How I Got Here (1 Minute Interview Version)

2 min read

What This Game Teaches

“Tell me about yourself” doesn’t have to mean “Please read your résumé aloud.”

This exercise helps participants shape a concise introduction around a meaningful path, choice, or experience—and connect it to the opportunity in front of them. The focus is clarity, relevance, and deciding what belongs in a one-minute story.

Group Size

Pairs

Time

6–10 minutes

Energy Level

Low

How to Play

Introduce the questions

“Tell me about yourself.”
“Tell me about a time…”
“Why are you interested in this field?”

They sound like different questions, but they all ask: "Can you help me understand who you are through something that actually happened?"

Tell me about yourself

This is not: “I was born, then I went to elementary school, and eventually I arrived here.” It is not a spoken version of your entire résumé.

Give them a through-line:

What are you curious about?
What have you been moving toward?
What experiences explain why you are sitting here now?

Tell me about a time…

Choose one time. Not: “I’m always a good leader.” Instead: “Last semester, our team got stuck…” A specific moment is more believable than a general claim.

Why this field?

“It seems interesting” is an opinion. A short story about when it became interesting is evidence.

Variations

Thirty-second version
Two-minute version
“Why this field?” variation
One-sentence professional origin story

Why It Works

The time constraint forces prioritization. With only a minute, you have to choose what matters rather than include every stop along the way.

A personal turning point also makes a standard interview answer more distinctive and human. Instead of listing what you’ve done, you reveal something about how you got here—and why this opportunity fits.

Pro Tips

Emphasize that this is not an autobiography or a chronological résumé summary. Nobody needs the director’s cut.
Encourage one meaningful through-line, with a clear connection to the present opportunity.
Use the debrief prompts: “What did your partner remember?” and “What did you choose to leave out, and did that make the answer stronger?”

Origins / References

[Admin: add origins/references if known]

Try This in Real Life

Before your next interview, prepare a one-minute answer to “Tell me about yourself.” Focus on one meaningful choice or experience that led you toward this opportunity. Leave out details that don’t help explain that connection.

For more ways to practice clear, purposeful storytelling, explore coaching and workshops at Your Story, Well Told.