By Prof. Sumita Vaid
However much you may contest the adage that the first impression is the last, it matters in an interview. The first few moments in an interview can set the tone and flow of the conversation that follows. Make the right impression, and you have already given the panel a reason to view you favourably.
Psychologists call this the halo effect: an early positive impression can influence how we interpret what comes later. This does not mean that an interviewer decides to hire you before you have even answered a question. It means that those opening moments can shape the lens through which the rest of your interview is viewed.
So, how do you make those first 30 seconds count? Think of the first 30-seconds as a trailer. “The first 30 seconds are like the trailer of a film, the hook that grabs the attention of your interviewer,” says Sarabjeet Sachar, Founder and CEO, Aspiration. So, if the trailer is good, the panel wants to know your story.
The first 30 seconds are like the trailer of a film, the hook that grabs the attention of your interviewer.
Your 30 Seconds Begin Before the Interview
The one question underneath almost every question the recruiter asks is: Why should we hire you? Sachar offers a wonderfully simple way of thinking about it: “Tune into WIIFM”—What’s In It For Me? That, he says, is the recruiter’s frequency.
This changes how you prepare. Instead of walking into an interview thinking only, “What should I tell them about myself?”, ask, “What does this organisation need, and what evidence do I have that I can contribute?”
This is where research becomes essential. Spend time understanding the organisation—not just the ‘About Us’ section of its website. Read about its mission, values, culture and business. Study the job description carefully. Then go a step further: look up recent news about the organisation. Has it entered a new market, launched a product, announced a sustainability initiative, adopted a new technology or changed its business strategy?
Now look for common ground. Where do the organisation’s priorities intersect with your skills, experiences, interests or values? If the role needs someone who can work across teams, do not merely announce that you are a team player. Give them the project, internship, competition or campus experience that demonstrates it.
Before You Say a Word
In fact, your interview begins before you answer the first question. When you walk into the room, that is your first introduction to the panel. Wonder why some people make heads turn? That is because they exude confidence in the way they carry themselves. That is the power of non-verbal communication.
Eye contact matters. A soft, natural eye contact with panel members creates an instant human connection. So do an upright posture, an easy smile and an assured gait. Your appearance sends signals too. Tidy hair, ironed formal clothes, appropriate footwear and restrained accessories communicate attention to detail. The trick is to look polished without allowing your appearance to become the thing the panel remembers most.
Salil Agrawal, IIM alumnus, mentor, coach, soft-skills trainer and author of Say Yes: Unleash your Potential, reduces this to five things candidates should pay attention to: ‘how you look’, ‘how you walk’, ‘how you talk’, ‘your confidence’ and ‘your attitude’. Before you have demonstrated your technical competence, these are already signalling something about you.
Your 30 Seconds in the Spotlight
Then comes the question you are almost certain to hear: ‘Tell us about yourself.’
Please do not begin with: “My name is…, I belong to…, I completed my education from…” The panel has your résumé,” cautions Sachar.
Instead, recognise the opportunity hidden in this seemingly ordinary question: for a few moments, the ball is in your court. “You decide where the conversation begins, you lead this conversation,” says Agrawal. In other words, these are your 30 seconds in the spotlight.
You decide where the conversation begins, you lead this conversation.
A good introduction, Sachar says, can set the context for the interview. “It in fact decides the flow of the interview.” So, ask yourself before you enter the room: Who am I professionally? What do I want this panel to remember about me? What is my hook?
A management student, for example, might say: “During university, I discovered that I enjoy solving problems. In one live project, I worked with a team to address an environmental issue on campus. I pitched the idea to my peers, and within three months we developed a workable solution. That experience reinforced two things about me: I enjoy taking initiative and I work well with teams.”
Notice what this introduction does not do. It does not list everything the candidate has ever done. It selects evidence and begins constructing a professional identity.
Don’t Just Tell Them. Signal It.
This is where a useful idea from Signalling Theory comes into play. In a hiring situation, the interviewer cannot know everything about you. Your qualifications, experiences, behaviour and communication therefore act as signals of qualities that are otherwise difficult to observe immediately.
You can make those signals stronger through the words you choose and the way you deliver them. Listen to the difference between “I was part of a college project” and “I initiated the idea, worked with a five-member team and helped create a solution in three months.” Words such as initiated, led, solved, analysed, created, client, team and result draw attention to capability.
But do not simply sprinkle impressive words into your answer. Pick the words that matter for that particular role. Read the job description before the interview. If the organisation repeatedly talks about collaboration, customer focus, problem-solving or innovation, identify genuine experiences that allow you to signal those qualities. Then use pace, pauses and intonation to give important words weight. Think of your voice as a highlighter: you are subtly telling the interviewer, “This part matters.”
Tell a Story, Not Your Life Story
Saying “I am a problem solver” is a claim. Telling me about a problem you actually solved is evidence.
This is why stories work so well in interviews. “They allow the panel to see your thinking rather than simply hear adjectives about,” explains Sachar. He points out that when candidates have genuinely worked on a project, they tend to talk about its specifics and the process. Those details provide evidence of how they think—and make it much easier to distinguish a real experience from an answer manufactured for an interview.
A simple way to structure such answers is the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action and Result. Briefly establish the situation, explain what you had to do, focus on the action you took and end with the result. The emphasis should be on your action. That is where the interviewer discovers how you think, communicate, collaborate and solve problems.
Remember, however, that STAR is a structure, not a script. You should sound like a person telling a clear story, not someone mentally ticking four boxes.
Be Authentic
There is one trap today’s candidates need to be particularly careful about: sounding too perfect.
With generative AI and abundant interview-preparation material, it is easy to arrive with beautifully structured answers. It is equally easy to sound like everybody else. Your résumé may get you through the door, but the interview is where the panel meets you.
Sachar says interviews today are increasingly conversational and that panels value authenticity, real stories, thinking ability and soft skills. An interviewer can probe. If your answer is borrowed, exaggerated or memorised without understanding, the cracks appear quickly.
So prepare—but do not rote-rehearse. Know your stories. Know your evidence. Know the two or three things you want the interviewer to remember. Then have a conversation.
Rehearse. Record. Review.
How do you know whether you are actually coming across the way you imagine you are?
Record yourself.
Agrawal recommends that students record their responses and then watch themselves. It gives you immediate feedback on tone, articulation and structure. You may discover that you speak too quickly, avoid eye contact with the camera, overuse filler words, bury your strongest point at the end or sound as though you have memorised the answer.
Try recording your response to question: Tell me about yourself. Then review your recording. Listen to the content: Is there a clear hook? Does the answer show what you can contribute? Watch your delivery: posture, expression, pace, pauses and confidence. And listen for your signals: which three or four words would an interviewer remember?
If you cannot answer that last question, sharpen the response again.
Make Them Want to Hear More
The first 30 seconds of an interview are not about squeezing your entire résumé into half a minute. Nor are they about performing a perfectly memorised pitch. They are about creating a clear, confident and credible first picture of who you are and what you might bring to the organisation.
The first 30 seconds of an interview are about creating a clear, confident and credible first picture of who you are.
Walk in with confidence. Make the human connection. Lead with a story rather than your biography. Signal the qualities the role requires. Back claims with evidence. And, above all, tune into what the recruiter needs.
Think of those 30 seconds as your trailer. Your job is not to reveal the whole film. It is to make the interviewer want to keep watching. And remember, be your authentic self!
For students, structured career-readiness support can make this preparation more focused. Initiatives such as Bennett Finishing School help learners strengthen communication, interview readiness, confidence and professional presentation, so that they enter important conversations with greater clarity and self-awareness.
These skills matter across career stages, whether a learner is preparing for a first job interview, a management role, or a career transition through programmes such as an Online BBA or Online MBA.
About The Experts
Mr. Sarabjeet Sachar
Industry Expert
Sarabjeet Sachar is the Founder and CEO of Aspiration and an interview coach with over four decades of professional experience. He also shares practical insights on recruitment, careers and interviews through his podcast and digital platforms youtube channel
Mr. Salil Agrawal
Industry Expert
Salil Agrawal is an IIM alumnus, mentor, coach and soft-skills trainer with more than four decades of experience. He is the author of books including Say Yes: Unleash your Potential and works extensively in communication, confidence, personal effectiveness, and professional development. He also shares insights on communication, confidence and professional development through his channel.
Prof. Sumita Vaid
Author With 20 years of experience across journalism, media, communication and higher education, I bring a mix of industry and academic perspectives to my work. As an academician at Bennett University, I’m interested in making learning practical, relevant and engaging. I write about education and communication, drawing on ideas and experiences from both inside and outside the classroom.
