8 Power Words for Your Job Interview in English

Summary

In this Speak Confident English video, Annemarie offers guidance for job interviews in English, focusing on eight power words to effectively convey your suitability for a job. She advises against clichés like 'team player' and instead suggests using words like 'responsible', 'collaborate', 'initiative', 'lead', 'resolved', 'measurable', 'result', and 'example' to demonstrate your skills and achievements. Annemarie emphasizes the importance of providing specific examples from your experience to stand out and impress interviewers, while also cautioning against overused phrases that have lost their impact.

Takeaways

• 🗣️ Speak Confident English focuses on job interviews, emphasizing the use of power words to convey suitability for the job.
• 🚫 Avoid common cliches like 'team player' and focus on more specific and impactful language.
• 🔍 Interviewers seek to understand if candidates can perform well and are a good fit for the position.
• 📋 Use 'responsible' to show reliability and ownership of tasks in past experiences.
• 🤝 'Collaborate' highlights the ability to work effectively with others towards a common goal.
• 🛠️ 'Initiative' demonstrates proactive behavior and the ability to act without being asked.
• 👩‍💼 'Lead' conveys the capacity to guide and inspire a team towards success.
• 🔄 'Resolved' indicates strong problem-solving skills with positive outcomes for all parties.
• 📊 'Measurable' results provide concrete evidence of achievements, enhancing credibility.
• 🎯 'Result' is crucial as it shows the concrete outcomes of one's actions or leadership.
• 📘 The word 'example' is powerful because it allows interviewees to provide specific instances of their capabilities.
• 🚫 Steer clear of overused phrases like 'I'm a great team player' to stand out and appear unique.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video by Annemarie from Speak Confident English?

The main focus of the video is to provide guidance on using power words in English job interviews to effectively communicate that the interviewee is the right fit for the job they want.

Why does Annemarie dislike the expression 'sell yourself' in the context of a job interview?

Annemarie dislikes the expression 'sell yourself' because it implies a negative connotation and she believes interviewers are more interested in knowing if the candidate can do the job well and are the right choice for the position, rather than just hearing self-descriptive words.

What are the two key things interviewers want to know about a candidate according to the video?

Interviewers want to know if the candidate can do the job well and if they are the right choice for the position.

What is the first power word suggested in the video for use in a job interview?

The first power word suggested is 'responsible' or 'responsibility', indicating that the candidate is reliable and takes ownership of their work.

How does the word 'collaborate' demonstrate a candidate's ability to work well with others?

The word 'collaborate' demonstrates a candidate's ability to work well with others by indicating that they can work jointly with others to achieve a common goal.

What does the word 'initiative' imply about a candidate's work ethic?

The word 'initiative' implies that a candidate is proactive and takes action without being asked, showing self-confidence and a strong work ethic.

Why is the word 'lead' considered a power word in a job interview?

The word 'lead' is considered a power word because it signifies the ability to inspire others to take action and indicates leadership qualities.

What does the word 'resolved' communicate about a candidate's problem-solving skills?

The word 'resolved' communicates that a candidate has successfully found a solution to a problem or disagreement, resulting in a positive outcome for all parties involved.

Why is it important to use the word 'measurable' when describing past achievements in a job interview?

Using the word 'measurable' is important because it provides specific, quantifiable evidence of a candidate's achievements, enhancing their credibility and demonstrating the impact of their work.

What is the significance of the word 'result' in the context of job interviews?

The word 'result' is significant in job interviews as it highlights the outcomes of a candidate's actions, showing the tangible impact of their work and contributions.

Why should the word 'example' be used in job interviews according to the video?

The word 'example' should be used in job interviews to provide concrete instances from the candidate's past that illustrate their abilities and qualifications for the job.

What is the one word Annemarie advises to avoid using in job interviews, and why?

Annemarie advises to avoid using the word 'team player' in job interviews because it has become a cliché and lacks uniqueness, failing to effectively communicate the candidate's individual skills and qualifications.

What are the two challenge questions posed by Annemarie at the end of the video?

The two challenge questions are: 1) To identify one power word from the list and use it in a practice sentence that includes a story or example from the past. 2) To share one English job interview question that makes the viewer nervous, so Annemarie can help prepare an answer.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Mastering Job Interview English with Power Words

Annemarie introduces the topic of job interviews in English, focusing on the use of power words to communicate one's suitability for a job. She clarifies that common adjectives like 'team player' or 'hardworking' are not the focus, as interviewers expect positivity and are more interested in whether the candidate can perform well and fit the position. The paragraph sets the stage for eight power words that will be discussed in the video, promising to provide examples and sentence starters to effectively use these words in an interview setting.

05:02

📝 Power Words and Examples for Effective Interview Communication

This paragraph delves into the first four power words: 'responsible', 'collaborate', 'initiative', and 'lead'. Each word is explained with its significance in an interview context, emphasizing how they convey the candidate's ability to take ownership, work well with others, act proactively, and lead effectively. Annemarie provides sentence starters for each word to help candidates weave their past experiences into their answers, demonstrating their qualifications and skills in a tangible way.

10:07

🔍 Problem-Solving and Measurable Achievements in Job Interviews

The second part of the script continues with power words 'resolved', 'measurable', 'result', and 'example'. 'Resolved' highlights the candidate's problem-solving skills, while 'measurable' and 'result' emphasize the importance of quantifying achievements and outcomes to provide concrete evidence of one's capabilities. The word 'example' is a reminder that interview questions are opportunities to share specific experiences that illustrate the candidate's qualifications. Annemarie also introduces the concept of avoiding cliches like 'team player' and suggests using more specific language instead.

🚀 Engaging with the Audience and Preparing for Job Interviews

In the final paragraph, Annemarie engages with the audience by posing two challenge questions to encourage practice and reflection. She invites viewers to share a word from the list in a practice sentence and to identify an interview question that makes them nervous, promising to address it in future lessons. She concludes by thanking viewers for their participation, encouraging them to like, subscribe, and share the video, and looks forward to their continued engagement in future Confident English lessons.

Keywords

💡Confidence

Confidence refers to a feeling of self-assurance arising from one's skills, qualities, and beliefs. In the video's context, it is about having the assurance to effectively communicate one's suitability for a job during an interview. The script emphasizes building confidence in English for both life and work, particularly in job interviews where it's crucial to convey that you are the right fit for the position.

💡Job Interview

A job interview is a formal meeting where a potential employer assesses a candidate's suitability for a job. The video's theme revolves around job interviews in English, focusing on the use of power words to communicate effectively and convincingly during this process. The script provides specific strategies and examples to excel in English job interviews.

💡Power Words

Power words are terms that carry a strong impact and can influence the listener's perception. In the script, Annemarie discusses the importance of using such words in job interviews to demonstrate one's capability and suitability for the job. The video provides a list of power words and how to incorporate them into interview responses.

💡Sell Yourself

To 'sell yourself' is a common phrase used to describe the act of promoting one's abilities and qualities in a persuasive manner. The video critiques this concept, suggesting that interviewers are not looking for generic self-descriptions but rather evidence of one's ability to perform the job and fit the position.

💡Responsibility

Responsibility refers to the state or fact of being accountable or having control over an action or task. In the video, it is highlighted as a key attribute employers seek, indicating that the candidate can be relied upon to perform their duties. The script uses phrases like 'it was my responsibility to' to illustrate how to demonstrate this quality in an interview.

💡Collaborate

Collaborate means to work jointly on an activity or project. The script emphasizes the importance of showcasing one's ability to work well with others, using the verb 'collaborate' to highlight teamwork and cooperation in past experiences.

💡Initiative

Initiative denotes the ability to assess and initiate things independently. The video encourages using the phrase 'I took the initiative to' to demonstrate proactive behavior and self-motivation, qualities that employers value.

💡Lead

To lead is to guide or direct a group or project. The script suggests using the word 'lead' to convey leadership qualities, including the ability to inspire and direct others towards achieving goals, which is often a desirable trait in potential employees.

💡Resolved

Resolved indicates that a problem or disagreement has been settled satisfactorily. The video highlights the importance of problem-solving skills and the ability to resolve issues, using the term to show that the candidate can find solutions that benefit all parties involved.

💡Measurable

Measurable refers to something that can be quantified or assessed in numerical terms. The script advises using measurable outcomes in interview responses to provide concrete evidence of one's achievements, such as increasing sales by a specific percentage.

💡Result

Result is the outcome or consequence of an event or action. The video emphasizes the significance of sharing the end results of one's actions or projects during an interview, as it provides tangible proof of one's capabilities and the effectiveness of their work.

💡Example

In the context of the video, 'example' is used to illustrate the importance of providing specific instances from one's past that demonstrate the desired behaviors or skills. It is a powerful tool in interviews to show, rather than just tell, one's qualifications and experiences.

💡Cliche

A cliche is an expression or idea that has been overused to the point of losing its original impact. The script warns against using cliches like 'I'm a great team player' in job interviews, as they have become too common and lack the power to make a candidate stand out.

Highlights

Introduction to the focus on job interviews in English and the power words to use for effective communication.

Clarification that common words like 'team player' and 'hardworking' are not on the list of recommended power words.

Explanation of why interviewers prefer to hear about capabilities and fit for the position rather than generic self-descriptions.

Emphasis on the importance of using power words to demonstrate ability to do the job and being the right choice.

Introduction of the first power word 'responsible' and its significance in showing reliability and ownership.

Use of 'collaborate' to highlight teamwork and the achievement of end goals with others.

Discussion on 'initiative' and its association with taking action without being asked, showing self-confidence and hard work.

The power of 'lead' in conveying the ability to inspire others and take charge.

Importance of 'resolved' in demonstrating problem-solving skills and achieving satisfactory outcomes.

The significance of 'measurable' in providing specific, credible proof of achievements.

Use of 'result' to communicate the end outcomes of collaboration or leadership roles.

Surprising power of the word 'example' in job interviews for providing concrete evidence of capabilities.

Avoidance of the cliché 'team player' and the suggestion to use 'collaborate' or 'collaboration' instead.

The value of sharing specific stories or examples to stand out and show uniqueness in an interview.

Challenge questions to engage viewers in practicing using the power words in sentences.

Invitation for viewers to share their most nervous job interview question for future content preparation.

Call to action for viewers to like, subscribe, and share the video to help others preparing for English job interviews.

Transcripts

Hey it's Annemarie with Speak Confident English and this is exactly where you

want to be every week to get the confidence you want for your life and work in

English. Today we are all about job interviews in English,

particularly power words you can use to effectively communicate that you are the

right fit for the job you want.

Right now you might be thinking that I'm going to share words like team player,

honest, hardworking, confident, loyal.

But no, none of those words are on my list. And here's why.

In a job interview,

you're expected to only use positive words to describe yourself.

Everyone knows that. You've probably heard the expression in English,

you're supposed to 'sell yourself.' Honestly,

I hate that word and the whole idea of selling yourself.

The truth is the interviewer doesn't want to hear words that you think describe

you. The interviewer wants to know two things.

Can you do the job well and are you the right choice for the position?

And today we're going to focus on the kinds of power words you can use to say

that yes, you absolutely can do the job.

And you're the right choice. Then at the end,

I'm going to share one word you should definitely avoid using in a job

interview.

Let's dive right into the eight power words you can use in a job interview in

English. With each word,

I'm going to tell you why it's a good choice and I'll give you an example

sentence starter that you can use when you are answering an interview.

Question number one is the word responsible or responsibility.

Every recruiter or interviewer,

every employer is looking for someone who is going to do their job and take

ownership of it.

What that means is they can rely on you to do the job you're supposed to do.

They don't need to worry that you might try to avoid doing work or give other

people all of your responsibilities.

When you're answering questions about your past experience using sentence

starters like it was my responsibility to or I was responsible for are great

ways to talk about what you've done in the past and that you took your job

seriously.

Number two is the word to collaborate or collaboration.

If you want to highlight that you work well with others,

then the verb collaborate does that perfectly. In fact,

the precise definition of collaborate means to work with other people to achieve

an end goal.

And here's a simple sentence starter you can use when you want to highlight a

past experience of collaborating with others:

in my last job I collaborated with to accomplish.

And then just be sure to include the key details that you need from your past

experience. Power word number three is initiative.

If you've been watching me for a while,

you know that I've done many lessons in the past on collocations.

Collocations are groups of words that native speakers naturally use together.

If you want my past lessons on collocations,

I'll leave links to those below the video.

I say all of that because the word initiative is often used with take.

To take initiative and what this means is that you do what needs to be done

without anyone asking you. For example,

if your team shares the responsibility of keeping your coffee break room clean,

if you see that the trash is overflowing,

if you're the kind of person that takes initiative,

then you just take the trash out. Even if it's not your turn,

even if nobody asks you do it because it needs to be done.

Similarly,

if you know that a colleague is struggling to meet a deadline and they could use

some help,

it means that you take the steps needed to offer specific help to your colleague

before she needs to ask for help. Honestly,

employers love people who take initiative because it also shows self confidence

and that you're a hard worker.

A great sentence starter to use with this word is I took the initiative to and

then share a specific example when you did something because you knew it needed

to be done. Power word number four is lead.

This is an obvious power word because it's the root of the word leader and

leadership and it means someone who inspires others to take action and here's

how you can use this in a sentence starter. In my previous job,

I led my team or I led my department on and then include the specific project.

Power word number five is resolved.

This one is all about problem solving.

When we use the word resolved,

it communicates that everyone who was part of the problem or disagreement was

satisfied in the end, and that is a very positive outcome.

Honestly, this is a powerful skill to have.

Not everyone is capable of finding a solution that makes everyone happy.

So if you have a specific story from your past,

here's how you can talk about it: when X happened.

So insert the specific problem or disagreement.

I resolved the situation by and then share the actions that you took.

Now before I get to power word number six,

I'm curious if you're starting to notice a theme with each word and sentence

starter? I'm asking you to highlight a specific story or example.

And here's why.

You can tell an interviewer that you're a great leader or you can show an

interviewer that you're a great leader by highlighting a specific experience in

your past. Which one do you think is more powerful?

And that leads me to the next three power words you can use in your job

interview in English and the one word you should avoid.

Word number six is measure or measurable.

This is about being as specific as possible with your stories.

If you want to tell your interviewer that you increased sales last year,

that's fantastic,

but if you can make it measurable by saying that you increased sales by 7.9%

last year, that is even more powerful.

It gives you more credibility and provides stronger proof to your interviewer.

So if you want to use this word in a sentence, you could say something like,

the measurable result of my efforts was a 7.9% increase in sales last year.

Power word number seven is closely related and the word is result.

If you have a story about how you collaborated in the past or that you led a

team,

the interviewer will absolutely want to know what was the end result.

For example, if you have a story about a conflict that you help resolve,

what happened after the resolution?

Did the team successfully complete a project under budget?

Did you win an award for best marketing campaign of the year?

What was the final result of the action steps that you took?

This is a great word to pair with the other words on this list.

You might talk about an opportunity that you had leading a team and then at the

end you could say the result of that was and then share what happened in the

end. Word number eight is going to surprise you.

It's simply the word example.

It's kind of a weird choice, isn't it?

Every question in a job interview is an opportunity for you to share an example,

a real example, from your past that highlights that, yes,

you can do the job and you're the right choice.

Now let's get to that one word I definitely want you to avoid.

I'm curious, have you ever said,

I'm a great team player in a job interview? If you have,

it's okay, don't panic,

but in the future I want you to avoid using that word and here's why:

that sentence, I'm a great team player,

became so popular that now it's a cliche.

A cliche is a phrase or an opinion that is used so much that it loses its power

and that sentence has lost its power. It's no longer unique.

Everyone says it and the truth is you are unique.

You want your interviewer to know that you're unique and you have all the skills

necessary to do the job well.

The best way that you can stand out is to use power words that accurately

describe you and avoid using cliches. Now,

if you really want to show that you work well with other people,

then there was one word on our list that would be perfect for you.

Do you remember what that word is?

To collaborate or the noun collaboration.

Use those words instead.

With that you have eight power words to use in your next English job interview

and I've got two challenge questions for you today. Number one,

I want to know one word on this list that you could use in a job interview and I

want you to try using it in a practice sentence.

That sentence should include a story or an example of when you've exhibited that

behavior. In the past. My second question is,

what is one English job interview question that makes you super nervous?

I would love to know what it is so I can be sure to help you prepare how to

answer it. Well. With that, thank you so much for joining me.

If you found this useful,

please be sure to let me know and you can do that in three simple ways.

Number one,

give this video a thumbs up on YouTube and subscribe to this channel so you

never miss one of my Confident English lessons. Number two,

share it with friends on Facebook or LinkedIn.

And if you know someone who's preparing for a job interview in English,

go ahead and email this lesson directly to them.

I promise you they'll thank you. Have a wonderful week.

Thanks again for joining and I'll see you next time for your Confident English

lesson.