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You’re hired! Two words everybody loves to
hear. But before we hear these words comes
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(dun dun duuuuhn!) the interview. Today’s
video is part one in a series that’s all
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about preparing for a job interview.
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This is part one of a five part series on
preparing for an interview. Interviewing for
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a new job can be a huge source of stress and
anxiety. And if you’re interviewing for
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a job in a non-native language, the stress
can be even higher. In this video you’ll
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see me interview for a job. Throughout the
interview, we’ll discuss some of the most
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common interview questions and how to answer
them. You’ll also learn some basic information
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to get you started on creating your own answers
to these questions. Let’s begin.
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TK: Hello Ms. Smith, I’m Tom Kelley. Thanks
so much for coming in.
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RS: It’s my pleasure, thanks so much for
meeting with me.
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TK: Of course. Did you have any trouble finding
the office?
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Small Talk. Most interviews will start out
with a handshake and some small talk – this
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may include questions about how you’re doing,
your travel to the interview, the weather,
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how your weekend went, and more. All you need
to do is be polite and friendly. Keep your
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answers short. You can also feel free to turn
the question back to the interviewer. For
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instance, if the interviewer asks you how
your weekend was, you might respond, “It
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was great, we celebrated my Mom’s birthday.
How was your weekend?” Small talk is used
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to build a more comfortable environment before
the interview begins. It may seem silly, but
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you can practice small talk on your own by
asking yourself simple, easy-to-answer, non-personal
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questions. You could also practice with a
friend. Here is an example of small talk:
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>> How are you doing?
>> I’m great, thank you, and you?
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>> How are you doing?
>> I’m doing really well. It’s such a
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nice day out there.
>> It is! It was perfect weather all weekend.
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>> Did you do anything interesting over the
weekend?
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>> Yes, I went to the park with my family
for a picnic.
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>> That sounds nice.
>> It was. And you?
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>> I worked this weekend, but I got a lot
done, so that was good.
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>> It does feel good to get work done!
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You can see we haven’t said much of importance,
but the conversation is friendly and open,
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and can make two people feel more comfortable
in each other’s presence.
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TK: Hello Ms. Smith, I’m Tom Kelley. Thanks
so much for coming in.
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RS: It’s my pleasure, thanks so much for
meeting with me.
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TK: Of course. Did you have any trouble finding
the office?
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RS: Nope. The directions on the website were
great.
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TK: Good. Would you like some coffee or water
before we begin?
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RS: I’m okay, thank you.
TK: Alright. So, to get started, why don’t
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you tell me a little bit about yourself.
RS: Sure.
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Common Question: Tell me a little bit about
yourself. It’s very common for interviewers
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to simply ask you to tell them about yourself.
That can feel overwhelming! But don’t worry;
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what they really want you to focus on is your
education and work history. You can also let
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them know what areas you have a lot of experience
in, or what your interests are when answering
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this question. Here are a few different ways
to begin your answer.
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I studied at Harvard University and graduated
2012 with a degree in business.
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I’ve been working at Smith Incorporated
for 10 years as a manager.
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I have 12 years of experience in graphic design.
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Because of my time at Verizon, I have a lot
of experience in providing customer service.
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If you're preparing for an interview, practice
talking about yourself and your work history.
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Record yourself with a video camera if possible.
Make sure it's not too long, maybe around
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a minute. Go back and listen or watch, and
write down phrases that worked well to use
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again. If there was anything you stumbled
over or left out, write down some possible
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phrases you could have used. The next day,
do the same exercise. It's important that
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you don't just write a paragraph and memorize
it, but simply practice free-talking with
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some key phrases. The more you practice before
the interview, the more comfortable you’ll
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feel answering the questions during the interview.
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TK: So, to get started, why don’t you tell
me a little bit about yourself.
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RS: Sure. I studied at the University of Florida
and graduated in 2010 with a Masters Degree
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in Toy Design. After graduation, I was hired
at Happy Kid’s Creative. I’ve been there
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for the past five years and am currently the
Director of Toy Production. During that time
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sales have grown steadily. It’s been a great
experience, but I’ve run out of room to
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grow with HKC and I’m looking for new opportunities.
I have a lot of experience leading teams in
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the creative process and finding new markets
for the products that we create.
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To be continued! We’ll pick it up from here
in the next video in this series. In the next
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video, we’ll go over three more common interview
questions: ‘How did you hear about this
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position’, ‘what attracted you to our
company?’ and ‘what’s your greatest
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I hope this video on job interviews has been
helpful. There’s nothing better than walking
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out of an interview feeling that you were
fully prepared!
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If you have interview-related questions or
stories, please post them in the comments
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below. I’d love to hear them.
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Are you signed up for my mailing list? If
so, you get free weekly emails in your inbox
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with English videos and lessons, as well stories
of American culture and my own life. Click
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here or in the description to sign up.
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That’s it, and thanks so much for using
Rachel’s English.
