Most Common Interview Question and Answers - Job Interview Skills

unit 1 introduction good morning miss Anderson how are you today fine thanks and you I'm fine thank you please follow me we'll meet in the conference room okay are you mr. Thomas yes I am thank you for coming of course would you like a glass of water or a cup of coffee before we begin no thanks I'm fine all right then please come with me sure hello mrs. Lewis yes can you give me one minute I'll be right with you sure Thanks okay thanks for waiting please follow me please sit down how are you doing this morning I'm doing fine thank you thanks for being patient things are quite busy here right now it's no problem hello oh yes hello may I help you yes I'm here to see mr. Davis about the accounting position right I'm mr. Davis glad to meet you glad to meet you please sit down could I have you fill out this application form sure take your time just let me know when you finish Unit two self-description so tell me a little about yourself well my name is joy Brown I'm 24 years old and I'm single how would you describe your personality I'm hard-working eager to learn I enjoy working with other people and I love challenges could you tell me something about yourself yes my name is Julie Thompson I'm married I have three kids one son and two daughters how would you describe yourself I like being with people and helping others I enjoy problem solving and challenging work and I'm serious about my work but I also like to have fun tell me a little about yourself my name is Annette Johnson but most people call me n I'm originally I'm originally from Boston but I've lived in Seattle for eight years now may I ask how old you are I'm 24 have you finished your studies I graduated from the University of Washington in June and I hope to find a full-time job now could you describe yourself briefly sure my name is Andrew Wilson I'm 30 years old and I'm single are you originally from Los Angeles no I'm originally from San Francisco I moved to Los Angeles over ten years ago as a student describe your personality to me well I'm a dedicated worker and a people person I enjoy working as a team I also like to be in contact with the public can you tell me something about yourself yes I graduated from Stanford University with a BA in management after I graduated I worked in hotel management for six years in New York City and I also enjoy working with PR and customer service do you have any family obligations yes I'm married with a two-year-old daughter and I also have to support my parents unit three educational background please tell me about your educational background I graduated from Cornell University in 1994 with a BA in computer science why did you choose computer science well ever since I've been young I have been interested in computers so when I entered University I thought a career in computers would be a good choice have you ever studied outside the university yes I've studied on my own and it took an evening course at a small computer school tell me a little about your educational background sure I received a bachelor's degree in history from Houston University in 1990 after that I studied at the University of Texas and received my MBA in 1993 why did you choose the University of Texas for your master's degree I visited the campus and I met some of the professors and I really liked it how will your education help you with this position my education has taught me how to work hard and how to succeed and also taught me a lot about society and business environment please tell me about your formal education well I just graduated from Kansas State University two months ago with a bachelor's degree in business administration how was your experience there it was a very good experience for me I learned a lot it was challenging and rewarding can you tell me about your education yes I studied political science at Michigan State University in Lansing for four years I got my bachelor's degree in 1994 the past two years I've been attending Union law school on the weekends but I haven't finished yet do you plan to finish your law degree I hope to finish this year tell me about your educational background I graduated from Texas Christian University with a bachelor's in accounting I also minored in business technology how has your education helped with your work taught me the basics of accounting and also about business it taught me how to solve problems and how to work hard unit four previous job experience can you tell me about your previous job experience please sure while I studied at university I worked as an intern at Avery publishing I worked in the main office after I graduated I worked in the same place full time I worked in administration at the main office I was there for four years tell me about your experience there as an office intern I just helped with office support when I became full-time I was an administration assistant I helped my boss with her projects how did you like the company oh I liked the company very much the people were very nice and we all work together very well please tell me about your previous job experience yeah well I've been a secretary for 10 years now I first started in 1991 with Johnson & Johnson I've worked with them for six years I left when I got married and we moved to Denver then I worked with United Parcel services for four years has your experience been good yes yes I've learned a lot about management and developed my job skills could you please describe your previous job experience yes I graduated from University in 1990 and started working for Sanwa Bank I've been with Sanwa Bank up until now why are you leaving I'm looking for a job with more responsibilities and flexibility I see were you ever promoted yes twice and how would you describe your experience there it was a good experience the people were great the benefits were good but I'm still looking for a better prospects please tell me about your previous job experience well I've been working in sales and marketing for three years now the first company that I worked for media wear went out of business after I was there for just one year I then went to work for Universal systems for two years and have just been laid off can you tell me about your past work history please yes while I was studying at university I volunteered at my local hospital after I graduated I worked at st. Andrews Hospital for about three years as a nurse after that I worked in hospital administration with the Red Cross and I've been there until now unit 5 special skills do you have any special skills that would help you do this job yes I'm pretty good with computers I've used Microsoft Office a lot and I know how to troubleshoot problems how fast can you type I can type about 60 words a minute other skills that would help you well I speak fluent Mandarin Chinese and I can read and write fairly well do you have any other skills that might help you on this job yes I have secretarial experience I can answer phone calls use a computer type 60 words a minute and speak French and Japanese I also have good organizational skills how about doing PR I've also had experience with PR when I worked in admissions at Carleton College I dealt with the public daily what skills do you have that would help you on this job I have computer experience I can use Microsoft NT Word and Excel I speak some Chinese and I'm good at sales and networking as well what special skills do you have for this job I have good organizational skills I worked as head office administrator for a while I had to organize the staff and the office layout do you have any computer skills I'm familiar with Microsoft Office and I've worked with Windows NT do you speak any other languages I can speak German and some Russian do you have any special job skills that would help you do your job well I have many contacts in the communication sector from my previous job I also have knowledge of Japanese culture and language I used to live in Tokyo how are your research skills pretty good I did a lot of research when I was at the University and I also did a lot of research on the Internet at my previous job unit six the ideal job could you describe your ideal job yes my ideal job would be challenging but secure tell me more why challenging well I'd like to improve my secretarial skills and I'd like to be interested in my work what kind of hours are you looking for I'm looking for full-time work I can work on weekends but I'd like to have evenings off what's your ideal job I would like to be a full-time computer programmer I prefer working with a team but I also enjoy working individually what kind of hours would you prefer I'm flexible but I prefer to have the weekends off would you be willing to work one day during the weekend yes that would be fine could you describe your ideal job yes that's a good question I'd like to work in a challenging job in marketing I would like to work for an international financial company I'd enjoyed doing some travel and meeting new people and what kind of hours would you like I had to like regular daytime hours on weekdays and Saturday hours once in a while what kind of job is ideal for you my ideal job would be working as an office manager at an international school I prefer to work at a place where I can use my French and English skills I would like to work steady hours without having to travel too much what would be your ideal job I would be a PR representative for a major international airline I'd love to travel around the world and meet all kinds of people unit seven describe your greatest strengths and weaknesses what is your greatest strength my greatest strength is persistence I work really hard and I don't give up easily can you give me an example yes when I was a student I had problems with the physics class I didn't give up though I got a tutor and studied really hard finally I passed the class with an A do you have any examples at work yes when I was a manager at charter insurance we had a very important quota deadline I wouldn't stop working till we met the quota I talked to the staff and we all worked really hard to meet the deadline what about your greatest weakness my greatest weakness would be that I'm not trained in accounting I can still learn though how would you describe your greatest strength I think my greatest strength is my dependability you can depend on me to be on time you can depend on me to get my work finished on time and you can depend on me to be professional and what about your greatest weakness this could be my experience I've only worked full-time for two years now I think I need more experience what's your greatest strength I think my greatest strength is my creativity sometimes my boss would ask my advice on a project because of my creativity can you give me an example yes once my boss was quite upset because we weren't filling our monthly quotas he asked my advice and I told him some advertising ideas we tried them and soon our monthly quota was filled very good now can you please tell me about your greatest weakness my greatest weakness would probably be my educational background I studied music but I'm working in business now can you tell me what your greatest strength is I think it's my quick thinking and decision-making there have been many times when I've been under pressure and made the right decisions how about your greatest weakness probably my computer skills I know a little bit but I need to learn a lot more what's your greatest strengths as a manager it's my ability to understand and encourage people I enjoy working with different kinds of people from all kinds of backgrounds what about your greatest weakness now I think this is my experience I'm still young and gaining experience in management unit 8 interests and free time what are some of your personal interests outside of work well I really enjoy gardening it helps me relax I also enjoy learning foreign languages what foreign languages have you studied currently I'm studying Chinese and Japanese in the past I studied German as well can you tell me about some of your hobbies or personal interests well I'm usually very busy taking care of my children and doing housework but when I do have free time I like to read and listen to music please tell me about your interests outside of work I love learning about computers sometimes I do programming work for my friends when I have free time what do you do to relax or to have fun like listening to music and I enjoy playing basketball what are some things that you do in your free time well I love cooking I have taken several classes on cooking I also like to play tennis whenever I can I play tennis with my friends what are some of your hobbies or personal interests I enjoy reading and playing the guitar I also enjoy surfing the internet and swimming unit9 reasons for leaving a previous job why did you leave your previous job my company was downsizing because of the economy so I was laid off other people have been there for over ten years and I've only been there for two so I was laid off first what are your reasons for leaving your last job they cut my hours I wanted to work full-time but they only wanted a part-time worker why are you looking for another job there is no growth potential at my current job I would like to work for a company that has more room to grow could you tell me why you decided to leave your current job well there are problems inside the company some of the managers do not agree with the company policies can you be more specific yes the company does not want to allow full investment in management but some of us disagree why did you resign from your previous position my company was opening some branches in other parts of the country my boss told me I had to transfer I couldn't move so I had to resign unit 10 handling pressure how do you handle pressure I work very well with pressure I prepare for it before it comes can you give me an example when I worked at Citibank we had many deadlines to meet never waited until the last minute to do my job I always finished it ahead of time how do you deal with the public I tried to treat my customers with respect and patience how do you handle stressful situations well I try to stay as calm as possible when I'm with a customer I like to be respectful and responsible can you give me an example from your personal experience yes when I was working with universal systems as a secretary a customer came in and he was very angry about his bill so I spoke calmly and told him to relax once he's calmed down we talked about the problem and solved it he walked away happy and so was I how do you deal with stressful situations at work have many stressful situations at work I always tried to stay patient whenever I'm feeling stressed I breathe deeply to calm down is there anything else that you do I try to talk to people to tell them how I feel if I'm having a problem with a customer I tried to talk Paulo I have some other kinds of stress at work I talked to my co-workers or my boss to tell them how I feel that usually helps how do you work under pressure oh I'm pretty good with pressure can you give me an example yes as an accountant I have to meet monthly deadlines this can make my work very stressful but I've learned that working hard and staying calm always relaxed yes as an accountant I have to meet monthly deadlines this can make my work very stressful but I've learned that working hard and staying calm always allows me to meet these deadlines how do you handle stressful situations I handle them professionally and patiently I have had experience with stressful situations at work I always try to prepare myself before stressful situations happen then when they happen I can handle them without any trouble can you give me an example sure if there are two phones ringing and customers waiting to be helped I'll ask the customers if they can wait a minute then I'll answer the phones and put them on hold next I'll try to help the customers quickly and politely lastly I'll take the phone calls unit 11 other questions are you able to travel yes I enjoy traveling are you willing to relocate yes I am would you be able to travel sure I don't mind traveling what about relocating would you be able to relocate relocating would be difficult you see I have a family with three children I guess I could relocate but it would not be easy are you able to work on weekends well I can work on Saturdays but not Sundays are you able to work added hours I prefer to work in the daytime but I don't mind doing some added hours are you considering any other jobs yes I have applied to several other positions and I'm considering them as well we may not be able to let you know about this position until next week are you still interested yes I'm very interested okay we'll get in touch by next week then okay thank you very much thank you for coming what are your salary requirements I'm looking for at least 30,000 this position starts at 35,000 is this okay yes that would be fine any opportunities or advancements yes you are evaluated for raises and bonuses every year unit 12 why do you want this job why do you want to work for us when I saw the job advertisement I became very interested I have fun with customers here they said that they liked doing business here as well I also feel I'm qualified with a job why should we hire you because I have experience and a strong desire to succeed why do you want to work here because this company has a good reputation why should we hire you I think I have the right personality and skills and I also have experience and motivation why do you want this job because I know I can do this job well why should we hire you because of my drive and commitment can you tell me why you want this job well the description sounded very interesting and I think I can succeed at it should we choose you for this job I'm a very committed worker and I love challenges like this why do you want to work here I want the challenge with working at a large international firm why should we hire you over another person because I'm qualified and because I have the will to succeed units 13 do you have any questions you have any questions for me yes what is the starting salary the starting salary is 35,000 a year plus benefits and what are the hours of the job well the office opens at 7:00 a.m. most people usually take a one-hour lunch break around noon and then leave 4:00 p.m. but the office doesn't close until 6:00 p.m. so you can stay later if you like do you have any questions may I ask what the specific responsibilities for this position are sure you'll be expected to be in the office during office hours which is from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday you'll also be expected to answer incoming telephone calls and to help walk-in customers you'll also be expected to work with typing filing and some data entry can you tell me about the history of the company the history sure we started our company in 1980 and we began in New York but we moved here in 1990 since then we've opened in ten states across the eastern US would you like to ask me any questions what kind of person are you looking for we're looking for a responsible person who can handle pressure someone good at experience and training is good but not necessary do you offer any kind of educational or training programs for employees yes we offer free computer training for full-time employees and there's also some on-the-job training at the beginning so do you have any questions yes what is the focus of this company this of our company is to provide the best service to our customers in this industry and what's the starting salary the starting annual salary is $26,000 we also provide health insurance for our employees okay and do you have the dress code yes only business attire slacks shirts or long dresses for women no t-shirts or shorts sandals are alright but they must have straps on the heel do you have any questions to ask me yes is this a new position no actually it's not the last person was transferred to a branch in Canada we needed to fill this position immediately in which country does this company operate we have operations in the u.s. in Canada but we also have partners in Europe who do business in Germany and the UK may I be asked to travel or relocate it's possible but not likely and can you describe the corporate culture in this company sure most of our employees are from the United States but we do have some people working here from Australia Canada and the UK most of us are young but we have people working here who have been here for over 10 years we're very hardworking people but we like to have fun sometimes we get together on the weekends informally unit 14 getting a job offer I'd like to offer you the job are you still interested yes I am when can I start how is Monday it'll be good okay then I'll see you Monday at 8 a.m. okay I'll see you then okay goodbye goodbye are you still interested in the job yes I am good when can you start well I'll have to give notice at my present job first I'll be able to start in two weeks time Oh sounds good so you can start on Monday the 28th then sure see you then okay oh yeah please remember to bring your ID card and Passport we need them to make copies for our records sure no problem I'll see you on the 28th okay then bye-bye goodbye mr. Smith I'd like to offer you the job are you still interested yes I am great could you start tomorrow tomorrow is fine okay why don't you come at 9 o'clock we'll give you a tour and have you fill out some paperwork sure please bring a list of references and to passport photos okay I'll see you then okay well I've talked with the others and we've decided to offer you the job would you like to work for us yes I'm ready to start as soon as possible great we'd like you to be here at 7 o'clock in the morning of the 3rd of next month okay I'll see you then is there anything else you'd like to know oh yes where can I park my car ah that's a good question you can park your car downstairs in the parking lot for free okay I'll see you on the third okay see you then okay thank you bye-bye I'd like to offer you the position do you still want it thank you but I've accepted another job already oh that's okay good luck to you thank you you're welcome unit 1 introduction good morning miss Anderson how are you today fine thanks and do I'm fine thank you please follow me we'll meet in the conference room okay are you mr. Thomas yes I am thank you for coming of course would you like a glass of water or a cup of coffee before we begin no thanks I'm fine all right then please come with me sure hello mrs. Lewis yes can you give me one minute I'll be right with you sure Thanks okay thanks for waiting please follow me please sit down how are you doing this morning I'm doing fine thank you thanks for being patient things are quite busy here right now it's no problem hello oh yes hello may I help you yes I'm here to see mr. Davis about the accounting position right I'm mr. Davis glad to meet you glad to meet you please sit down could I have you fill out this application form sure take your time just let me know when you finish Unit two self-description so tell me a little about yourself well my name is joy Brown I'm 24 years old and I'm single how would you describe your personality I'm hard-working eager to learn I enjoy working with other people and I love challenges could you tell me something about yourself yes my name is Julie Thompson I'm married I have three kids one son and two daughters how would you describe yourself I like being with people and helping others I enjoy problem solving and challenging work and I'm serious about my work but I also like to have fun tell me a little about yourself my name is Anna Johnson but most people call me n I'm originally I'm originally from Boston but I've lived in Seattle for eight years now may I ask how old you are I'm 24 have you finished your studies I graduated from the University of Washington in June and I hope to find a full-time job now could you describe yourself briefly sure my name is Andrew Wilson I'm 30 years old and I'm single are you originally from Los Angeles no I'm originally from San Francisco I moved to Los Angeles over ten years ago as a student describe your personality to me well I'm a dedicated worker and a people person I enjoy working as a team I also like to be in contact with the public can you tell me something about yourself yes I graduated from Stanford University with a BA in management after I graduated I worked in hotel management for six years in New York City and I also enjoy working with PR and customer service do you have any family obligations yes I'm married with a two-year-old daughter and I also have to support my parents unit three educational background please tell me about your educational background I graduated from Cornell University in 1994 with a BA in computer science why did you choose computer science well ever since I've been young I have been interested in computers so when I entered University I thought a career in computers would be a good choice have you ever studied outside the university yes I've studied on my own and I took an evening course at a small computer school tell me a little about your educational background sure I received a bachelor's degree in history from Houston University in 1990 after that I studied at the University of Texas and received my MBA in 1993 why did you choose the University of Texas for your master's degree I visited the campus and I met some of the professors and I really liked it how will your education help you with this position my education has taught me how to work hard and how to succeed and also taught me a lot about society and business environment please tell me about your formal education well I just graduated from Kansas State University two months ago with a bachelor's degree in business administration how was your experience there it was a very good experience for me I learned a lot it was challenging and rewarding can you tell me about your education yes I studied political science at Michigan State University in Lansing for four years I got my bachelor's degree in 1994 the past two years I've been attending Union law school on the weekends but I haven't finished yet do you plan to finish your law degree I hope to finish this year tell me about your educational background I graduated from Texas Christian University with a bachelor's in accounting I also minored in business technology how has your education helped with your work taught me the basics of accounting and also about business it taught me how to solve problems and how to work hard unit four previous job experience can you tell me about your previous job experience please sure while I studied at university I worked as an intern at Avery publishing I worked in the main office after I graduated I worked in the same place full time I worked in administration at the main office I was there for four years tell me about your experience there as an office intern I just helped with office support when I became full-time I was an administration assistant I helped my boss with her projects how did you like the company oh I liked the company very much the people were very nice and we all work together very well please tell me about your previous job experience yeah well I've been a secretary for 10 years now I first started in 1991 with Johnson & Johnson I worked with them for six years I left when I got married and we moved to Denver then I worked with United Parcel services for four years has your experience been good yes yes I've learned a lot about management and developed my job skills could you please describe your previous job experience yes I graduated from University in 1990 and started working for Sanwa Bank I've been with Sanwa Bank up until now why are you leaving I'm looking for a job with more responsibilities and flexibility I see were you ever promoted yes twice and how would you describe your experience there it was a good experience the people were great the benefits were good but I'm still looking for a better prospects please tell me about your previous job experience well I've been working in sales and marketing for three years now the first company that I worked for media wear went out of business after I was there for just one year I then went to work for Universal systems for two years and have just been laid off can you tell me about your past work history please yes while I was studying at university I volunteered at my local hospital after I graduated I worked at st. Andrews Hospital for about three years as a nurse after that I worked in hospital administration with the Red Cross and I've been there until now unit 5 special skills you have any special skills that would help you do this job yes I'm pretty good with computers I've used Microsoft Office a lot and I know how to troubleshoot problems how fast can you type I can type about 60 words a minute any other skills that would help you well I speak fluent Mandarin Chinese and I can read and write fairly well you have any other skills that might help you on this job yes I have secretarial experience I can answer phone calls use a computer type 60 words a minute and speak French and Japanese I also have good organizational skills how about doing PR I've also had experience with PR when I worked in admissions at Carleton College I dealt with the public daily what skills do you have that would help you on this job I have computer experience I can use Microsoft NT Word and Excel I speak some Chinese and I'm good at sales and networking as well what special skills do you have for this job I have good organizational skills I worked as head office administrator for a while I had to organize the staff and the office layout do you have any computer skills I'm familiar with Microsoft Office and I've worked with Windows NT do you speak any other languages I can speak German and some Russian do you have any special job skills that would help you do your job well I have many contacts in the communication sector from my previous job I also have knowledge of Japanese culture and language I used to live in Tokyo how are your research skills pretty good I did a lot of research when I was at the University and I also did a lot of research on the Internet at my previous job unit six the ideal job could you describe your ideal job yes my ideal job would be challenging but secure tell me more why challenging well I'd like to improve my secretarial skills and I'd like to be interested in my work what kind of hours are you looking for I'm looking for full-time work I can work on weekends but I'd like to have evenings off what's your ideal job I would like to be a full-time computer programmer I prefer working with a team but I also enjoy working individually what kind of hours would you prefer I'm flexible but I prefer to have the weekends off would you be willing to work one day during the weekend yes that would be fine could you describe your ideal job yes that's a good question I'd like to work in a challenging job in marketing I would like to work for an international financial company I'd enjoyed doing some travel and meeting new people and what kind of hours would you like I had to like regular daytime hours on weekdays and Saturday hours once in a while what kind of job is ideal for you my ideal job would be working as an office manager at an international school I prefer to work at a place where I can use my French and English skills I would like to work steady hours without having to travel too much what would be your ideal job I would be a PR representative for a major international airline I'd love to travel around the world and meet all kinds of people unit seven describe your greatest strengths and weaknesses what is your greatest strength my greatest strength is persistence I work really hard and I don't give up easily can you give me an example yes when I was a student I had problems with the physics class I didn't give up though I got a tutor and studied really hard finally I passed the class with an A do you have any examples at work yes when I was a manager at charter insurance we had a very important quota deadline I wouldn't stop working till we met the quota I talked to the staff and we all worked really hard to meet the deadline what about your greatest weakness my greatest weakness would be that I'm not trained in accounting I can still learn though how would you describe your greatest strength I think my greatest strength is my dependability you can depend on me to be on time you can depend on me to get my work finished on time and you can depend on me to be professional and what about your greatest weakness this could be my experience I've only worked full-time for two years now I think I need more experience what's your greatest strength I think my greatest strength is my creativity sometimes my boss would ask my advice on a project because of my creativity can you give me an example yes once my boss was quite upset because we weren't filling our monthly quotas he asked my advice and I told him some advertising ideas we tried them and soon our monthly quota was filled very good now can you please tell me about your greatest weakness my greatest weakness would probably be my educational background I studied music but I'm working in business now can you tell me what your greatest strength is I think it's my quick thinking and decision-making there have been many times when I've been under pressure and made the right decisions how about your greatest weakness probably my computer skills I know a little bit but I need to learn a lot more what's your greatest strengths as a manager it's my ability to understand and encourage people I enjoy working with different kinds of people from all kinds of backgrounds what about your greatest weakness now I think this is my experience I'm still young and gaining experience in management unit 8 interests and free time what are some of your personal interests outside of work well I really enjoy gardening it helps me relax I also enjoy learning foreign languages what foreign languages have you studied currently I'm studying Chinese and Japanese in the past I studied German as well can you tell me about some of your hobbies or personal interests well I'm usually very busy taking care of my children and doing housework but when I do have free time I like to read and listen to music please tell me about your interests outside of work I love learning about computers sometimes I do programming work for my friends when I have free time what do you do to relax or to have fun like listening to music and I enjoy playing basketball what are some things that you do in your free time well I love cooking I have taken several classes on cooking I also like to play tennis whenever I can I play tennis with my friends what are some of your hobbies or personal interests I enjoy reading and playing the guitar I also enjoy surfing the internet and swimming unit9 reasons for leaving a previous job why did you leave your previous job my company was downsizing because of the economy so I was laid off other people have been there for over ten years and I've only been there for two so I was laid off first what are your reasons for leaving your last job they cut my hours I wanted to work full-time but they only wanted a part-time worker why are you looking for another job there is no growth potential at my current job I would like to work for a company that has more room to grow could you tell me why you decided to leave your current job well there are problems inside the company some of the managers do not agree with the company policies can you be more specific yes the company does not want to allow full investment in management but some of us disagree why did you resign from your previous position my company was opening some branches in other parts of the country my boss told me I had to transfer I couldn't move so I had to resign unit 10 handling pressure how do you handle pressure I work very well with pressure I prepare for it before it comes can you give me an example when I worked at Citibank we had many deadlines to meet never waited until the last minute to do my job I always finished it ahead of time how do you deal with the public I tried to treat my customers with respect and patience how do you handle stressful situations well I try to stay as calm as possible when I'm with a customer I like to be respectful and responsible can you give me an example from your personal experience yes when I was working with universal systems as a secretary a customer came in and he was very angry about his bill so I spoke calmly and told him to relax once he's calmed down we talked about the problem and solved it he walked away happy and so was I how do you deal with stressful situations at work have many stressful situations at work I always tried to stay patient whenever I'm feeling stressed I breathe deeply to calm down is there anything else that you do to talk to people to tell them how I feel if I'm having a problem with a customer I tried to talk politely I have some other kinds of stress at work I talked to my co-workers or my boss to tell them how I feel that usually helps how do you work under pressure oh I'm pretty good with pressure can you give me an example yes as an accountant I have to meet monthly deadlines this can make my work very stressful but I've learned that working hard and staying calm always relaxed yes as an accountant I have to meet monthly deadlines this can make my work very stressful but I've learned that working hard and staying calm always allows me to meet these deadlines how do you handle stressful situations I handle them professionally and patiently I have had experience with stressful situations at work I always try to prepare myself before stressful situations happen then when they happen I can handle them without any trouble can you give me an example sure if there are two phones ringing and customers waiting to be helped I'll ask the customers if they can wait a minute then I'll answer the phones and put them on hold next I'll try to help the customers quickly and politely lastly I'll take the phone calls unit 11 other questions are you able to travel yes I enjoy traveling are you willing to relocate yes I am would you be able to travel sure I don't mind traveling what about relocating would you be able to relocate relocating would be difficult you see I have a family with three children I guess I could relocate but it would not be easy are you able to work on weekends well I can work on Saturdays but not Sundays are you able to work added hours I prefer to work in the daytime but I don't mind doing some added hours are you considering any other jobs yes I have applied to several other positions and I'm considering them as well we may not be able to let you know about this position until next week are you still interested yes I'm very interested okay we'll get in touch by next week then okay thank you very much thank you for coming what are your salary requirements I'm looking for at least 30,000 this position starts at 35,000 is this okay yes that would be fine any opportunities or advancements yes you are evaluated for raises and bonuses every year unit 12 why do you want this job why do you want to work for us when I saw the job advertisement I became very interested I have fun with customers here they said that they liked doing business here as well I also feel I'm qualified for the job why should we hire you because I have experience and a strong desire to succeed why do you want to work here because this company has a good reputation why should we hire you I think I have the right personality and skills and I also have experience and motivation why do you want this job because I know I can do this job well why should we hire you because of my drive and commitment can you tell me why you want this job well the description sounded very interesting and I think I can succeed at it why should we choose you for this job I'm a very committed worker and I love challenges like this why do you want to work here I want the challenge with working at a large international firm why should we hire you over another person because I'm qualified and because I have the will to succeed unit 13 do you have any questions you have any questions for me yes what is the starting salary the starting salary is 35,000 a year plus benefits and what are the hours of the job well the office opens at 7:00 a.m. most people usually take a one-hour lunch break around noon and then leave 4:00 p.m. but the office doesn't close until 6:00 p.m. so you can stay later if you like do you have any questions may I ask what the specific responsibilities for this position are sure you'll be expected to be in the office during office hours which is from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday you'll also be expected to answer incoming telephone calls and to help walk-in customers you'll also be expected to work with typing filing and some data entry can you tell me about the history of the company the history sure we started our company in 1980 and we began in New York but we moved here in 1990 since then we've opened in ten states across the eastern US would you like to ask me any questions what kind of person are you looking for we're looking for a responsible person who can handle pressure someone good at experience and training is good but not necessary do you offer any kind of educational or training programs for employees yes we offer free computer training for full-time employees and there's also some on-the-job training at the beginning so do you have any questions yes what is the focus of this company the focus of our company is to provide the best service to our customers in this industry and what's the starting salary the starting annual salary is $26,000 we also provide health insurance for our employees okay and do you have the dress code yes only business attire slacks shirts or long dresses for women no t-shirts or shorts sandals are alright but they must have straps on the heel do you have any questions to ask me yes is this a new position no actually it's not the last person was transferred to a branch in Canada we needed to fill this position immediately in which country does this company operate we have operations in the US in Canada but we also have partners in Europe who do business in Germany and the UK may I be asked to travel or relocate it's possible but not likely and can you describe the corporate culture in this company sure most of our employees are from the United States but we do have some people working here from Australia Canada and the UK most of us are young but we have people working here who have been here for over 10 years we're very hardworking people but we like to have fun sometimes we get together on the weekends in the formerly unit 14 getting a job offer I'd like to offer you the job are you still interested yes I am when can I start how is Monday it'll be good okay then I'll see you Monday at 8 a.m. okay I'll see you then okay goodbye goodbye are you still interested in the job yes I am good when can you start well I'll have to give notice at my present job first I'll be able to start in two weeks time Oh sounds good so you can start on Monday the 28th then sure see you then okay oh yeah please remember to bring your ID card and Passport we need them to make copies for our records sure no problem I'll see you on the 28th okay then bye-bye goodbye mr. Smith I'd like to offer you the job are you still interested yes I am great could you start tomorrow Morrow is fine okay why don't you come at nine o'clock we'll give you a tour and have you fill out some paperwork sure please bring a list of references and to passport photos okay I'll see you then okay well I've talked with the others and we've decided to offer you the job would you like to work for us yes I'm ready to start as soon as possible great we'd like you to be here at 7 o'clock in the morning of the 3rd of next month okay I'll see you then is there anything else you'd like to know oh yes where can I park my car ah that's a good question you can park your car downstairs in the parking lot for free okay I'll see you on the third okay see you then okay thank you bye-bye I'd like to offer you the position do you still want it thank you but I've accepted another job already oh that's okay good luck to you thank you you're welcome unit 1 introduction good morning miss Anderson how are you today fine thanks and you I'm fine thank you please follow me we'll meet in the conference room okay are you mr. Thomas yes I am thank you for coming of course would you like a glass of water or a cup of coffee before we begin no thanks I'm fine all right then please come with me sure hello mrs. Lewis yes can you give me one minute I'll be right with you sure Thanks okay thanks for waiting please follow me please sit down how are you doing this morning I'm doing fine thank you thanks for being patient things are quite busy here right now it's no problem hello oh yes hello may I help you yes I'm here to see mr. Davis about the accounting position right I'm mr. Davis glad to meet you glad to meet you please sit down could I have you fill out this application form sure take your time just let me know when you finish Unit two self-description so tell me a little about yourself well my name is joy Brown I'm 24 years old and I'm single how would you describe your personality I'm hard-working eager to learn I enjoy working with other people and I love challenges could you tell me something about yourself yes my name is Julie Thompson I'm married I have three kids one son and two daughters how would you describe yourself I like being with people and helping others I enjoy a problem-solving and challenging work and I'm serious about my work but I also like to have fun tell me a little about yourself my name is Anna Johnson but most people call me n I'm originally I'm originally from Boston but I've lived in Seattle for eight years now may I ask how old you are I'm 24 have you finished your studies I graduated from the University of Washington in June and I hope to find a full-time job now could you describe yourself briefly sure my name is Andrew Wilson I'm 30 years old and I'm single are you originally from Los Angeles no I'm originally from San Francisco I moved to Los Angeles over ten years ago as a student describe your personality to me well I'm a dedicated worker and a people person I enjoy working as a team I also like to be in contact with the public can you tell me something about yourself yes I graduated from Stanford University with a BA in management after I graduated I worked in hotel management for six years in New York City and I also enjoy working with PR and customer service do you have any family obligations yes I'm married with a two-year-old daughter and I also have to support my parents unit three educational background please tell me about your educational background I graduated from Cornell University in 1994 with a BA in computer science why did you choose computer science well ever since I've been young I've been interested in computers so when I entered University I thought a career in computers would be a good choice have you ever studied outside the university yes I've studied on my own and it took an evening course at a small computer school tell me a little about your educational background sure I received a bachelor's degree in history from Houston University in 1990 after that I studied at the University of Texas and received my MBA in 1993 why did you choose the University of Texas for your master's degree I visited the campus and I met some of the professors and I really liked it how will your education help you with this position my education has taught me how to work hard and how to succeed and also taught me a lot about society and business environment please tell me about your formal education well I just graduated from Kansas State University two months ago with a bachelor's degree in business administration how was your experience there it was a very good experience for me I learned a lot it was challenging and rewarding can you tell me about your education yes I studied political science at Michigan State University in Lansing for four years I got my bachelor's degree in 1994 the past two years I've been attending Union law school on the weekends but I haven't finished yet do you plan to finish your law degree I hope to finish this year tell me about your educational background I graduated from Texas Christian University with a bachelor's in accounting I also minored in business technology how has your education helped with your work taught me the basics of accounting and also about business it taught me how to solve problems and how to work hard unit four previous job experience can you tell me about your previous job experience please sure while I studied at university I worked as an intern at Avery publishing I worked in the main office after I graduated I worked in the same place full time I worked in administration at the main office I was there for four years tell me about your experience there as an office intern I just helped with office support when I became full-time I was an administration assistant I helped my boss with her projects how did you like the company oh I liked the company very much the people were very nice and we all work together very well please tell me about your previous job experience yeah well I've been a secretary for 10 years now I first started in 1991 with Johnson & Johnson I've worked with them for six years I left when I got married and we moved to Denver then I worked with United Parcel services for four years has your experience been good yes yes I've learned a lot about management and developed my job skills could you please describe your previous job experience yes I graduated from University in 1990 and started working for Sanwa Bank I've been with Sanwa Bank up until now why are you leaving I'm looking for a job with more responsibilities and flexibility I see were you ever promoted yes twice and how would you describe your experience there it was a good experience the people were great the benefits were good but I'm still looking for a better prospects please tell me about your previous job experience well I've been working in sales and marketing for three years now the first company that I worked for media wear went out of business after I was there for just one year I then went to work for Universal systems for two years and have just been laid off can you tell me about your past work history please yes while I was studying at university I volunteered at my local hospital after I graduated I worked at st. Andrews Hospital for about three years as a nurse after that I worked in hospital administration with the Red Cross and I've been there until now unit 5 special skills you have any special skills that would help you do this job yes I'm pretty good with computers I've used Microsoft Office a lot and I know how to troubleshoot problems how fast can you type I can type about 60 words a minute any other skills that would help you well I speak fluent Mandarin Chinese and I can read and write fairly well you have any other skills that might help you on this job yes I have secretarial experience I can answer phone calls use a computer type 60 words emit and speak French and Japanese I also have good organizational skills how about doing PR I've also had experience with PR when I worked in admissions at Carleton College I dealt with the public daily what skills do you have that would help you on this job I have computer experience I can use Microsoft NT Word and Excel I speak some Chinese and I'm good at sales and networking as well what special skills do you have for this job I have good organizational skills I worked as head office administrator for a while I had to organize the staff and the office layout do you have any computer skills I'm familiar with Microsoft Office and I've worked with Windows NT do you speak any other languages I can speak German and some Russian do you have any special job skills that would help you do your job well I have many contacts in the communication sector from my previous job I also have knowledge of Japanese culture and language I used to live in Tokyo how are your research skills pretty good I did a lot of research when I was at the University and I also did a lot of research on the Internet at my previous job unit six the ideal job could you describe your ideal job yes my ideal job would be challenging but secure tell me more why challenging well I'd like to improve my secretarial skills and I'd like to be interested in my work kind of hours are you looking for looking for full-time work I can work on weekends but I'd like to have evenings off what's your ideal job I would like to be a full-time computer programmer I prefer working with a team but I also enjoy working individually what kind of hours would you prefer I'm flexible but I prefer to have the weekends off would you be willing to work one day during the weekend yes that would be fine could you describe your ideal job yes that's a good question I'd like to work in a challenging job in marketing I would like to work for an international financial company I'd enjoyed doing some travel and meeting new people and what kind of hours would you like I had to like regular daytime hours on weekdays and Saturday hours once in a while what kind of job is ideal for you my ideal job would be working as an office manager at an international school I prefer to work at a place where I can use my French and English skills I would like to work steady hours without having to travel too much what would be your ideal job I would be a PR representative for a major international airline I'd love to travel around the world and meet all kinds of people unit seven describe your greatest strengths and weaknesses what is your greatest strength my greatest strength is persistence I work really hard and I don't give up easily can you give me an example yes when I was a student I had problems with the physics class I didn't give up though I got a tutor and studied really hard finally I passed the class with an A do you have any examples at work yes when I was a manager at charter insurance we had a very important quota deadline I wouldn't stop working till we met the quota I talked to the staff and we all worked really hard to meet the deadline what about your greatest weakness my greatest weakness would be that I'm not trained in accounting I can still learn though how would you describe your greatest strength I think my greatest strength is my dependability you can depend on me to be on time you can depend on me to get my work finished on time and you can depend on me to be professional and what about your greatest weakness this could be my experience I've only worked full-time for two years now I think I need more experience what's your greatest strength I think my greatest strength is my creativity sometimes my boss would ask my advice on a project because of my creativity can you give me an example yes once my boss was quite upset because we weren't filling our monthly quotas he asked my advice and I told him some advertising ideas we tried them and soon our monthly quota was filled very good now can you please tell me about your greatest weakness my greatest weakness would probably be my educational background studied music but I'm working in business now can you tell me what your greatest strength is I think it's my quick thinking and decision-making there have been many times when I've been under pressure and made the right decisions how about your greatest weakness probably my computer skills I know a little bit but I need to learn a lot more what's your greatest strengths as a manager it's my ability to understand and encourage people I enjoy working with different kinds of people from all kinds of backgrounds what about your greatest weakness now I think this is my experience I'm still young and gaining experience in management unit 8 interests and free time what are some of your personal interests outside of work well I really enjoy gardening it helps me relax I also enjoy learning foreign languages what foreign languages have you studied currently I'm studying Chinese and Japanese in the past I studied German as well can you tell me about some of your hobbies or personal interests well I'm usually very busy taking care of my children and doing housework but when I do have free time I like to read and listen to music please tell me about your interests outside of work I love learning about computers sometimes I do programming work for my friends when I have free time what do you do to relax or to have fun like listening to music and I enjoy playing basketball what are some things that you do in your free time well I love cooking I have taken several classes on cooking I also like to play tennis whenever I can I play tennis with my friends what are some of your hobbies or personal interests I enjoy reading and playing the guitar I also enjoy surfing the internet and swimming unit9 reasons for leaving a previous job why did you leave your previous job my company was downsizing because of the economy so I was laid off other people have been there for over ten years and I've only been there for two so I was laid off first what are your reasons for leaving your last job they cut my hours I wanted to work full-time but they only wanted a part-time worker why are you looking for another job there is no growth potential at my current job I would like to work for a company that has more room to grow could you tell me why you decided to leave your current job well there are problems inside the company some of the managers do not agree with the company policies can you be more specific yes the company does not want to allow full investment in management but some of us disagree why did you resign from your previous position my company was opening some branches in other parts of the country my boss told me I had to transfer I couldn't move so I had to resign unit 10 handling pressure how do you handle pressure I work very well with pressure I prepare for it before it comes can you give me an example when I worked at Citibank we had many deadlines to meet never waited until the last minute to do my job I always finished it ahead of time how do you deal with the public I tried to treat my customers with respect and patience how do you handle stressful situations well I try to stay as calm as possible when I'm with a customer I like to be respectful and responsible can you give me an example from your personal experience yes when I was working with universal systems as a secretary a customer came in and he was very angry about his bill so I spoke calmly and told him to relax once he's calmed down we talked about the problem and solved it he walked away happy and so was I how do you deal with stressful situations at work had many stressful situations at work I always tried to stay patient whenever I'm feeling stressed I breathe deeply to calm down is there anything else that you do to talk to people to tell them how I feel if I'm having a problem with a customer I tried to talk politely I have some other kinds of stress at work talk to my coworkers or my boss to tell them how I feel that usually helps how do you work under pressure oh I'm pretty good with pressure can you give me an example yes as an accountant I have to meet monthly deadlines this can make my work very stressful but I've learned that working hard and staying calm always relaxed yes as an accountant I have to meet monthly deadlines this can make my work very stressful but I've learned that working hard and staying calm always allows me to meet these deadlines how do you handle stressful situations I handle them professionally and patiently I have had experience with stressful situations at work I always try to prepare myself before stressful situations happen then when they happen I can handle them without any trouble can you give me an example sure if there are two phones ringing and customers waiting to be helped I'll ask the customers if they can wait a minute then I'll answer the phones and put them on hold next I'll try to help the customers quickly and politely lastly I'll take the phone calls unit 11 other questions are you able to travel yes I enjoy traveling are you willing to relocate yes I am would you be able to travel sure I don't mind traveling what about relocating would you be able to relocate relocating would be difficult you see I have a family with three children I guess I could relocate but it would not be easy are you able to work on weekends well I can work on Saturdays but not Sundays are you able to work added hours I prefer to work in the daytime but I don't mind doing some added hours are you considering any other jobs yes I have applied to several other positions and I'm considering them as well we may not be able to let you know about this position until next week are you still interested yes I'm very interested okay we'll get in touch by next week then okay thank you very much thank you for coming what are your salary requirements I'm looking for at least 30,000 this position starts at 35,000 is this okay yes that would be fine any opportunities or advancements yes you are evaluated for raises and bonuses every year unit 12 why do you want this job why do you want to work for us when I saw the job advertisement I became very interested I have fun with customers here they said that they liked doing business here as well I also feel I'm qualified with a job why should we hire you because I have experience and a strong desire to succeed why do you want to work here because this company has a good reputation why should we hire you I think I have the right personality and skills and I also have experience and motivation why do you want this job because I know I can do this job well why should we hire you because of my drive and commitment can you tell me why you want this job well the description sounded very interesting and I think I can succeed at it should we choose you for this job I'm a very committed worker and I love challenges like this why do you want to work here I want the challenge with working at a large international firm why should we hire you over another person because I'm qualified and because I have the will to succeed unit 13 do you have any questions you have any questions for me yes what is the starting salary the starting salary is 35,000 a year plus benefits and what are the hours of the job well the office opens at 7:00 a.m. most people usually take a one-hour lunch break around noon and then leave 4:00 p.m. but the office doesn't close until 6:00 p.m. so you can stay later if you like do you have any questions may I ask what the specific responsibilities for this position are sure you'll be expected to be in the office during office hours which is from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday you'll also be expected to answer incoming telephone calls and to help walk-in customers you'll also be expected to work with typing filing and some data entry can you tell me about the history of the company the history sure we started our company in 1980 and we began in New York but we moved here in 1990 since then we've opened in ten states across the eastern US would you like to ask me any questions what kind of person are you looking for looking for a responsible person who can handle pressure someone good at experience and training is good but not necessary do you offer any kind of educational or training programs for employees yes we offer free computer training for full-time employees and there's also some on-the-job training at the beginning so do you have any questions yes what is the focus of this company this of our company is to provide the best service to our customers in this industry and what's the starting salary the starting annual salary is $26,000 we also provide health insurance for our employees okay and do you have the dress code yes only business attire slacks shirts or long dresses for women no t-shirts or shorts sandals are alright but they must have straps on the heel do you have any questions to ask me yes is this a new position no actually it's not the last person was transferred to a branch in Canada we needed to fill this position immediately in which country does this company operate we have operations in the US in Canada but we also have partners in Europe who do business in Germany and the UK may I be asked to travel or relocate it's possible but not likely and can you describe the corporate culture in this company sure most of our employees are from the United States but we do have some people working here from Australia Canada and the UK most of us are young but we have people working here who have been here for over 10 years we're very hardworking people but we like to have fun sometimes we get together on the weekends informally unit 14 getting a job offer I'd like to offer you the job are you still interested yes I am when can I start how is Monday it'll be good okay then I'll see you Monday at 8 a.m. okay I'll see you then okay goodbye goodbye are you still interested in the job yes I am good when can you start well I'll have to give notice at my present job first I'll be able to start in two weeks time Oh sounds good so you can start on Monday the 28th then sure see you then okay oh yeah please remember to bring your ID card and Passport we need them to make copies for our records sure no problem I'll see you on the 28th okay then bye-bye goodbye mr. Smith I'd like to offer you the job are you still interested yes I am great could you start tomorrow Morrow is fine okay why don't you come at 9 o'clock we'll give you a tour and have you fill out some paperwork sure please bring a list of references and to passport photos okay I'll see you then okay well I've talked with the others and we've decided to offer you the job would you like to work for us yes I'm ready to start as soon as possible great we'd like you to be here at 7 o'clock in the morning of the 3rd of next month okay I'll see you then is there anything else you'd like to know oh yes where can I park my car ah that's a good question you can park your car downstairs in the parking lot for free okay I'll see you on the third okay see you then okay thank you bye-bye I'd like to offer you the position do you still want it thank you but I've accepted another job already oh that's okay good luck to you thank you you're welcome

Channel: Learn English with Jessica

Views: 43,833

Rating: 4.8415842 out of 5

Keywords: job interview tips, interview skills, interview questions, Most Common Interview Question and Answers, spoken English, English speaking, Free English lesson, presentation skills, beginner english, fluent English, Job skills, speak English, Learn English, learning English, free English Lesson, Job Interview Skills

Id: RLVHBB96uW8

Length: 117min 51sec (7071 seconds)

Published: Tue Mar 05 2019