Job interviews!
They’re exciting!! It means you might get the job.
And…they can also make you feel a little nervous. Especially if you need to interview in English. I know how I feel when I have to do something stressful…in French. It makes everything harder. So to do well in stressful situations I have a secret: plan ahead!
If you’re
- preparing for a job interview in English,
- feeling a little nervous about it,
- serious about being prepared and doing your best,
You’re in the right place.
I’ve been helping clients prepare for their job interviews for a long time now.
And today I’ve put all my interview lessons together in one place.
That way, you have the essentials you need to prepare for your interview in one place.
And you can go into your interview feeling really prepared.
It’s all here: structures, expressions, tips (and mistakes to avoid!)
I want to help you be ready for that interview!
In today’s blog post, you’ll learn how to clearly and correctly answer 6 essential questions and topics for a job interview in English.
It’s a long lesson. In fact, you might want to save this page so you can come back to these lessons more than once.
If you put the effort into practicing everything on this list…
I guarantee that you will be more prepared and feel more confident in your next job interview.
Index:
- Business English Interview Essentials #1: Tell me about yourself.
- Business English Interview Essentials #2: Why should we hire you?
- Business English Interview Essentials #3: What are your strengths?
- Business English Interview Essentials #4: What are your weaknesses?
- Business English Interview Essentials #5: Tips for making small talk before your job interview.
- Business English Interview Essentials #6: Tips for how to structure your answer to any job interview question!
Business English Interview Essentials #1: Tell me about yourself.
This is one interview question you have to be prepared to answer. It’s also your chance to make a great first impression. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how important that is!
And you’re in luck! This is the kind of question you can prepare for entirely in advance. You are 100% sure you talk about yourself in the interview. So it’s definitely worth your time to prepare.
To make sure you are ready for this essential question, read How to Answer “Tell me about yourself” in an English Job Interview.
You’ll also find exclusive tips from an international recruiter in the blog post and a video you can watch to make sure you can answer this essential interview question correctly and confidently.
Business English Interview Essentials #2: Why should we hire you?
Even in your native language, if you don’t think about this essential interview question in advance, you might give a weak answer.
This is such an important question–and a difficult one to answer for so many reasons.
It’s a complex question with a complex answer.
It takes preparation to think about how you can make a difference in the position you’re interviewing for.
You have to think about yourself, your experiences, and the needs of the team you’re hoping to work with too.
Your answer needs to be coherent and convincing.
And even if you have a great answer that explains exactly why you’re the best person for the job…
If you have trouble saying it with confidence, your message might get lost!
Don’t let that happen. I’ve got a blog post for you here that will help you answer the question, “Why should we hire you?” Plus tips that will make sure you can give your answer with confidence every time.
Business English Interview Essentials #3: What are your strengths?
What could be more important than expressing the ways you are strong?
This is your chance to share all the things you know how to do. Your skills, knowledge, qualities, and experience.
In your native language, I bet you can do this easily. You know who you are.
That’s when you struggle to find your words in an interview in English, it’s so frustrating.
You want people to know who you really are. Make sure you’re ready to show them in English too.
You don’t have to be perfect, you just have to be prepared.
And this will give you all the confidence you need.
Give yourself the gift of confidence in your next job interview. Read the blog post and watch the video on answering that essential question: What are your Strengths?
Business English Interview Essentials #4: What are your weaknesses?
Being able to talk about your weaknesses says a lot about you.
And the person interviewing you for your next job knows that.
And, this is exactly the kind of question where the way you say something really matters.
Because you want to
- share a weakness
- be honest and authentic
- talk about your weakness in a way that doesn’t make you look bad
And that requires some pretty advanced language skills.
The good news is this:
Even if your English is not at an advanced level (yet), you can give a great answer to this question. Check out Job Interview In English: What Are Your Weaknesses? And find ways of making your weaknesses work for you in a job interview.
Business English Interview Essentials #5: Tips for making small talk before your job interview.
Are you wondering, “Why should I make small talk?”
Then this is definitely for you!
Small talk is not difficult once you practice it.
It can make the difference between starting your interview off feeling…awkward.
And starting your interview off by making a human connection with the person interviewing you.
You will feel better.
And more importantly, your interviewer will feel better!
That’s why I’ve prepared a blog post and video about Small Talk Before a Job Interview in English.
Business English Interview Essentials #6: Tips for how to structure your answer to any job interview question!
Ok, this is a deciding moment.
The earlier situations and questions were easy to prepare for.
Why? Because they’re predictable. You’re pretty sure they’ll come up.
And you can plan in advance for what you’re going to say.
That makes it easier to be confident.
But…what happens when unexpected questions come up?
A lot of my clients are very worried about just that. They wonder…
How can I prepare for the unexpected??
With the S.T.A.R. technique.
It’s a way to plan ahead and practice so you can give structured, coherent answers to any question that comes your way.
That’s something I would love to practice with you. So check out my blog post and video Job Interview In English: Be A STAR.
Take the next step: Improve your English in the comments
The best way to become more confident using Business English is to practice!
Here’s your weekly challenge for this week:
- In the comments, tell us about ONE of these interview questions you want to be ready for. For example, “Tell me about yourself.”
- Give us your answer to the question in the comments.
If you learned something from this lesson, please share it with your coworkers & friends. You can send your message to them in English for more practice!
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Become more fluent & comfortable in conversations
If you would like to take the next step with me, discover my Faster Fluency Conversation Club Membership Program!
It helps you become more confident speaking in conversations, and get a lot more vocabulary on many different topics! And it’s a fabulous community of “English buddies” from around the world!
TIP: Use the code FFCC40 to save -40% off your 1st month of membership!
More details at https://christinarebuffetcourses.com/faster-fluency-conversation-club/join-now
Can’t wait to see you in the Club,
Christina
