English Job Interview
English Job Interview
English Job Interview
After greeting, shaking hands and introducing yourself, the next thing that interviewers are probably going to ask
you to do is to talk about yourself.
Now, this might seem easy for you – you’ve practiced it in your English class so much, but they don’t want to hear
every single detail. Avoid saying something like: I was born in Beijing. I love playing the computer and surfing the
net.or I have two sisters. They don’t want to know everything about you.
They want to know about you and your career growth; they want to know about you related to the job you’re
applying for.
Also, make sure you don’t use any informal slang or make any basic grammar mistakes.
For example:
I’ve been working as a junior chef at a small Italian restaurant for 2 years and my duties included assisting the head
chef and preparing salads. I have always been interested in food and cooking which was why I chose to follow this
career path. I studied at York college, where I gained my first level cooking diploma.
When your interviewer asks you this question, they want to know all your positive qualities. These positive qualities
need to relate to what they want and are looking for.
For example, you could answer with any of the following: 2/6
I’m a punctual person. I always arrive early and complete my work on time. My previous job had a lot ofdeadlines
(time when you must finish something by) and I made sure that I was organized and adhered to (respected) all my
jobs.
To be a team-player –to work well with others. I consider myself to be a team-player. I like to work with other people
and I find that it’s much easier to achieve something when everyone works together and communicates well.
To be ambitious – to have goals. I’m ambitious. I have always set myself goals and it motivates me to work hard. I
have achieved my goals so far with my training, education and work experience and now I am looking for ways to
improve myself and grow.
To take initiative – to do something without having to be told to do it. When I work, I always take initiative. If I see
something that needs doing,
To be proactive – To do things and make them happen. I’m proactive. When I think about things, I do them. I like to
see results and it’s important in this industry to be proactive and responsible for your own actions.
To keep your cool – To stay calm in all kinds of situations.I think it’s really important to be able to stay calm when
you’re working as a reporter.
Focused (Adj) To concentrate well Confident (adj) Not shy Problem-solver (N) Can find answers to problems easily
Team building skills (N) You’re able to take the lead and be the leader of the group. Negotiate (V) To be able to get a
better deal that is favorable to you To have a good work ethic (V) To work hard, follow the rules and respect your
duties of the job.
Why do you think you’re the best person for this job?
What? I don’t have any weaknesses! Of course you do – no one’s perfect. Everyone has weaknesses, but what
they’re checking for here is how you try to fix your weaknesses and they also want to know how self-aware (how
much you know about yourself) you are.
Another trick here is to turn those weaker qualities into positive qualities. For example, your weakness is that you
spend too much time on projects which makes you work slower. Turn that into a positive by saying: I sometimes am
slower in completing my tasks compared to others because I really want to get things right. I will double or
sometimes triple-check documents and files to make sure everything is accurate (correct).
Another great trick is to talk about a weakness (like being disorganized) and mention some methods that you are
using to help overcome this: e.g.I have created a time-management system, which allows me to list all my duties and
organize my deadlines so I have a clearer idea of what I need to do.
Motivation
Example Questions
Again the focus is on goals but also your motivations. Think about why you want this job. What is your motivation to
be successful in this position? Will this job really help you accomplish your career goals? Is this job (or is the
company) really a good fit for you? It is best to be honest with yourself and in your answer.
If you’re applying for your first job, this question is not for you.
However, if you’ve worked before, the interviewer wants to find out why you left your old job. Did you leave
because you were fired? (Your old boss asked you to leave for doing something wrong). Did you quit? (Resign – Did
you choose to stop working?) Or were off? (Made redundant – no longer needed because the job is no longer
available?)
If you chose to leave your old job, avoid saying anything negative about your old workplace or boss (even if this is
true). The person or people interviewing you will just look at you in a negative way. You can say the following:
I’m looking for new challenges.
I’m looking for a job where I can grow with the company.
Here they want to know everything you’ve studied related to the job. For example your training and further
education (e.g. university, polytechnic, college). You don’t need to tell them everything you’ve done since
elementary school, just the important things.
Here, they are asking about your goals. Again, it’s related to your career, not your personal life. So if having a family
is on the list, don’t mention it. Be careful what you say here, you need to be ambitious, but NOT too ambitious as
those interviewing you may see you as a threat (competition). You can mention: By then I will have…I would have
liked to…Improved my skills
Created more of a name for myself in the industry (become more known for what you do).
Here, they are asking you about how much money you would expect to earn from the job. Be reasonable. Make sure
you do your research on the internet about what the average salary is. Do not say I don’t know, it makes you sound
unsure. Be confident and name your price without selling yourself too short (going for less) or going too high.
Yes, you do! This is how an interviewer will usually finish the interview. They are not just being polite – they want
you to speak.
Remember, they’re still judging you as you answer this question. So don’t ask anything that will make you sound
silly, such as what kind of work does your company do? Or how much vacation time do I get each year? You want to
find out more, and if you don’t ask any questions, then they may view this as you being not very interested in the
job. Ask questions like:
Do you have any examples of projects that I would be working on if I were to be offered the job? This shows that
you’re interested in the actual job and not just being employed.
What is the typical day for this position (job)? Find out what kind of duties are involved and what kind of things you
would be expected to do on a day-to-day basis.
What is the next step? Here, this is a way of asking what is next in the interview process. They will tell you how many
days it will take to make their decision and will inform you if you need to come back for a second interview.
Common questions:
Personal
1. Tell me about yourself.
Educational
18. Tell me about your educational background.
19. What academic courses did you like the most / the least?
Professional
23. Why do you want this job?
46. What did you like the least about your last job?
55. Have you ever had trouble with a boss? How did you handle it?
61. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past year?
62. What’s the most interesting book you’ve read in the past year?
Job Specifics
65. Are you looking for full- or part-time work?
Salary
82. What are your salary expectations?
Salary expectation is how much money you think you will get.
83. What salary do you want to earn?
To earn means to make, to receive.
84. What kind of compensation are you looking for?
Compensation refers to salary plus benefits.
Leadership
85. Do you consider yourself a leader?
Independence
87. Do you like working alone?
Teamwork
90. Are you a team player?
VOCABULARY
Adjetives
creative - I'm quite creative and have come up with a number of marketing campaigns.
determined - I'm a determined problem solver who won't rest until we've come up with a solution.
self disciplined - I've often been complimented on how self disciplined I remain in difficult situations.
Verbs
operate - I've operated heavy equipment for more than five years.