Most job interviews in English start with one question: “Tell me about yourself.” Many people read their CV aloud. That is boring, and it does not answer the real question: Why should we hire you?
The Hero’s Journey gives your answer a better shape. Joseph Campbell described this story pattern in 1949. Christopher Vogler later turned it into 12 stages for film writers.
The 12 stages
- Ordinary World
- Call to Adventure
- Refusal of the Call
- Meeting the Mentor
- Crossing the Threshold
- Tests, Allies, Enemies
- Approach to the Inmost Cave
- Ordeal
- Reward
- The Road Back
- Resurrection
- Return with the Elixir
A short version for interviews
Twelve stages are too many for a 90-second answer. Use five:
- Ordinary World: Where you started.
- Call to Adventure: What changed or challenged you.
- Mentor: Who or what helped you: a manager, a course, a project.
- Ordeal: Your hardest problem and how you solved it.
- Return with the Elixir: What you can now give this employer.
The last step is the most important. Do not end with yourself. End with the employer.
An example answer
“I started in a small logistics company in Hamburg, where I planned delivery routes by hand. In 2021, we started working with partners in Poland and the Netherlands, so I suddenly needed to work in English every day. My team leader sent me on a planning software course, and that changed how I work. The hardest moment came last winter, when a supplier failed two days before a big delivery. I found a new partner and we delivered on time. Now I want to bring that experience to an international team like yours.”
Grammar tips
- Use the past simple for finished events with a time: “In 2021, I moved to Berlin.”
- Use the present perfect for experience up to now: “I have worked in logistics for six years.”
- Use want to / would like to for the ending: “I would like to bring this to your team.”
Not only for interviews
The same five steps work for an “About me” page, a networking event or a founder story.
Try it now
Write one sentence for each of the five steps. Read it aloud and time yourself. Aim for 60 to 90 seconds.
Practise more with our free interactive English exercises at englishonline.training.
Want new free exercises and tips by email? Sign up here.