Sit. Job interviews can be a nerve wracking experience
for both native and non-native speakers alike. But it's especially challenging if you're being
interviewed in a foreign language. However if you prepare and anticipate the different scenarios
that you'll likely encounter during an interview and you make sure to practice the necessary
language skills you'll need for the occasion your chances of succeeding will increase
significantly. Trust me I've conducted over 100 interviews at this point for Real Life English
so I know what can make or break an interview. So in this lesson I'll share with you tips and
strategies that you can use to pass your next job interview in English with flying colors. So
watch until the end if you want to learn the most common questions to expect in an interview, how
to answer them authentically and confidently, what not to do in a job interview and finally useful
vocabulary and of course true to our style you will have a stress-free learning experience with
real authentic English from movies and tv series. Some of these clips are sure to make you laugh,
I mean you don't want to be like this guy All right so let's get started but just a quick
reminder first every week here on Learning with TV Series we help you to understand fast
speaking natives without getting lost, without missing the jokes and without subtitles,
like Sandeep who says that our lessons helped him to improve his skills and even get his dream job.
So we'll help you with your goals too, it's really simple join us by hitting the subscribe button and
bell down below so you don't miss any new lessons. Alright so let's start out by looking at some tips
that will help you get ready for that important job interview focus on technique not just
vocabulary an important thing to keep in mind is that when it comes to interviews in english it's
not just about knowing the right vocabulary to use technique is equally important for example
when asked the typical "can you tell me a little bit about yourself" you might know all
the necessary words to answer that question but you need to be able to provide a satisfactory
and honest answer by structuring your response in the correct way which we'll look at today.
Research and prepare for common questions as I said earlier it's important to anticipate the
different situations that you'll encounter in the interview. So begin by predicting the
possible questions you'll be asked and think of what your answers will be. A Google
search will bring up many articles written on the subject. So depending on how much time you have
you can really prepare yourself for anything. Practice with a mock interview you could even
conduct a mock interview which means that you can ask someone to do a fake interview
with you so you're better prepared for it. Seize every opportunity to practice. Another tip
can be to accept any and all interviews for jobs even if you are not interested in it
and see it as an opportunity to practice and receive feedback. If you do it right you'll
be able to head into the interview feeling relaxed and confident and that will definitely
increase your chances of landing the job. All right so in the rest of the lesson
we're going to prepare for some of the most common interview questions that you can
expect. We will look at what you should do and what you should not do. Let's play
a little game. We'll show you an answer and then some questions and you'll have a few
seconds to match that answer to the question. Now at a job interview you'll almost
always be asked about your background previous experience, your
accomplishments, your weaknesses, etc. You want to make sure that
you make a good first impression. Keep in mind that there is no perfect answer to
interview questions. The interview process really is about sharing your story and experience
with the representative of the company. Interviewers usually have a lot of experience and
can see right through dishonesty. And this is why it is so important to practice so you can actually
help them to get to know you and show that you really are the best person for the position. Now
even if you don't encounter these exact questions in an interview, preparing for them will help you
answer most questions that you could be asked. So let's start with one of
the most classic questions The key to nailing this question is speaking
briefly and relevantly to the job. You don't want to give a 10-minute summary of your life. So
focus on things related to the work and especially your career objectives. In this clip she actually
does a good job of structuring her answer, but she needs to focus on the positive
parts of her previous experience. Never offer negative information. Instead sell
yourself using positive words or what's known as power phrases. A players know what their
objectives are and can communicate them clearly. So to show that you are an A player
in your answer you could say things that highlight your ability to: show initiative
Solve problems, control or manage a budget Achieve objectives, motivate colleagues,
create ideas and meet deadlines. If you need a formula, try present past
future. So first you start with the present, where you are right now. Then talk about your
past. Mention some of the experiences you've had and finally finish with the future why you are
really excited for this particular opportunity. You can even use this formula to create a script
that you can practice. So you'll be able to nail this part of the interview. If you need more
suggestions on this I highly recommend this lesson that I made on our Real Life English Channel that
will help you to make a perfect introduction. I'll link that in the description below so you can
watch it next. Alright so once you master the tell me about yourself pitch you can think about your
answer to the next most common interview question: I can't tell you the amount of times
I've had to pass on a candidate who might have been a great fit for the role
but failed to sufficiently show me this by being able to talk competently about their
strengths and weaknesses. Don't be this person When you're asked to describe your
strengths I recommend that you don't just give them a list of random skills like
Instead, do your research on the position and choose two or three important strengths
that relate directly to the position that you're applying for. Choose the ones
that will set you apart from others and it's crucial to give
some evidence or examples. Some good examples of strengths that
you can include in your answer are: Now you're also likely to be
asked about your weaknesses. Don't be afraid of this question because if you
prepare for it it is actually an opportunity to make yourself look good in the eyes of the
employer on the other hand no one is perfect so if you can't think of any weaknesses it shows
a lack of awareness and it may even make you look like you are not a very trustworthy person.
Any qualified interviewer will see right through this. This will actually be seen
as if you're dodging the actual question. Like in this example we saw before you don't
want to over share or add in details that are not relevant. It wasn't necessary to say for example
that they are living again with their mother. Instead you should share real
weaknesses that have been difficult or caused issues in the past and then
Here's a funny demonstration of what not to do when asked about this question:
So these are some examples of good weaknesses to mention. However remember
that it's essential that when you mention any of these also say what you've done plan
to do or are currently doing to overcome them and by the way two things that I often see
that mess up non-native speaking candidates for position are: first of all not having good enough
comprehension and making me repeat myself several times or rephrase the question and two, not
having the words necessary to answer a question in a clear way. Now, you don't want this to
happen to you. The lessons on our channel can help you a lot in building your colloquial
vocabulary and improving your listening. And if you really want to take these skills to the next
level I recommend our Fluent with Friends Course. In just a few months you will notice that you
have more of the everyday vocabulary that you need to speak and that you even understand
natives more effortlessly. So you can try it for free! Join our free Master Class. Just click
up here or down description below to learn more. Now the next couple of job interview
questions are the ones that fall into the category of behavioral questions. The
main one to be expected is something like: You definitely need to prepare for this question
because nothing says hire me better than a record of achieving amazing results in past jobs or
projects. A few things you should keep in mind are: while this is an opportunity for you to be
boastful about your past success don't go for too long without connecting it to how it actually
helped the company or other people that were involved in the process. Find the link to how it
helped the company reach its goals. Also remember to give credit where credit is due. If it was
a team effort you should not make it sound like you did all the work. You need to communicate that
you're a good team player, so say something like So you could use the star technique to actually
answer this question which will help you to organize your thoughts and communicate them in
a clear way. So first off describe the situation in which the event took place. Then describe
the task you were asked to complete. If there was a particular problem or issue that you
were trying to solve describe that here. Follow it up with an explanation of
what action you took to complete the task or solve the problem. Finally
explain the result of your actions. Try to focus on how your actions resulted in
a success for the company. Here's an example: Besides questions about your achievements you're
likely to face questions about past behavior. For example leadership, problem, solving or
creativity. Again you don't want to be in a position where you are asked this and you have
to actually think about a situation on the spot. Preparation is key. So a good idea is to have
some situations in mind before your interview. Think about a particular time when your leadership
problem solving and creativity all came into play. So if you're asked about a time where your
leadership skills shine through you can mention that specific circumstance. But if the question is
about your problem-solving skills you can explain the same thing while putting more focus on how
the situation required solving that problem. Here you can use the star technique once
again or even a simplified version of it. The situation, what you did and the result. Another type of behavior question involves your
ability to deal with conflict. So you may be asked With questions about conflict interviewers want
to see that you can communicate that you care about relationships. It's important to let your
interviewer know that you are a good listener and that you can accept that someone has a different
view on something without getting upset. So if you're prompted to talk about a past experience
with a question like tell us about a time that you had to deal with conflict with a co-worker.
Remember the star technique or the more simple method where you describe the situation, what
you did and the result. Now a big don't is to never throw someone under the bus or sound
bitter. This will reflect very poorly on yo.u Instead, explain how you approach the conflict
with a mindset of listening understanding and growth mindset. Spin the conflict as a
constructive experience. Here's an example: Alright so to wrap up remember that
preparation for the interview is key. For the tell me about yourself question, keep it
short but impactful with power phrases. You can use the present, past, future method. When you're
asked about your strengths don't just list random skills just two or three that are relevant to the
position will do the trick. When asked about your weaknesses say how you're working on overcoming
them. Use the star technique to describe past situations at the workplace like achievements
and moments that put your skills to the test. When talking about a conflict in the
past never criticize your co-worker. Let them know that you care about relationships.
So all the best of luck to you on your next job interview I hope this has helped a lot and now
it's time to go beyond the classroom and live your English. Aw yeah! So if you like many
English learners out there are interested in applying to a University or getting
a job in an English-speaking country, then oftentimes it is not enough to simply state
on your resume that you are an intermediate or advanced speaker of English you're going to
actually need to certify your level of English and this is exactly what the IELTS
exam does for you it accurately.
