Pro Tips: From Uniform to Interview 💼

Ever freeze up when an interviewer says, “Tell me about yourself”?

In this Quick Pro Tip, I share a simple, 3-step method to help veterans and transitioning service members answer that question with confidence:

✅ Start with where you are now
✅ Bridge to your most relevant experience
✅ End with where you’re going next

Your story is your strength — you just need to frame it right.

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Chapters

• 0:00 The Interview Curveball
• 0:26 Three Tips and Why They Matter
• 0:37 Start With the Present
• 1:05 Bridge To Relevant Past
• 1:49 Close With the Future
• 2:21 Keep It Tight and Share

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:04

So you're getting out of the military and you land that first interview. And the first question is, which is an industry standard question, is tell me about yourself. That could be stressful because how do you translate your military journey into civilian language? My name is Mario P. Fields. I'm your host for this special Unarmor Talk Podcast episode. I'm gonna give you guys three tips for today. And thank you for continuing to submit these questions. So tip number one: start with the present. Begin with the right now. And for example, uh, great question. I am uh currently transitioning out of the military after about 10 years of service, and uh, you know, during that time, I've developed many soft skills um to include strong leadership, maybe problem-solving skills. But make sure you highlight the soft skills that are relevant to that industry and that occupation. Number two, bridge to the past. So then highlight a couple of key experiences that related to the current job that you are applying to, and focus on some relevant information. For example, you can say, like, hey, my last role, um, I had the unique uh opportunity to lead and manage uh 12 Marine sailors or whatever branch of service you are in. And uh the equipment that also I was providing oversight for was about uh a million dollars. Now, if the company is comfortable with managing equipment um at a million dollars, that's fine. If they're at about 250K,$1 million may make you seem overqualified. So make sure you you um consider that. And then the last tip end with the future, close by connecting your past and your present goals. You know, I'm excited to bring these skills, discipline, and your passion to the company, and hopefully they uh either one allow you to move to the next steps or this interview turns into a job offer. But let them know you're eager to bring your unique skills to their organization for cost. If you watched that previous episode, I talked about how to give you some basic tips on how to negotiate. So check that one out uh on my YouTube channel or on audio. But other than that, remember keep it short, confident, relevant, make sure your non-verbals are uh enhancing your brand. And the goal isn't to tell your life, it's just to show your unique military experiences and how you are a great fit for that company. If this helped, please share with another another veteran or anyone in your network. And let's get ready for those upcoming interviews. Please continue to share, like, and subscribe. You guys know I do this for charity and keep the questions coming. Until next time, I I will continue to pray for you, your family, friends, and all living beings around you.

unknown: 3:12

Take care.