Going to a job interview can be both scary and exciting: scary because you can think about the possibility of not being prepared enough for the questions or answering something that you shouldn’t, and exciting because you are hopeful and thrilled about the chance of finding a new job, maybe even your dream job!
Because of this, in today’s blog we’re going to give you some advice, as well as tell you about different phrases and expressions that might be helpful ? for you when you find yourself face to face with your interviewer.
To describe your PERSONALITY
To start off, the person interviewing you will want to ask you questions ❓ about your character and personality to see if you can fit in with the team or, on the contrary, if you will clash with them. To increase your chances of getting the job you should use positive adjectives ? to describe yourself. Some of the adjectives which you could use are:
- Hard-working
- Trustworthy
- Proactive
- Resilient
- Persistent
- Resourceful
These are very good adjectives that you can use in your interview. You can add modifiers (such as: very, quite, really…) to reinforce your qualities. Here you will find more adjectives you can use to describe your personality.
To describe your STRENGTHS and WEAKNESSES
A question which is often asked in job interviews is to tell the interviewer a few of your strengths and weaknesses (you are normally asked an exact number, for example 3 or 5). In my opinion, this is one of the most difficult questions ? to answer, as you have to try not to sound like you’re bragging about your strengths and try to mask your weaknesses so they don’t sound too negative.
It is advisable to prepare the answers ✍ to this question at home. The best thing you could do is to make a list of all the strengths and weaknesses you can think of, and choose some of them as well as explaining the reasons why you think you have them. Some examples of strengths you could talk about are:
- Organization
- Being able to solve problems
- Being able to work to a deadline or under pressure
- Punctuality
- Responsibility
Some examples of weaknesses you could talk about are:
- Self-criticism
- Perfectionism
- Being competitive
- Being disorganized
- Impulsive
Remember to try to mask your weaknesses as strengths, try to say that you have been working on them or that you have gotten better at it. You will find more examples of strengths and weaknesses in this webpage. You will also find there advice on how to explain your weaknesses and strengths.
To describe your EXPERIENCE
It is most probable that even if the interviewer has read your résumé and your letter of application for the job, they will want to hear it from you. Here you have the perfect opportunity to elaborate and give more details about everything relevant that you have done until now. Here you could also dedicate some time to talk about your education and studies and highlight ✔ anything that can be relevant for the job. Some phrases you could use here are:
- I studied at …
- I have a degree / master / doctorate in …
- I did a course on …
- I graduated from … in …
- I have worked as … for … years
- I worked for … as a / an …
- I have … years’ experience in / as …
To describe your FUTURE GOALS and why you should get the job
It is very important in this stage to convince the interviewer that you really want the job and emphasize why you are the perfect employee he / she could hire for it. The interviewer will probably ask you why you want this job or where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years. It is not a good idea to tell them that you don’t see yourself in the company / job they are interviewing you for in a few years, or that you only want the job for the money or something similar.
You should tell them why you think you are the best match for the position as well as the value you will add if you are given the job. Some phrases you could use here are:
- I think I could be perfect for this job because …
- I think I could continue developing both personally and professionally in your company because …
- I believe your company is an important player in your industry.
- I believe I could be an asset in your company because …
- I’m excited about this opportunity because …
- I’m always looking to develop my skills and I think I could continue doing so in your company.
- I would live to work here because …
- I’d be thrilled to work for your company because …
- What I can contribute to your company is …
If you would like to go even further in your preparation of a job interview, at NikaTeacher we are offering a pack of 2-8 classes where we will teach you how to MASTER your interview in English. Plus, on the final day, we will have individual interview, making it seem as if you were in a real job interview!
In the course you will learn:
- How to write your CV in English and receive an example of an application letter in English.
- How to answer to the most common and the basic questions that are asked in an interview
- How to speak about your experience
- Useful vocabulary that you will probably need to use during the interview
If you are interested in preparing for your interview with us, don’t hesitate to send a message through our contact form asking for more information.
Now it’s your turn! Which of these phrases and expressions do you think is more helpful for a job interview? Do you have any other useful expressions that you use in interviews? Leave your comments below!
Estefanía
