What they’re really asking
Interviewers use this opener to warm up, and also to see how you present yourself. In the first minute they are working out three things:
- Can you do this job? Is your background relevant to what they need?
- Can you communicate? Can you sum yourself up clearly and without rambling?
- Why are you here? Do you want this job in particular, or just any job?
Your answer also shapes what happens next. Anything you mention is likely to become their next question, so mention the things you’d like to talk about.
A structure that works: present, past, future
A simple order works for nearly everyone: present, past, future. It’s easy to remember, it naturally ends with why you are in the room, and it stops you from going through your whole resume in date order.
- Present: your current role, what you’re responsible for and one recent achievement.
- Past: one or two earlier experiences that explain how you got here and support this job.
- Future: why you’re looking now, and why this role and company in particular.
Four example answers
I’m a marketing manager at a B2B software company, where I run a team of four and look after lifecycle campaigns. Last year we rebuilt our onboarding emails and lifted trial conversions from 11% to 18%. Before this, I spent three years at an agency, working with clients across retail and finance. That’s where I learned to test everything and report honestly on what works. I’m ready to take on a whole growth function, and I’m especially interested in this role because you’re moving into self-service, which is exactly what I’ve been building.
I recently graduated in computer science, where I focused on web development. For my final project, I built a booking app for student clubs that now has about 300 users, and I handled everything from the database to the interface. I also did a summer internship at a small agency, where I fixed bugs in production code and learned how a real team reviews and ships work. I’d like to start my career somewhere I can learn from experienced engineers. Your team’s engineering blog is what brought me here, particularly the post on how you approach code review.
For the past eight years, I’ve been a secondary school teacher, and I’m now moving into customer training. In my last school, I designed a math program that five others adopted, and I trained 30 colleagues to use it. This year, I retrained in instructional design and built three online courses, one of which is now used by about 400 learners. Explaining hard things simply has been my job for a long time, and I’d like to do it for adults who are trying to get something done. What drew me to this role is how seriously your company takes onboarding.
I’m a project manager with seven years of experience delivering software for logistics companies. My biggest project was a warehouse system rolled out across twelve sites, on time and on budget. For the past two years, I took time out to care for a family member, and I recently completed a certification to bring my skills up to date. I’m now ready to get back to delivery work, and this role interests me because your rollout is very close to what I’ve done before.
Mistakes that make this answer fall flat
Before
Well, I grew up in Lyon and studied there, then I had a few different jobs, and I guess I’ve always been a people person…
After
I’m a logistics coordinator with five years of experience. Right now I manage deliveries for 40 stores, and we’ve cut late deliveries by a quarter.
- Reciting your resume. They have it already. Choose the two or three parts that matter for this job.
- Starting too far back. School and early jobs rarely help unless you have just started out.
- Being vague. “I’m a hard worker” says nothing. One number or example is worth a list of qualities.
- Criticizing your employer. “Why I’m leaving” should be about what you’re moving toward.
- Forgetting to end. Close with why you’re here, then stop talking, and let them ask.
How to practice
- Write out your answer in full, using the structure above.
- Cut it to about 200 words, and reduce it to three or four key points.
- Say it aloud three times, using only those points, so it doesn’t sound memorized.
- Record yourself, and check its length and how you sound.
- Practice with a person, and ask what they remember afterwards.
Follow-up questions are usually about the examples you’ve mentioned, so prepare a few stories in detail. The STAR method is the standard way to do this, and our interview preparation guide covers the rest. Afterwards, a short thank-you email is worth sending.
