Essential Job Interview Tips and Tricks II

Last week I discussed some of the basics of interviewing for a job in English and specific job
related vocabulary. This week I would like to focus on some of the common questions that are
asked during the interview and appropriate responses to these questions.
Interviewer: Tell me about yourself.
Candidate: I was born and raised in Milan Italy. I attended the !niversity of Milan and received
my master"s degree in Economics. I have worked for #$ years as a financial consultant in Milan
for various companies including %ossi &onsultants 'uasar Insurance and (ardi and (ons. I
enjoy playing tennis in my free time and learning languages.
Candidate: I"ve just graduated from the !niversity of (ingapore with a degree in &omputers.
)uring the summers I worked as a systems administrator for a small company to help pay for
my education.
Comment: This question is meant as an introduction. Do not focus too specifically on any one
area. The above question will often be used to help the interviewer choose what h/she would
like to ask next. While it is important to give an overall impression of who you are, make sure to
concentrate on work related experience. Work related experience should always be the central
focus of any interview work experience is more important than education in most !nglish
speaking countries".
Interviewer: *hat type of position are you looking for+
Candidate: I"m interested in an entry level ,beginning- position.
Candidate: I"m looking for a position in which I can utili.e my e/perience.
Candidate: I would like any position for which I qualify.
Comment: #ou should be willing to take an entry level position in an !nglish speaking company
as most of these companies expect non$nationals to begin with such a position. %n the &nited
'tates, most companies provide many opportunities for growth, so don(t be afraid to start from
the beginning)
Interviewer: 0re you interested in a full1time or part1time position+
Candidate: I am more interested in a full1time position. 2owever I would also consider a part1
time position.
Comment: *ake sure to leave open as many possibilities as possible. 'ay you are willing to
take any +ob, once the +ob has been offered you can always refuse if the +ob does not appeal
not interest" to you.
Interviewer: &an you tell me about your responsibilities at your last job+
Candidate: I advised customers on financial matters. 0fter I consulted the customer I
completed a customer inquiry form and catalogued the information in our database. I then
collaborated with colleagues to prepare the best possible package for the client. The clients were
then presented with a summari.ed report on their financial activities that I formulated on a
quarterly basis.
Comment: ,otice the amount of detail necessary when you are talking about your experience.
-ne of the most common mistakes made by foreigners when discussing their former
employment is to speak too generally. The employer wants to know exactly what you did and
how you did it. the more detail you can give the more the interviewer knows that you
understand the type of work. /emember to vary your vocabulary when talking about your
responsibilities. 0lso, do not begin every sentence with 1%1. &se the passive voice, or an
introductory clause to help you add variety to your presentation
Interviewer: *hat is your greatest strength+
Candidate: I work well under pressure. *hen there is a deadline ,a time by which the work
must be finished- I can focus on the task at hand ,current project- and structure my work
schedule well. I remember one week when I had to get 3 new customer reports out by 4riday at
5. I finished all the reports ahead of time without having to work overtime.
Candidate: I am an e/cellent communicator. 6eople trust me and come to me for advice. 7ne
afternoon my colleague was involved with a troublesome ,difficult- customer who felt he was
not being served well. I made the customer a cup of coffee and invited both my colleague and
the client to my desk where we solved the problem together.
Candidate: I am a trouble shooter. *hen there was a problem at my last job the manager
would always ask me to solve it. Last summer the L08 server at work crashed. The manager
was desperate and called me in ,requested my help- to get the L08 back online. 0fter taking a
look at the daily backup I detected the problem and the L08 was up and running ,working-
within the hour.
Comment: This is not the time to be modest) 2e confident and always give examples.
!xamples show that you are not only repeating words you have learned, but actually do possess
that strength.
Interviewer: *hat is your greatest weakness+
Candidate: I am over.ealous ,work too hard- and become nervous when my co1workers are not
pulling their weight ,doing their job-. 2owever I am aware of this problem and before I say
anything to anyone I ask myself why the colleague is having difficulties.
Candidate: I tend to spend too much time making sure the customer is satisfied. 2owever I
began setting time1limits for myself If I noticed this happening.
Comment: This is a difficult question. #ou need to mention a weakness that is actually a
strength. *ake sure that you always mention how you try to improve the weakness.
Interviewer:*hy do you want to work for (mith and (ons+
Candidate: 0fter following your firms progress for the last 9 years I am convinced that (mith
and (ons are becoming one of the market leaders and I would like to be part of the team.
Candidate: I am impressed by the quality of your products. I am sure that I would be a
convincing salesman because I truly believe that the 0tomi.er is the best product on the market
today.
Comment: 6repare yourself for this question by becoming informed about the company. The
more detail you can give the better you show the interviewer that you understand the company.
Interviewer: *hen can you begin+
Candidate: Immediately.
Candidate: 0s soon as you would like me to begin.
Comment: 'how your willingness to work)
The above questions represent some of the most basic questions asked on any job interview in
English. 6robably the most important aspect of interviewing in English is giving detail. 0s a
speaker of English as a second language you might be shy about saying complicated things.
2owever this is absolutely necessary as the employer is looking for an employee who knows his
or her job. If you provide detail the interviewer will know that you feel comfortable in that job.
)on"t worry about making mistakes in English. It is much better to make simple grammar
mistakes and provide detailed information about your e/perience than to say grammatically
perfect sentences without any real content.
I hope these features help you to improve your job interviewing skills. 6ractice your replies often
to these and other questions. (it down with a friend and act out the interview. :y repeating
these phrases you will gain much needed confidence.