Interview answers: structures that work

01“Tell me about yourself” in 60 to 90 seconds

• Present: what you do now, in one sentence.
• Past: one or two things you've done that matter for this job, with a result.
• Future: why this role is the next step, and what draws you to this team.
• Stop there. They'll ask for more if they want it.
• Leave out your life story, hobbies and anything that's already obvious from your CV.

02STAR, with the right balance

For any “tell me about a time…” question.

• Situation and Task: about 20%. One or two sentences of context.
• Action: about 60%. What you did, step by step. Say “I”, not “we”.
• Result: about 20%. A number if you have one, what changed, what you learned.
• Most weak answers spend too long on the situation. Get to your actions quickly.