How to Interview for a Job in American English, part 1/5
Summary
TLDRThis video is the first in a five-part series focused on preparing for job interviews. It covers common interview scenarios, starting with small talk and moving on to the crucial question: 'Tell me about yourself.' The video offers practical advice, such as practicing responses and recording yourself to refine your answers. The goal is to help viewers feel more confident and prepared during their interviews, especially when interviewing in a non-native language. Future videos in the series will explore additional common interview questions.
Takeaways
- 😀 The video is the first part of a five-part series on preparing for a job interview.
- 🤔 The stress of job interviews can be amplified when the position is in a non-native language.
- 👋 Small talk is an essential part of the interview process to create a comfortable environment.
- 🗣️ Interviewees should be prepared to answer common questions like 'Tell me a little bit about yourself'.
- 🎓 Emphasizing education and work history is key when responding to self-introduction questions.
- 💼 Highlighting areas of expertise or interests can make the self-introduction more tailored to the job.
- 🔁 Practicing self-introduction with a video camera can help refine responses and identify areas for improvement.
- 📝 It's important to practice speaking freely with key phrases rather than memorizing a script.
- 📈 The script provides an example of how to answer the self-introduction question effectively.
- 📝 The video will continue in the next part with more common interview questions such as 'How did you hear about this position?', 'What attracted you to our company?', and 'What’s your greatest strength?'.
- 📧 The video encourages viewers to engage by asking for interview-related questions or stories in the comments.
Q & A
What is the main purpose of the video series?
-The main purpose of the video series is to prepare viewers for a job interview, discussing common interview questions and how to answer them effectively.
Why can interviewing for a job in a non-native language be more stressful?
-Interviewing in a non-native language can be more stressful due to the added difficulty of expressing oneself fluently and clearly, which can compound the usual interview anxiety.
What is the role of small talk in the beginning of an interview?
-Small talk serves to build a comfortable environment before the formal interview begins, allowing both the interviewer and the interviewee to feel more at ease with each other.
Why is it important to keep answers during small talk short and polite?
-Keeping answers short and polite helps maintain a professional tone while also not overwhelming the conversation, allowing for a smooth transition into the main interview.
How can one practice small talk for an interview?
-One can practice small talk by asking themselves simple, non-personal questions or by practicing with a friend, focusing on being friendly and responsive.
What does the interviewer usually expect when asking 'Tell me a little bit about yourself'?
-The interviewer expects the interviewee to focus on their education, work history, areas of experience, and interests relevant to the job they are applying for.
What are some ways to begin answering the question 'Tell me a little bit about yourself'?
-One can begin by mentioning their educational background, years of experience in a certain field, or specific skills and experiences gained from previous roles.
Why is it recommended to record oneself while practicing for an interview?
-Recording oneself allows for self-assessment, helping to identify phrases that work well and areas where one might stumble, thus improving the delivery of answers during the actual interview.
What is the significance of practicing free-talking with key phrases instead of memorizing a paragraph?
-Practicing free-talking with key phrases helps to sound more natural and less rehearsed during the interview, allowing for a more authentic and engaging interaction with the interviewer.
What will be covered in the next video of the series?
-The next video will cover three more common interview questions: 'How did you hear about this position?', 'What attracted you to our company?', and 'What’s your greatest strength?'
Outlines
😀 Interview Preparation and Small Talk
This paragraph introduces the first part of a five-part series focused on job interview preparation. It emphasizes the stress and anxiety associated with job interviews, especially when conducted in a non-native language. The script outlines the importance of small talk at the beginning of an interview to create a comfortable environment. It provides examples of small talk exchanges and suggests practicing these conversations to improve interview skills.
📚 Responding to 'Tell Me About Yourself'
This section delves into the common interview question, 'Tell me a little bit about yourself,' which can be overwhelming for interviewees. The script advises focusing on education, work history, and areas of expertise or interest. It offers different ways to start an answer and encourages practicing self-introduction with a video camera to refine responses. The goal is to practice free-talking with key phrases rather than memorizing a script, which will help interviewees feel more comfortable during the actual interview.
🚀 Professional Experience and Future Opportunities
In this paragraph, the interviewee, RS, introduces their professional background, having studied at the University of Florida and graduated with a Masters in Toy Design in 2010. They have worked at Happy Kid’s Creative for five years, rising to the position of Director of Toy Production. RS highlights their experience in team leadership and market expansion, and expresses a desire for new opportunities due to limited growth potential at their current company. The paragraph concludes with a teaser for the next video in the series, which will cover additional common interview questions.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Interview
💡Small Talk
💡Tell me about yourself
💡Job Preparation
💡Non-native language
💡Practice
💡Work History
💡Comfortable Environment
💡Common Questions
💡Friendly
Highlights
The video is the first in a five-part series on preparing for a job interview.
Interviewing for a job can be stressful, especially in a non-native language.
The video will cover common interview questions and how to answer them.
Small talk is an essential part of interviews, helping to build a comfortable environment.
Examples of small talk include discussing the weather or weekend activities.
Being polite and friendly during small talk is important.
Practicing small talk with a friend or by yourself can be helpful.
The common question 'Tell me a little bit about yourself' focuses on education and work history.
Preparing for the 'Tell me about yourself' question involves practicing free-talking with key phrases.
Recording yourself while practicing can help improve your response.
It's important not to memorize a script but to be comfortable talking about yourself.
An example response to the 'Tell me about yourself' question includes education and work experience.
Upcoming videos in the series will cover more common interview questions.
The video emphasizes the importance of being fully prepared for an interview.
Rachel invites viewers to share interview-related questions or stories in the comments.
Transcripts
You’re hired! Two words everybody loves to hear. But before we hear these words comes
(dun dun duuuuhn!) the interview. Today’s video is part one in a series that’s all
about preparing for a job interview.
This is part one of a five part series on preparing for an interview. Interviewing for
a new job can be a huge source of stress and anxiety. And if you’re interviewing for
a job in a non-native language, the stress can be even higher. In this video you’ll
see me interview for a job. Throughout the interview, we’ll discuss some of the most
common interview questions and how to answer them. You’ll also learn some basic information
to get you started on creating your own answers to these questions. Let’s begin.
TK: Hello Ms. Smith, I’m Tom Kelley. Thanks so much for coming in.
RS: It’s my pleasure, thanks so much for meeting with me.
TK: Of course. Did you have any trouble finding the office?
Small Talk. Most interviews will start out with a handshake and some small talk – this
may include questions about how you’re doing, your travel to the interview, the weather,
how your weekend went, and more. All you need to do is be polite and friendly. Keep your
answers short. You can also feel free to turn the question back to the interviewer. For
instance, if the interviewer asks you how your weekend was, you might respond, “It
was great, we celebrated my Mom’s birthday. How was your weekend?” Small talk is used
to build a more comfortable environment before the interview begins. It may seem silly, but
you can practice small talk on your own by asking yourself simple, easy-to-answer, non-personal
questions. You could also practice with a friend. Here is an example of small talk:
>> How are you doing? >> I’m great, thank you, and you?
>> How are you doing? >> I’m doing really well. It’s such a
nice day out there. >> It is! It was perfect weather all weekend.
>> It was.
>> Did you do anything interesting over the weekend?
>> Yes, I went to the park with my family for a picnic.
>> That sounds nice. >> It was. And you?
>> I worked this weekend, but I got a lot done, so that was good.
>> It does feel good to get work done!
You can see we haven’t said much of importance, but the conversation is friendly and open,
and can make two people feel more comfortable in each other’s presence.
TK: Hello Ms. Smith, I’m Tom Kelley. Thanks so much for coming in.
RS: It’s my pleasure, thanks so much for meeting with me.
TK: Of course. Did you have any trouble finding the office?
RS: Nope. The directions on the website were great.
TK: Good. Would you like some coffee or water before we begin?
RS: I’m okay, thank you. TK: Alright. So, to get started, why don’t
you tell me a little bit about yourself. RS: Sure.
Common Question: Tell me a little bit about yourself. It’s very common for interviewers
to simply ask you to tell them about yourself. That can feel overwhelming! But don’t worry;
what they really want you to focus on is your education and work history. You can also let
them know what areas you have a lot of experience in, or what your interests are when answering
this question. Here are a few different ways to begin your answer.
I studied at Harvard University and graduated 2012 with a degree in business.
I’ve been working at Smith Incorporated for 10 years as a manager.
I have 12 years of experience in graphic design.
Because of my time at Verizon, I have a lot of experience in providing customer service.
If you're preparing for an interview, practice talking about yourself and your work history.
Record yourself with a video camera if possible. Make sure it's not too long, maybe around
a minute. Go back and listen or watch, and write down phrases that worked well to use
again. If there was anything you stumbled over or left out, write down some possible
phrases you could have used. The next day, do the same exercise. It's important that
you don't just write a paragraph and memorize it, but simply practice free-talking with
some key phrases. The more you practice before the interview, the more comfortable you’ll
feel answering the questions during the interview.
TK: So, to get started, why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself.
RS: Sure. I studied at the University of Florida and graduated in 2010 with a Masters Degree
in Toy Design. After graduation, I was hired at Happy Kid’s Creative. I’ve been there
for the past five years and am currently the Director of Toy Production. During that time
sales have grown steadily. It’s been a great experience, but I’ve run out of room to
grow with HKC and I’m looking for new opportunities. I have a lot of experience leading teams in
the creative process and finding new markets for the products that we create.
T: That’s great.
To be continued! We’ll pick it up from here in the next video in this series. In the next
video, we’ll go over three more common interview questions: ‘How did you hear about this
position’, ‘what attracted you to our company?’ and ‘what’s your greatest
strength?’
I hope this video on job interviews has been helpful. There’s nothing better than walking
out of an interview feeling that you were fully prepared!
If you have interview-related questions or stories, please post them in the comments
below. I’d love to hear them.
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with English videos and lessons, as well stories of American culture and my own life. Click
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That’s it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.
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