Your Interview Opener: 5 Career Story Templates with Akanksha Verma

“Tell me about yourself” is the first question in almost every interview. For experienced professionals, it’s often the hardest to answer well. With years of roles and achievements behind you, it’s easy to end up reciting your CV.

The Career Story Builder gives you five ways to tell your career story so it sounds clear, confident and like you:

1. The moment: open with a defining project or turning point.
2. The thread: show what connects every role, ideal if your CV looks varied.
3. The problem I solve: lead with the problem you fix, great for senior roles.
4. The lesson: share what you learned the hard way, strong for leadership roles.
5. Future-back: start with where you’re heading, perfect for promotions and step-up roles.

Each style is a one-page template. The story is already written, with blank lines where your details go and a short prompt under each line telling you what to add. Choose the style that suits you, fill it in on screen or print it and use a pen, and you’ll have a complete story ready to say out loud.

Use it for:

• Interview openers (“Tell me about yourself”, “Walk me through your CV”)
• Your LinkedIn About section
• Recruiter and headhunter calls
• Networking conversations

What you get:

• A fillable PDF with 5 story templates, one page each
• Works on screen in any PDF app, or printed

Created by Akanksha, a career coach with experience in workforce strategy and resource planning, the side of the business that decides how and when organisations hire.

Want feedback on your finished story? Book a 1:1 career strategy call with me here on Topmate.