“My background in one line: …”

When to use it

"Tell me about yourself." Say the one line, then expand only on what matters for this job.

What it replaces

"First of all, I would like to thank you for this opportunity. I was born in…"

The hedged version is not wrong English. It is English that asks the interviewer to do the work of deciding whether you meant it. The confident version makes the decision for them.

In an answer

“My background in one line: six years in hotel front office, the last two as night manager at a 400-room property.”

How to make it automatic

1. Say it aloud five times now, at normal speed, with contractions.
2. Pick one story from your own work where it fits, and say that story once using it.
3. Record a 60-second answer tomorrow and listen for whether it came out on its own.