What they are really asking

When they ask you to describe your last position, the interviewer wants a picture of your day-to-day work and your level of responsibility. How big was the team? Who did you work with? What did you own, and what did you only help with? They'll compare that picture with the job they're hiring for, so the details you choose matter.

The trap is reading out a job description: "I was responsible for stakeholder management and process improvement." It's vague, and it sounds like everyone. Say what you actually did, in normal words, with one example of a result.

A shape that works

Where, what, highlight. One sentence on the company and your title, including the size of the team if it helps. Two or three sentences on your main responsibilities, the ones closest to the new job first. Then one highlight: a project or result you're proud of. You can finish with one sentence on why you're ready for the next step.

Model answers

Listen to how each answer is built, then make it yours.

Answer 1: an operations manager in Dubai
Answer 2: a nurse in Manchester
Answer 3: a data analyst in New York

Check yourself

1Why does the interviewer ask about your last position?
2What's wrong with "I was responsible for stakeholder management"?

Practice · 3 min

Write one sentence on where you work and your title, three on what you actually do each week, and one highlight with a result. Record your answer. Then listen for any phrase you copied from a job description, and say it again in plain words.

Your recording stays on this device. Nothing is uploaded.

Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.