Job Interview in English | Business English Interview

BEP 258 – Difficult Interview Situations 1

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on dealing with difficult job interview situations and questions.

We all know that job interviews are stressful. And we all know that one of the keys to reducing that stress is good preparation. But sometimes, no matter how well prepared we are, we find ourselves in tough situations. Maybe we are asked to talk about a weakness, or maybe we don’t know important information about the company where we’re interviewing.

Whatever interview difficulty we are facing, we need to take a deep breath, remain calm, and show confidence. Fortunately, we can learn language techniques to help us succeed in these tough interviews. In today’s lesson, we’ll look at showing how a weakness stems from a positive, how we’ve tried to change a weakness, and how we are a team player. We will also look at showing general industry knowledge and asking good questions.

We will hear two short dialogs today. In the first, we’ll hear Sara interviewing for a position as a buyer at a large retail chain. She’s being interviewed by Nick. In the second dialog, we’ll hear Simon interviewing for a position as a bank manager. He’s being interviewed by Charlene.

Listening Questions

1. What reason does Sara give for her stubbornness?
2. What has Sara done to change her stubbornness?
3. What does Simon say he understands about the banking industry?

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BEP 226 – Conducting a Job Interview in English (2)

Business English, Human Resources, Job Interview in English / February 17, 2013

In this Business English Pod lesson, we continue our look at how to conduct a job interview in English.

The interview is a crucial step in the hiring process. You have the opportunity to sit down with a candidate and get as much useful information as possible. And to get good information, you need to set the right tone and ask good questions. You also need techniques for getting people to explain and elaborate on ideas. The more details you can get from someone, the better. And hopefully you can figure out if the person is right for the job and for your company.

Good techniques for conducting interviews can help you in many other situations. Any time you need to evaluate a person, or a person’s company, you will use the same techniques. Imagine you need to contract an Internet marketing company. You will probably sit down with someone to ask them questions. Or imagine you have a paper salesman in your office. Again, you will need to ask him some good questions to evaluate his company.

Today, we’ll learn some great interviewing techniques, including how to ask stress questions and hypothetical questions. We’ll also learn about echoing someone to encourage them to speak more and calling someone on an evasive answer. And finally we’ll learn about giving the candidate a chance to ask questions of their own.

In today’s dialog, we’ll rejoin Sandy and Lee, who are interviewing Maria. Sandy and Lee are looking for someone to lead their company’s expansion into Asia.

Listening Questions

1. What does Maria say she does that Sandy repeats in order to encourage more detail?
2. What type of situation does Sandy ask Maria to imagine?
3. What does Sandy give Maria the chance to do at the end of the interview?

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BEP 225 – Conducting a Job Interview in English (1)

Business English, Human Resources, Job Interview in English / February 10, 2013

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on conducting an interview in English.

How do you assess potential employees? Or contractors? Or business partners? Or anyone, for that matter? Well, you can look at a person’s resume or CV. And for more information you can google someone. But that’s never enough to really get an idea about someone. What we rely on are interviews, which can be very powerful tools. Interviews give us a chance to meet someone face-to-face, to ask tough questions, to find out how they solve problems, and to really get a sense of how they interact.

Asking someone questions face-to-face is not only important for job interviews. There are a wide range of situations where interview techniques are useful. Say you want to build a relationship with a new supplier. You’ll want to ask some questions and get to know the company. Or maybe you want to contract a tech support company. You’ll want to do interviews to see who is the right fit.

Interviewing is a skill, just like being interviewed. And there are some excellent techniques that you can learn to become a better interviewer. Today, we’ll look at how to make someone feel comfortable, how to ask open-ended questions, and how to get someone to give recommendations and provide more detail.

In the dialog, we’ll hear Sandy and Lee interviewing Maria. Sandy and Lee work for an international fast moving consumer goods – or FMCG – company that is expanding into Asia. They are looking for the right person to lead this expansion.

Listening Questions

1. What aspect of Maria’s work does Sandy want to hear more about?
2. What does Sandy want Maria’s “thoughts” about?
3. Which idea does Lee want Maria to explain in more detail?

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BEP 217 – Internal Job Interview in English (2)

Business English, Job Interview in English, Management English / October 7, 2012

This is the second part of our Business English Pod lesson on internal job interview English.

Let’s think about the purpose of an interview for a second. For the company that’s hiring, the interview lets them find out more about the candidates. Who are they? How do they communicate? What can they contribute to the company? For the people applying for the position, it’s a chance to show their personality. They can build on what appears on their resume, emphasizing important accomplishments and abilities. All this may seem obvious, but the important thing to remember is that this is a competition.

Many people, one position. So part of your purpose is to show why you’re better than the other applicants. And when you’re applying within the company you already work for, you may have an advantage. You know more about the company, and they know more about you.

In an internal interview, you need to use this advantage properly. You’ll hear some of the same questions as other applicants, but you may be able to respond with better answers. In this lesson, we’ll learn some of these ways of responding. This will include techniques such outlining your strategic vision, showing loyalty, and showing leadership. It will also include disagreeing politely and talking about career goals.

In the dialog, we will rejoin Graham, Seth, and Michelle, who work in a software company called BitSoft. Seth and Michelle are interviewing Graham for a managerial position.

Listening Questions

1. What is the first suggestion Graham makes?
2. Why does Graham say he has stayed at BitSoft?
3. What does Graham say he eventually wants to become in his career?

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BEP 216 – Internal Job Interview in English (1)

Business English, Job Interview in English, Management English / September 30, 2012

Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on internal job interviews in English.

You already have experience with interviews. You know the kinds of questions that are typically asked, and you’ve rehearsed your answers to those kinds of questions. But this is different. In an internal interview in English, chances are you’re talking with someone you already know. And you’re talking about experiences they already know about. They know you too. That can make it more comfortable in some ways. You don’t have to break the ice and you probably understand the company’s priorities. But it can be more uncomfortable in other ways. You might not have talked in this way with these people before. And you won’t be able to exaggerate anything.

For these reasons, you might need some different techniques. You need to use your knowledge of the company and your experience as an advantage. But at the same time, you have to watch your language and maintain a very high level of professionalism.

We’ll be looking at some of these techniques in today’s lesson. We’ll cover how to give an example of a positive change you’ve made, as well as how to accept responsibility for mistakes. We’ll also learn how we can differentiate ourselves from external candidates, identify problems and solutions, and show a commitment to professional development.

In the dialog, we’ll hear Graham interviewing for a managerial position with a software company. He’s being interviewed by Seth and Michelle. You’ll notice right away that it sounds a bit different than a standard interview at a new company. Seth and Michelle have firsthand knowledge of what Graham has done and how he works.

Listening Questions

1. What positive change did Graham make for the company?
2. How does Graham show he is committed to developing professionally?
3. What does Graham understand about the company that other candidates might not?

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