💼TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF: Still the king of interview questions🤴

If I had to bet on one question showing up in a job interview, it would still be this one. “Tell me about yourself.” These are simple words, but they still trip up more candidates than almost anything else.  That includes plenty of native English speakers, not just ESL learners. Why is it a problem? Because the question feels open-ended, and open-ended questions make people panic.  They either ramble for five minutes, or even freeze completely.

Three of my students are practicing answering this question right now in classes. Here’s the good news they have discovered: this question does have a formula. Once you know the formula, it stops being scary.  It becomes your favorite question in the whole interview — because it’s the one moment where you control the story.  If you do it, right, you are on your way to getting a new job!

Why This Question Matters So Much

Interviewers ask this first for a reason. It’s not small talk. It’s your chance to set the framework for the entire interview.  You can help steer the conversation. You can help to decide what they focus on before they start picking things apart themselves. A strong answer builds confidence in the room immediately. A weak, rambling answer does the opposite. It makes the interviewer start the interview already a little worried.

The Classic Method: Past → Present → Future

The best-known structure — and still the most reliable — is essentially a two-minute spoken version of your resume, told as a story with direction. It has three parts:

1. Past — Where you started
A brief summary of your background: your education, your early career, the skills you built. Keep this short. This is context, not the main event.

2. Present — Where you are now
What you’re currently doing, what you’re good at, and — importantly — a specific achievement or two that proves it. Numbers and results are gold here. “I managed a team of six” is good. “I managed a team of six and increased output by 20%” is much better.

3. Future — Why you’re here, right now, in this interview
This is the part people forget, and it’s the most important part. Connect your past and present directly to this company and this role. Explain what drew you to them specifically, and — this is key — pivot toward what you can offer them, not just what you want from them.

The One Rule to Remember

This question is not really “tell me about yourself.” It’s really asking: “Convince me, quickly, that you’re worth the next 30 minutes of my time.” Practice the structure, keep it under two minutes, and always land on how you can help them — not just what you want from them.

Good luck in your next job interview!

Tell me about yourself: Do it right!

🗣️💬 YOUR TEACHER DOESN’T NEED YOUR LANGUAGE — THEY NEED SKILL! 🎯✨

It has always been a funny thing to me. Many students think their English teacher should also speak their native language. They say it’s just in case they need help understanding something. This makes sense — but it’s actually a kind of trap. 🪤

Here is the truth: when a student reaches A2 level or higher, sharing a language with the teacher can actually cause problems. Why? Because when translation is easy to get, students use it instead of trying to understand English in English. That difficult moment — when you don’t understand right away — is where real learning happens. 🧠💪 Remember: every minute you spend speaking your native language in class is a minute you are NOT practicing English! ⏳🚫

A good ESL teacher doesn’t need to know your language. They need patience, clear explanations, hand gestures, examples, and the skill to make things simple. These skills work in every classroom, with every student, from every country. 🌍👩‍🏫So next time you want to ask, “Do you speak my language?” — ask yourself this instead: “Am I ready to stop depending on it?” If your level is already A2 or higher, the answer is almost always yes! ✅🚀

💼STUDENT WORKING UNDER AN O-1 VISA🏆

I am proud to say that I have a student working under an O-1 Visa! She started a company here in the USA and she is writing a book about it! (I am now supporting her English fluency journey.👍🏼)

What is an ‘O-1’ VISA?:

The O-1 visa is a nonimmigrant work visa for individuals with extraordinary abilities. It is specifically designed for foreign nationals who have demonstrated exceptional talent in fields such as science, arts, education, business, or athletics, or who have achieved notable recognition in the motion picture or television industry.

Key Features of the O-1 Visa:

• Eligibility: Applicants must provide evidence of extraordinary ability, which can include awards, publications, or significant contributions to their field.
• Job Offer Requirement: A job offer or recommendation from a U.S. employer is necessary to qualify.
• Consultation Process: Before approval, applicants must obtain an advisory opinion from a relevant peer group or organization.
• Duration and Extensions: The O-1 visa can be granted for the duration of the event, performance, or activity, with the possibility of unlimited extensions in one-year increments.

🌍🌎Europe to USA: One Student’s Leap into 2028

Some stories I get to tell as a teacher fill me with pure pride, and this is one of them.

One of my students — a woman with more than twenty years of hard-earned career experience behind her — is packing up her whole life and family in Europe to start over in the United States in 2028. (Her son is also a student of mine 🙂.) And when I say “start over,” I don’t mean drifting into the unknown. I mean walking in ready!

She’s spent months preparing. Earning certifications. Studying American business culture like it’s a subject she refuses to get anything less than an ‘A’ in. Her goal isn’t to stumble through her first year figuring things out — it’s to walk into an American workplace on day one and already belong there. Honestly, watching that kind of discipline up close has been humbling. And she’s not doing it alone — her husband and their two sons have been working just as hard, each getting ready in their own way for the leap ahead.

There’s a tender side to this move too. Her daughter is already out west building her career in the USA, and this relocation means closing the distance between them — choosing family over the easy comfort of staying put. They already have people out there: friends who’ve hosted them, mentored them, shown them around on past visits. So this isn’t a family stepping into a void. It’s a family stepping toward people who already care about them.

Of course, the road ahead isn’t simple. Immigration paperwork, work authorization, house-hunting, culture shock — all of it is still coming, for all of them. But she’s already networking, already reaching toward the small and medium-sized businesses where she wants to plant her next chapter.

To me, this isn’t just a relocation. It’s a woman betting on herself, on her family, and on a future they’ve all worked hard to earn together. I can’t wait to watch them get there!

🏗️L-1B VISA APPROVED TODAY 🥳

A student’s L-1B Visa was approved today! 🙌🏼👍👍CONGRATS!

🗣️STUDENT USES AI TO MONITOR SPEAKING SPEED🏎️

A student was recently using the Preply AI report to show his speaking speed had increased. The AI is improving and it’s good to see some students putting it to good use. 😉🫡😎