12 Job Interview Success Tips In English and Great Answers to Answering Job Interview Questions.

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All of these tips will help you to get a better interview

Job interviews are often stressful, and a job interview in English can double that number. You should take the time to prepare for a job interview in English more thoroughly than a regular job interview (although you should prepare for one too!), just to make you feel better, better on the big day.

Finding a job can be quite stressful. It’s even more stressful when they finally call you for an interview. And once you’ve accepted your job interview, congratulations…

… but now what else do you have to worry about and that’s when it comes to job interviews in English! You can ask questions such as the following:

Time to panic!

How can I answer this?

What will they ask?

What should I say to really impress them and make them choose me?

Actually, it’s time to calm down and relax.

Don’t worry.

Almost everyone who comes to a job interview feels a little scared… after all, this opportunity could literally change your life forever!

There are three main aspects to preparing for a job interview in English. First, there is the standard preparation you will make for an interview in any language. This includes things like reading about the company and planning how you will present yourself, your education, and your work experience. You can get a lot of good advice about preparing for an interview by searching for things like “prepare for a job interview.” Read several articles and apply the tips in your preparation.

The second aspect of preparing for a job interview in English is reading common interview questions in English and thinking about your answers beforehand.

Here are some of the most common job interview questions in English:

How would you describe yourself?
What are your strengths?
What are your weaknesses?
Why did you leave your last job?
What do you do in your current role?
Why would you like to work here?
When could you start?
What kind of salary are you expecting?
Do you have any questions for me?

Again, there are many articles and websites where you can find detailed advice on how to answer these questions. When planning your responses to frequently asked interview questions, consider your ability to use English (use correct tenses, proper vocabulary, speak clearly) and your ability to meet expectations about the interviewer’s culture.

When researching how to answer common questions, pay attention to websites that are culturally appropriate for your particular situation. If you are interviewing in the US, read job articles on US websites, as well as in the UK, Australia, or another English-speaking country. If you are interviewing in English in your country, try to find out the nationality of the interviewer and look at articles from that country. The more you can meet the cultural expectations of the other person, the more comfortable he will be with you and the more likely he will recommend your position.

The third aspect of preparing for a job interview in English is practice. Since English is not your first language, you will need to practice answering interview questions aloud in general English. If you have someone to train with, great! Give the person a list of questions, ask them to read it, and practice answering them aloud.

If you don’t have someone to practice with, use audio recording software on your phone or computer to practice reading the questions and then answering them. Play your recording when you’re done. Listen to see if you can understand each word and think about how you can improve it, such as speaking more clearly or using more precise vocabulary. Find the words you need and please try the same question more than once. Your goal is to be able to answer the most common interview questions without hesitation. This will give you more time to answer unexpected questions that always come up during the interview.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

If you don’t have anyone to practice with, use the audio recording software on your phone or computer to practice reading the questions. While self-search and registration may seem silly, it is a very useful tools for building confidence when answering questions. You may be asked. Preparing for a job interview in English can be a bit overwhelming. After all, maybe all of this helps you land your dream job!

Top 12 Questions in Job Interviews in English

1. Tell me about yourself

After greeting, shaking hands, and introducing yourself, the next thing the interviewer might ask is to talk about yourself. Now, this may seem easy to you — you’ve practiced so much in your English class, but they don’t want to hear every detail. Avoid saying something like:

I was born in Beijing. I love playing on 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 in relation to the job you are applying for.

This is probably the most common question used to start a job interview and you should answer it by providing personal information, and details about your career, skills, and studies. In that case, you can provide your answer starting with the following:

I was born and raised in …

I attended the University of …

I’ve just graduated from the University of …

I’ve worked for seven years as a …

I’ve worked for various companies including …

I enjoy playing …

Also, make sure you don’t use informal slang or make basic grammar mistakes.

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 ******* college, where I gained my first-level cooking diploma.

2. Why are you interested in this job?

During the interview, you will definitely be asked why you are interested in this job or/and working for a particular company — “Why are you interested in this position?” “Why do you want to work for ‘ZZ’?” The answers to these questions should focus on the compelling reasons for applying for the position. For example, would you like to have a new professional challenge? Do you want a job that guarantees opportunities for growth? You can structure your answer starting with:

I want to take on more responsibility
In line with my qualifications …
I’m convinced that ‘company name’ is becoming one of the market leaders
I’m impressed by the quality of your products

3. Why should we hire you?

In order to select the right candidate, your potential employer will want to understand why you are the right person to hire, and can therefore ask you — “Why should we give you the job?”. Of all the sample questions, this is perhaps the most important to concentrate on. To get the job you must be able to provide valid answers to convince the interviewer that you are the right choice. Here are some possible answers to help give you an idea of what you can say:

You should hire me because I’m confident and….
I’m a perfect fit for this job because…
I should be hired because I’m …
I think I’m a great match for this position.

4. What are your strengths?

Sticking to the theme “Why should we hire you?” You should answer by explaining what your strengths are and how your skills can represent a real added value to the company.

When your interviewer asks this question, they want to know all of your positive qualities. These positive qualities need to relate to what they want and are looking for.

So before you go into your interview, make sure you do your research on what kind of person is a good fit for this job, especially if you are a newbie and entering the workforce for the first time. Treat this question as an opportunity to advertise yourself — you are the product, now market yourself. The thing to remember here is not to just list a number of adjectives (anyone can do that). Instead, use examples to support your point.

You can answer using phrases such as the one below, keeping the context in mind:

I’ve always been a team player
I believe my strongest trait is my attention to details
I pay close attention to my customers’ needs
I’m an excellent communicator
I’m a troubleshooter
I’m good at problem-solving
I’m good at multitasking
I’m self-motivated
I have very good time management skills

For example, you can answer with one of the following:

To be punctual — on time.

I’m a punctual person. I always arrive early and complete my work on time. My previous job had a lot of deadlines (the 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 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. It can get really stressful, but one of my greatest qualities is that I can keep my cool and I don’t allow the pressure to get to me, which helps me achieve all my goals and remain focused.

5. Describe your weaknesses

It may seem counterproductive to describe your weaknesses in an interview, but it really isn’t. Knowing your own boundaries and being able to describe them in an interview will make you appear honest and trustworthy to the interviewer.

I always try to solve my own problems instead of asking a colleague who might know the answer
I become nervous when…
Sometimes I have trouble delegating duties to others

What? I have no weaknesses! Of course, you know — no one is perfect. Everyone has weaknesses, but what they are examining here is how you try to improve on your weaknesses and they also want to know how self-conscious you are (how much you know about yourself).

Another trick here is to turn those weaker qualities into positive ones. For example, your weakness is that you spend too much time on projects that make you work slower. Turn that into a positive by saying:

Sometimes I 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 weaknesses (like being disorganized) and mention some of the methods you’ve used to help with these: 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.

6. What experience have you had?

You will be asked questions about your work experience, for example, “Tell me about your professional background”. In this case, you can start your answer using the following phrase:

I have four years of experience as a …
I’ve worked in retail for six years and was promoted to manager in my second year
I studied at the University of XX (if you haven’t had any work experience yet you can talk about your studies)
I worked for XX as a …

7. Why did you leave your last job?

If you are applying for your first job, this question is not for you.

However, if you’ve worked before, the interviewer will want to find out why you left your old job. Did you leave because you were fired? (Your old boss asked you to leave for making a mistake). Did you stop? (Resign — Did you choose to quit your job?) Or were you laid off? (Made redundant — no longer needed because jobs are no longer available?)

If you choose to leave your old job, avoid saying anything negative about your old employer or boss (even if this is true). The person or persons interviewing you will only look at you in a negative light. You can say the following:

I’m looking for new challenges.
 I feel I wasn’t able to show my talents.
 I’m looking for a job that suits my qualifications.
 I’m looking for a job where I can grow with the company.

8. Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

Employers usually look for someone who is ambitious and knows how to find a solution to any problems that may arise. Therefore you may be asked –“Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?” or “What are your career goals?” or “What would you do in your first three or four months here?” or “What would your first 30 days in this job look like?” The answer will be personal, but you can find inspiration in these lines for starters:

I’m aiming to improve my skills as a …
I want to boost my career
I believe your company is an important player in its industry
I feel my skill set is a perfect fit for your team and I can contribute by …

9. Tell us about your education

Here they want to know everything you have learned related to the job. For example your training and further education (eg university, polytechnic, college). You don’t have to tell them everything you’ve done since elementary school, just the important ones.

You:

Degree — 3–4 year qualification from university/college.

Diploma — Short-term qualification (eg 1 year) from a college/university/polytechnic.

Certificate — A sheet of paper showing your participation in a course.

Note: Make sure you bring all the necessary documents, as you may need proof!

If they ask you the question: tell us about your scholastic record, they want to know what kind of grades you received.

10. What do you know about our company?

By asking this question, the interviewer wants to understand how interested you are in working for the company, testing the level of information you have gathered before applying. The answers don’t have to be limited to repeating what’s written on their website, but they have to show something more. For example, finding out who the main competitors are, what their marketing strategy is, or something about their company culture. Here are some useful phrases:

Your company has proven to be…
The company is famous for…

11. What kind of salary do you expect?

Here, they ask you about how much money you expect from the job. Be reasonable. Make sure you do some research on the internet about what the average salary is. Don’t say I don’t know, it makes you sound unsure. Be confident and state your price without selling yourself too short (cheaper) or too high. Actually, they’ve thought about the salary, but this is their way of checking if you know the industry and if you know your own skills.

Even questions related to your salary will become part of the conversation — “How much do you expect to earn?” — and they will definitely represent the point where you would like to have more information. Sentences that can help you are:

I’ll need information about the job responsibilities before we can discuss the salary
I’m sure that your company offers a fair, competitive salary for someone with my experience
My salary expectations are in line with my qualifications and education

12. Do you have any questions for me/us?

Yes, you know! This is how the interviewer will usually finish the interview. They’re not just being polite — they want you to talk.

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