aula02_jobinterview

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MOST COMMON JOB INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 
Let’s take a look at them: 
Can you tell me something about 
yourself? 
 “I like to manage people and work on 
interesting projects. I have been 
working for IBM for the past ten 
years, but am looking for a new 
challenge right now. I like to do 
sports, especially football and spend 
my free time with my wife.” 
“I was born and raised in Milan, 
Italy. I attended the University of 
Milan and received my master's 
degree in Economics. I have worked 
for 12 years as a financial consultant 
in Milan for various companies 
including Rossi Consultants, Quasar 
Insurance and Sardi and Sons. I enjoy 
playing tennis in my free time and 
learning languages.” 
“I've just graduated from the 
University of Singapore with a degree 
in Computers. During the summers, I 
worked as a systems administrator for 
a small company to help pay for my 
education.” 
Why did you apply for this job? “I really like the job description and 
the working duties for this position. I 
believe that I am the perfect match 
for the job and can be an asset for 
your team.” 
 “I decided to apply because I really 
like the vision of your company and 
the possibilities for me there. It is a 
role where I can use my full potential 
and really help your company to 
grow.” 
I've been looking for a job where I can 
use my creative skills and work with 
people. I've heard good things about 
your company.” 
Why did you leave your last job/ 
Why are you planning to leave your 
job? 
 “My last job was not challenging 
enough. I was not motivated to wake 
up to work anymore and I really 
needed a change. Based on the job 
description I really believe that I can 
find what am I looking for in your 
company.” 
“There was a downsizing in our 
company and similarly to most people 
 
 
in my department, I was fired. 
However, it is the past. I am ready to 
utilize the knowledge and experience 
and start to build my new career in 
your corporation.” 
Tell me something about your 
education 
 “I studied in Cambridge. I acquired 
knowledge from statistics, project 
management and process 
management. I was very active during 
my studies and took part in several 
practical projects. Overall my studies 
were really practical and I believe 
that I am very well prepared for this 
job of a project manager.” 
“Well, I graduated from Tokyo 
University with a BA in business and 
then did a one-year postgraduate 
diploma in accounting.” 
Can you tell us something more 
about your working experience? 
 “My main responsibility was looking 
after the company's largest clients, 
but I also assisted in developing new 
business.” 
Why should we hire you? “Well, I have a relevant experience 
for the job and I am strongly 
motivated to work for your 
company.” 
 “I fulfill all the requirements for the 
job. However, some other applicants 
do probably also fulfill it. I think that 
I am a nice guy and help to create a 
good atmosphere in the workplace. 
You can contact my previous 
employers to question about this.” 
“I believe that I bring success 
with me to the companies. All the 
companies where I worked were 
prospering. It is good to have such a 
worker in your team, isn’t it?” You 
need someone who can produce 
results, and my background and 
experience are proof of my ability. 
For example..." 
What are your strengths? “I am very responsible person and 
always accomplish all my duties.” 
 “I am a very organized person, what 
is strongly reflected in my work.” 
 “I have a determination and ability 
to get things done. At the same time, 
I have strong analytical abilities and 
problem solving skills. These skills 
 
 
combine to give me a unique ability 
to solve problems and then 
implement productive solutions." 
“I work well under pressure. When 
there is a deadline (a time by which 
the work must be finished), I can 
focus on the task at hand (current 
project) and structure my work 
schedule well.” 
“I am a trouble shooter. When there 
was a problem at my last job, the 
manager would always ask me to 
solve it.” 
What are your weaknesses? “I am not very patient, what is 
obviously not good. But I am working 
on it every day, doing various 
exercises.” 
 “Sometimes I struggle to 
concentrate. However, I practice 
every day and my concentration has 
improved over the years.” 
 “I trust the people too much. It is 
nice to live with it, but it brought me 
into many problematic situations in 
the past. However, as I am getting 
older I am starting to distinguish who 
I can trust and who I can not trust.” 
“I am overzealous (work too 
hard) and become nervous when my 
co-workers are not pulling their 
weight (doing their job). However, I 
am aware of this problem, and before 
I say anything to anyone, I ask myself 
why the colleague is having 
difficulties.” 
What are your goals in five years 
horizon? 
 “My goal is to become a better 
manager and help my employer to 
achieve good results as much as I 
can.” 
 “I would like to be promoted in five 
years and have a really good job in a 
really good company – like yours 
one.” 
"If selected I would hope to 
meet my goals and take advantage of 
opportunities to learn so I will be 
considered for other positions within 
the company. I hope to build my 
career with a company such as this 
one." 
 
 
What are your biggest achievements 
so far? 
 “When I worked like a sales manager 
in Cobeco Inc., the sales of the 
company grew by 20 percent every 
year.” 
 “I became a better person over the 
years. I learned to listen to the others 
and see the good in people. I consider 
this as my biggest achievement.” 
What characterize a good boss/ 
colleague from your point of view? 
 “I can get along with everyone. All I 
want to be sure about when it comes 
to my boss and colleagues is that they 
are qualified for the job. And when I 
see the level of proficiency in this 
interview, I am sure they are 
qualified.” 
 “There is nothing like an ideal boss 
for me. I simply focus on my job and 
on my performance and try to avoid 
any conflicts with other employees.” 
What motivates you/ How do you 
motivate the others? 
 “I want to feel important in my job, 
do a good job for my employer. This 
is very important for me, to see a 
purpose in my job. It naturally 
motivates me to work hard and try to 
become better every day.” 
 “I just like to work. If I was not 
strongly motivated to do this job, I 
would not apply for it. I would never 
work only for money.” 
Can you work under pressure? “Yes, a good example is …” 
If you had a conflict with a 
colleague, what would you do to 
resolve it? 
 
“If there was a problem, I 
would ask the person who is upset to 
go out for coffee so we could talk 
about what was wrong, and come up 
with a solution together. I would do 
my best to resolve the problem 
quickly so it doesn't get any bigger.” 
If you had a problem and did 
not know the answer, how would 
you find the solution? 
 
“In my last job I sometimes had 
to find answers to IT questions. I 
would often go on the Internet and 
look for blogs on the topic I needed to 
learn about. I enjoy learning new 
things, so research is actually one of 
my hobbies.” 
Are you a self-starter, able to 
work without constant supervision? 
“Yes. I enjoy the freedom of working 
alone.” 
Do you enjoy working in a 
team? 
 
“I do. I like the support and 
creativity that you get from a group.” 
 
 
Imagine you have a deadline 
and you are running out of time. 
What would you do? 
“I'm not afraid to ask for help 
when I need it. I would probably 
approach my manager and explain the 
problem and ask for extra resources. 
If it was a strict deadline and Icouldn't get extra help, I'd work as 
fast as I could get the job done.” 
Looking at your résumé, you 
take a lot of personal development 
courses. What was the last course 
you took, and why did you take it? 
“The last course I took was 
Excel level 3. I had started using 
Excel spreadsheets more regularly, so 
I wanted to upgrade my skills.” 
What do you know about our 
organization? 
“Everything I've seen and 
heard makes me want to be a part of 
this organization. I understand your 
industry is _____ and your primary 
customer is ____. A particularly 
exciting part of your business appears 
to be ________ ." 
What are your salary expectations? “First of all, salary is not a deciding 
factor for me. I really like the job 
description and want to get this job. I 
will accept an average salary for this 
position what is something between 
$35,000 and $40,000″, according to 
my knowledge.” 
“I really like this job and would like 
to do it. I have looked at the average 
salaries and found out that the 
average is between $35,000 and 
$40,000 for this position. I am willing 
to accept the lower figure from this 
range, as I really like would like to 
have this job.” 
“My salary requirements are 
negotiable. Your firm has a reputation 
of compensating employees fairly and 
I trust you would do the same in my 
case. I am very interested in finding 
the right opportunity and will be open 
to any fair offer when I do so." 
When are you able to start? “I am ready to start as soon as 
possible.” 
 “There is a two months notice period 
in my company. However, I have very 
good relations with my boss so I am 
sure I can negotiate it and start 
earlier.” 
 “I could possibly start tomorrow, but 
I want to finish the project I currently 
work on. It will be very unprofessional 
 
 
and irresponsible from me to leave 
now. I will need two or three weeks. I 
hope you understand this.” 
Do you have any questions? “What are the next steps of the 
recruiting process?” 
 “Can you tell me something more 
about the working environment?” 
 “What are the goals of your company 
in long term horizon?” 
 
DIALOGUE SITUATION: HOW YO SUCCEED AT A JOB INTERVIEW 
Fay asks Jerry for advice on how to succeed at a job interview 
Fay: Hi Jerry. I'm thinking of applying for a job with a multinational 
company, but I'm worried about having an interview in English. Can you give 
me any good tips? 
Jerry: Hmmm. That's a tough one. I guess the first thing is to try to 
make a good impression. We often say, "you never get a second chance to 
make a first impression". You really need to get off to a good start. 
Fay: That sounds like good advice. Maybe I could sing and dance for 
them, ha ha ha! Then they'd really be impressed! But seriously, how do I make 
a good first impression? 
Jerry: To begin with, you should firmly shake the interviewer's hand 
while greeting him or her with a smile. Be sure to keep eye contact, 
especially when listening to the interviewer. 
Fay: Ah, "body language" is really important, isn't it? 
Jerry: Yes, it is. The second thing is to have confidence. You get 
confidence from being prepared. You should learn a little bit about the 
company before the interview. Find out what they do, how long they've been 
in business, what their business motto is, that kind of thing. You should also 
anticipate possible questions, and think about how you will answer. 
Fay: Should I memorize my answers beforehand? 
Jerry: No! Definitely not! That sounds very mechanical. You should be 
natural when you speak. Just think about how you want to answer, and choose 
the right words at the time of the interview. That way, you can use the 
interviewer's own words in your answer, which shows you've been listening. 
Then you're sure to make a good impression. 
Fay: I never thought about that before. You're really smart, Jerry! But 
what should I do if I can't remember an English word when I'm answering a 
question? 
Jerry: In that case, you have to paraphrase. In other words, you have 
to explain what you want to say. For example, if you forget the word 
"manufacturing", you can say "making a product" instead. Or instead of 
"statistics" you could say "using many big numbers to describe something". 
Fay: That's very helpful, Jerry. Thanks so much. Ah, one more thing. 
Should I ask about the salary during the interview? 
Jerry: No, either let them bring up the topic of money, or else wait for 
a second interview. If you prepare well, make a good first impression, have 
confidence, and use English naturally, you're almost certain to be interviewed 
again. Good luck! 
 
 
 
Now, let’s take a look at some dialogues 
 
DIALOGUE SITUATION: A SATURDAY JOB 
John has a job interview for a Saturday job 
Interviewer: So, you've applied for the Saturday position, right? 
John: Yes, I have. 
Interviewer: Can you tell me what made you reply to our 
advertisement? 
John: Well, I was looking for a part-time job to help me through 
college. And I think that I'd be really good at this kind of work. 
Interviewer: Do you know exactly what you would be doing as a shop 
assistant? 
John: Well I imagine I would be helping customers, keeping a check on 
the supplies in the store, and preparing the shop for business. 
Interviewer: That about covers it, you would also be responsible for 
keeping the front of the store tidy. What sort of student do you regard 
yourself as . . . did you enjoy studying while you were at school? 
John: I suppose I'm a reasonable student. I passed all my exams and I 
enjoy studying subjects that interest me. 
Interviewer: Have you any previous work experience? 
John: Yes. I worked part-time at a take-away in the summer holidays. 
Interviewer: Now, do you have any questions you'd like to ask me 
about the position? 
John: Yes. Could you tell me what hours I'd have to work? 
Interviewer: We open at 9.00, but you would be expected to arrive at 
8.30 and we close at 6.00 pm. You would be able to leave then. 
I think I have asked you everything I wanted to. Thank you for coming along to 
the interview. 
John: Thank you. When will I know if I have been successful? 
Interviewer: We'll be making our decision next Monday, we'll give you a 
call. 
 
DIALOGUE SITUATION: A SATURDAY JOB 
Interviewer: So why did you decide to apply for this job? 
Candidate: Well, I’ve always wanted to work in this sector and I feel I 
have the right profile and experience for the post. 
Interviewer: Tell me a bit about your experience. 
Candidate: Well, my background is in administration. In my previous 
job I was responsible for the 
day-to-day running of a small but busy office. I’m keen to work in a 
larger organization which will allow me to develop my existing skills and take 
on new responsibilities. 
Interviewer: This job involves working under pressure and to tight 
deadlines. How would you cope with that? 
Candidate: Well, I enjoy a challenge and work better under pressure. 
But I believe in proper planning and time management to get the job done 
efficiently. 
Interviewer: What has been your biggest problem in your work to date? 
Candidate: Well, when I took up the post of office manager everyone 
was spending too much time in meetings which seemed to go on for ever. I 
 
 
rescheduled our meetings to just before lunch and they started to go much 
quicker. Productivity went right up and earned me a pay rise. So my biggest 
problem turned out to be my greatest achievement …