chapters (6)
Tell Me About Yourself
The moment. The interview opens with "so, tell me about yourself" and your mind goes to your whole life story.
What most people do
Ramble chronologically from school onward, or freeze and give a thin "um, well, I'm…"
Why it misfires. This isn't a biography question - it's "why are you right for this role?" A life story buries the point, and the opener sets the tone for the whole interview.
The rewrite
"I'm a product designer with five years in fintech (present). Before that I moved from marketing into design because I loved the problem-solving (past). Now I'm looking to do that at a product-led company like yours (future)."
The move: a 60-second pitch, present-past-future. Give a tight pitch: what you do now, the relevant path that got you here, and what you're looking for next - tied to this role. Structured and short beats a life story.
Your turn
Draft your present-past-future answer in about four sentences, pointed at the role.
Edge cases. Tailor the "future" line to the specific company - it's what turns a generic pitch into "I want this job".
This week
Write and say your 60-second "tell me about yourself" out loud once.