Describing Your Background and Experience
How to talk about your studies, work history, and skills clearly — with the right tenses.
Whether in an interview, a networking conversation, or a first meeting, describing your background is a set piece. The main difficulty isn't vocabulary — it's tense control.
The tense rules that matter
Past simple — finished jobs and studies:
- I worked at Siemens for three years. (I don't now)
- I studied economics in Warsaw.
Present perfect — experience up to now, or a job you still have:
- I've worked in logistics for five years. (still true)
- I've managed teams of up to ten people. (experience, no specific time)
Present simple — your current role:
- I work as a project manager.
- I'm responsible for the reporting side.
The classic error is using past simple for a current job: ❌ I worked here since 2022. → ✅ I've worked here since 2022.
For and since
- for + a length of time: for three years, for six months
- since + a starting point: since 2022, since March
Useful phrases
Current role:
- I work as a... / I'm a...
- I'm responsible for...
- My main role is to...
- I report to...
Experience:
- I have five years' experience in...
- I've worked on several projects involving...
- Before that, I was at...
Skills:
- I'm confident with... / I'm familiar with...
- One of my strengths is...
- I'm currently learning...
Structuring your answer
Most interviewers expect: now → then → why here.
At the moment I work as a data analyst at a logistics company, where I'm responsible for weekly reporting. Before that, I spent two years in customer support, which is where I first got interested in data. I've been looking for a role with more technical depth, which is why this position appealed to me.
Notice the mix: present simple for now, past simple for finished periods, present perfect for the continuing thread.
Try it yourself
The quiz below tests exactly the tense choices that matter here.