Almost every interview starts with your story. A clear 90 seconds that ends with why you want this job sets the tone for everything after.
Why the first answer matters
“Tell me about yourself” or “Walk me through your CV” is the first question in most interviews. It shapes the interviewer's first impression and often the questions that follow.
| A weak start | A strong start |
|---|---|
| Recites the CV from school onwards | Picks the parts that matter for this role |
| Lasts five minutes | Lasts about 90 seconds |
| Ends with “…and that's me” | Ends with why this role, now |
| Lists tasks | Shows results and choices |
The story in four parts
A strong finance story has four parts. Keep each one short.
- Where you started. Your qualification and first role, in one line.
- What you built. Two or three things you did and learned, with results.
- Why you are moving. A positive reason: what you want to do more of.
- Why this role. How it fits, and what you'd bring.
| Part | Time |
|---|---|
| Where you started | About 15 seconds |
| What you built | About 45 seconds |
| Why you are moving | About 15 seconds |
| Why this role | About 15 seconds |
Weak and strong versions
Here is the same career told two ways.
Ishaan's story, three ways
Ishaan kept the first three parts of his story the same and changed the last part for each kind of role.
| Role | His last 15 seconds |
|---|---|
| Big 4 transaction services | “In audit I checked the numbers after the fact. In due diligence I want to check them when a deal depends on it, where my audit depth is useful from day one.” |
| FP&A, consumer company | “I enjoyed explaining why sales and stock moved more than the audit itself. FP&A lets me do that every month, alongside the sales team.” |
| Boutique investment bank | “I want to work on whole deals. Your team does mid-market consumer deals, and I've audited six consumer companies.” |
Practising until it sounds natural
A memorised story sounds stiff; an unprepared one rambles. Practise until you know the shape, not the words.
- Write it. Four parts, about 220 words.
- Say it aloud. Time it; cut to 90 seconds.
- Record it. Listen for filler words and speed.
- Try it on two people. Ask: what do you remember? What's unclear?
- Practise variations. Shorter (30 seconds) and longer (3 minutes).
Questions from the worksheet: Your 90 seconds
Write your story in four parts. Then say it aloud and time it.
- Where you started (one line)
- What you built: two or three things, with results
- Why you are moving: what you want to do more of
- Why this role (version 1)
- Why this role (version 2, for a different kind of job)
- The one result you want them to ask about
What to remember
- Your 90-second story sets the tone for the whole interview.
- Four parts: where you started, what you built, why you are moving, why this role.
- Keep the middle the same; change the ending for each kind of role. Practise aloud.
- Story
- Your 90-second answer to “Tell me about yourself”.
- Moving towards
- Explaining a move by what you want, not what you dislike.
- Hook
- A result in your story that invites a follow-up question.
This article is adapted from the book. Examples marked “Example” use invented names and numbers; company stories are based on public sources listed in the book. For general learning; use your own judgement for your situation.
