What should I say in a short intro vs a longer tell me about yourself/walk me through your cv

Question

I have a in person interview with a partner coming up soon, I think I'll start by shaking their hand. There will be some small talk. Then they'll briefly tell me about their role at the firm. I have a 1-2 minute intro prepared that explains why there are so many seemingly disparate roles on my CV and how they connect to the industry and why I am now interested in consulting, but I worry this is too long for a shorter introduction. What are the key points to hit here?

Answer 1

Short intro (30–45s)
Just who you are and why you are here

Current situation (study or job)
One defining theme
One line on why consulting

Eg:
“Currently a final year student / working in X. Background mainly in Y. Applying to consulting because I like structured problem solving and fast learning.” --> No CV walk through.

Longer ‘tell me about yourself’ / ‘walk me through your CV’ (2–3 min)
This is a simple story, not a list.

Where you started and why
What you are doing now and what you learned
Why consulting as the next step

Example flow:
“I studied X because of Y. During that time I did A and B, which exposed me to C. More recently I am doing D, which confirmed that I enjoy structured problem solving and working on complex business problems. That is why consulting makes sense for me now.”

Rules of thumb

Chronological - selective
Focus on choices and learning - not details
End clearly with why consulting

Answer 2

Hi there,

Here’s a way to think about it that’s slightly different so it doesn’t come across the same.

For the short intro, treat it as professional orientation rather than a story. Your goal is to help the Partner quickly place you. Keep it to where you are now, what you’re mainly strong at, and why you’re here today. Avoid walking through your CV or explaining past moves. If they want more context, they’ll naturally ask.

For the longer “tell me about yourself”, focus less on chronology and more on direction. Rather than listing roles, highlight the pattern across your experiences, a couple of deliberate choices you made, and what those choices taught you. Then connect that learning to why consulting makes sense for you now. This comes across as reflective and intentional rather than rehearsed.

A simple way to sense-check yourself is this: the short version should orient, not explain. The longer version should show how you think about your career decisions, not just what you’ve done.

Hope this helps and happy to discuss further if useful.

Best,

Evelina

Answer 3

This is a fantastic question, and the distinction you’re drawing between the initial small talk and the proper CV walk-through is absolutely critical for the Partner round. You need two distinct answers.

The initial short intro, often happening right after the handshake and before the Partner dives into their firm description, is pure rapport and executive presence. This is 30 seconds, maximum. It is not the time to justify your career path. You want a high-level, confident tagline: "Hi, it's great to be here. I'm currently [Your Current Role/Location], and I'm really excited about this opportunity because I believe my background in [1-2 key adjacent skills, e.g., complex stakeholder management and operational turnarounds] aligns perfectly with the impact [Firm Name] is driving right now." That’s it. It’s warm, brief, and signals that you value their time.

Your longer, 1-2 minute narrative should be deployed only when they give you the explicit prompt: "Walk me through your CV," or "Tell me about yourself." You are correct that, given your diverse background, you need this polished narrative. The structure must focus on the Golden Thread—the continuous theme (like problem-solving, scale, or high-stakes decision-making) that ties the disparate roles together. Start with the earliest role, transition through the middle, and finish with a strong statement on why consulting is the necessary and logical next step for your specific trajectory.

Partners are testing structure and clarity. Save the detailed justification for the detailed question. If you open with the two-minute narrative, you risk sounding defensive or wasting time they intended to spend on small talk before the interview clock truly starts.

All the best in your interview!

Answer 4

You are right to sense these are two different moments requiring different responses.

Short intro after small talk should be 30 seconds max. Hit three things:

Your name and current role
One line that connects your background
A hook that invites follow-up

Something like: "I'm [current role] at [company/industry], after spending time in [previous experience 1] and [previous experience 2], so I've [insight or thread that connects them]."

Your full 1-2 minute version comes only when they explicitly ask to walk through your CV. That is when you:

Connect the disparate roles with a unifying thread
Share one or two proof points of impact
Land clearly on why consulting now

The mistake I see constantly: candidates launch into their prepared narrative the moment anyone asks anything personal. Keep the opener tight, pause, let them lead.