A successful interview is a two-way street. While the employer is evaluating your technical and professional or human skills, you are evaluating whether the company aligns with your career priorities and North Star. By the end of this chapter, you will know how to make a positive first impression and leave a lasting final impression that reinforces your value. 

As you read this chapter, think about: If an interviewer remembers only the first two minutes and the last two minutes of your conversation, what are you going to say to make those four minutes count?

The opening minutes of an interview are rarely about deep evaluation. In reality, they are about establishing a baseline. When an interviewer asks, "Tell me about yourself", they are not looking for a recap of your resume. They are looking for context. When we refer to context here, we mean that the interviewer is seeking a starting point that frames their understanding of everything you say next. This is your first impression!

Almost every interview begins with some version of the question: Tell Me About Yourself. This question is ask in many different ways like "Walk me through your resume.", "Why are you a good fit for this role?”, or “Tell me a bit about your background." They all mean the same thing.

The Tell Me About Yourself Formula

The Tell Me About Yourself statement is a brief, professional summary of your current role (or aspiring role), past accomplishments, and future goals. It is directly related to the work you have done in the Define and Plan stages of the STRIDE approach. Your Tell Me About Yourself statement is parts of your career starter, brand statement, Professional Summary (resume), and cover letter combined. It  summarizes who you are and why you are the right person for the job.

With this four-part framework, your Tell Me About Yourself Formula will be  concise, relevant, and aligned with the employer's needs.

The Present

Begin with where you are right now and where you are looking to go. State your current role or the specific target role you are pursuing. This is the optimal window to introduce your personal brand statement..

The Past

Avoid listing every job you have ever held. Instead, focus strictly on relevant milestones, making sure to highlight at least one significant accomplishment that directly aligns with the company’s current challenges or operational needs.

The Future

Connect your career, academic path, or training to the person sitting across from you. Talk about what appeals to you about this specific company, and highlight exactly how you intend to use your unique strengths and skills to solve their problems and do well in the role.

The Closing

Never let your concluding statement trail off into an awkward silence. Always finish on a high note by briefly summarizing your core relevant strengths, followed immediately by a thoughtful question. This breaks the ice, puts the ball back in the interviewer's court, and helps the conversation move naturally forward.

End the interview with confidence and intention. Focus on these three areas to finish strong:

The Main Reason. Refer to something the interviewer mentioned during the conversation. It proves you were listening and shows your passion for the role. Sum up why you want to be here specifically.

Your Uniqueness. Describe the extra value you bring that no one else has. This is your personal brand, your superpower. Keep your uniqueness to one sentence. 

Priority Issues. Share the specific strengths or experiences that will enable you to meet the main challenges discussed during the interview.

Sharing too much personal information. Only talk about things (including hobbies) that demonstrate a relevant strength, like being a team captain (leadership) or a climber (tenacity).

Being unprepared. Many people treat the Tell Me About Yourself question like ‘small talk’. It isn’t. It is your important first impression. Practice your statement and know your three main points well (Present, Past, and Future).

Reading or reciting your resume. Most of the time, the interviewer has already read your resume. Focus on the highlights that are most relevant to this employer.

Talking for too long. Keep your Tell Me About Yourself statement and closing statement below 2 minutes. The interviewer will follow up with questions if they want to know more.

Giving up if the start is not perfect. Don’t let a bad start interfere with your finish. Use your closing statement to correct a mistake or share a strength you forgot to mention earlier. It is never too late to showcase your value.

Being too generic. In your closing statement, mention something specific you discussed during the conversation, like: “I really enjoyed learning about your team’s new project and I believe my (name one or two) strengths will …”

During the first few minutes, listen for the ‘subtext’ in the interviewer’s introduction. If the interviewer mentions ‘fast-paced’ or ‘changing priorities,’ they are telling you their need is adaptability. Immediately reframe your ‘past’ achievement in your Tell Me About Yourself statement to a story that proves you can handle change.

Prepare your closing statement beforehand, but be ready to make additions or changes depending on what was said during the interview. Along these lines, if you realized during the interview that the employer needs someone with more leadership experience than your resume shows, use your closing statement to realign the conversation around a Define stage strengths: "We talked a lot about team management today. While my title hasn't been 'Manager,' my strength in (name strength from assessment) allowed me to lead the (proud moment) project to success, I’m ready to apply that same leadership here."

Your first and last impressions serve as the bookends of your interview. By leading with your most relevant ‘proud moments’ and closing with a summary of how you can solve the employer’s priority issues, you demonstrate a level of preparation and competency that sets you apart.