Free sample lesson · Career Readiness · about 40 minutes
No login needed. A real lesson in the FI format: goal, learn, example, practice with answers.
Goal
By the end of this lesson I can turn duties into achievement lines for my CV and give a strong 60-second answer to “Tell me about yourself.”
1. Warm-up (5 minutes)
Write three things you did at work, school or home that you are proud of. Add a number to each if you can (how many, how much, how fast).
2. Learn
Duty vs. achievement: a duty says what you were supposed to do; an achievement shows what you did and the result.
Formula: Action verb + what you did + result (with a number).
Strong verbs: managed, improved, reduced, trained, organised, handled, created, resolved.
“Tell me about yourself” – Present, Past, Future (60 seconds):
- Present – who you are now and your main strength.
- Past – one or two achievements that prove it.
- Future – why you want this job.
3. Worked example
Duty: “Responsible for answering customer calls.”
Achievement: “Handled 60+ customer calls a day and kept a 95% satisfaction score for 6 months.”
“I’m a customer service representative with two years in a BPO, and I’m known for staying calm with difficult callers. Last year I handled over 60 calls a day and kept a 95% satisfaction score, and I trained three new hires. I’m now looking for a team-lead track, and your company’s coaching programme is exactly where I want to grow.”
4. Try it yourself
- Rewrite as an achievement: “In charge of the store inventory.”
- Rewrite as an achievement: “Helped with school events.”
- What are the three parts of a “Tell me about yourself” answer?
- Which is stronger: “hardworking person” or “finished 40 encoding tasks a day with zero errors”? Why?
- How long should your answer be?
Show answers
- Example: “Managed weekly inventory for 300+ items and reduced stock-outs by 30%.”
- Example: “Organised 4 school events for 500+ students, including budget and volunteers.”
- Present, past, future.
- The second: it proves the quality with facts instead of just claiming it.
- About 60 seconds (1–2 minutes at most).
5. Real-life practice (10 minutes)
Turn your warm-up list into three achievement lines. Then record your 60-second answer on your phone and listen back.
6. Check your understanding
Write the achievement formula from memory.
Like this lesson? Continue with the CV and Resume Writing short course or the Interview Preparation short course, or prepare for the Professional Certification in Interview Readiness. Create a free My FI account · More free lessons · Questions: [email protected]