I [action], so [result].": B1. A short story with a result, in one sentence.
  • "Most recently, I've been responsible for [task].": B2. Shows how your job has grown.
  • "Your advert mentions [detail], which is close to what I [did].": B2. Links your experience to this job in one sentence.

Common mistakes at each level

  • A2: starting with your name, age and family; listing facts with no example; stopping before you say why you want the job.
  • B1: telling your life story from school; joining every idea with "and"; speaking for much longer than 90 seconds.
  • B2: long words you trip over; speaking too fast because the answer is memorised; idioms that may not be clear to every listener.

What an interviewer may and may not notice

  • An interviewer may notice whether you answered the question — a short work summary — more than which level your grammar is at.
  • A clear A2 answer, said calmly, is usually easier to follow than a B2 answer said too fast.
  • An interviewer may notice a memorised answer if your next answers sound very different. Keep your level steady across the interview.
  • Some jobs, such as customer service on the phone, use a lot of spoken English, and an interviewer may listen more closely to your English there.
  • How one interviewer judges you depends on many things you cannot see. No page and no practice tool can tell you what they will decide.

Questions people ask

Is an A2 answer good enough for a job interview?

It can be. For many practical jobs, a short, clear and true answer is enough to start. For jobs that use a lot of English, like customer service, practise moving one part of your answer up to B1.

How long should my answer be at each level?

About 60 to 90 seconds at every level. At A2 your answer may be a little shorter, and that is fine if it is clear. At any level, stop when you have said why you want the job.

Should I learn my answer by heart?

Learn the three parts and your key details, not every word. Then say it in your own words a few times. This sounds more natural and is easier to remember when you are nervous.

Can I use one of these example answers?

Use them to learn the shape, not as a script. Change every detail so it is true for you — the interviewer may ask about any part of it.

Related pages

About this page

Published by EnglishJobReady. Last reviewed: 8 October 2026.

This page gives general advice for practice. It cannot tell you what a particular interviewer will think or decide.

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What this site cannot tell you

These pages describe what interviewers commonly look for. They cannot tell you what a specific interviewer decided, and nothing here guarantees an interview, an offer or a visa. Practising is preparation — it shows you what to fix next.