My English Office

Interview Questions Transcript

CLAIRE: Welcome to My English Office. I'm Claire Morrow ANDREW: and I'm Andrew Morrow. CLAIRE: Okay so today's topic is answering tough interview questions. Job interviews are stressful enough in your native language of course, so answering tough questions in your second or even third language could prove to be even more challenging unless youre well prepared. So in addition to asking about your skills and experience, some employers will ask you tough interview questions about your work history or your interpersonal skills to get a better sense of your personality and also to determine if you will fit in with the current team. So we're going to give you some examples of tough interview questions weve been asked and some tips for answering them. Okay so Andy, first of all I've got a tough interview question for you: What do you dislike most about working in teams? ANDREW: Yeah, I've definitely had that question before. It's not one of my favorites but you have to realize what type of question it is. It's a bit of a trap question because what they are trying to find out is if you've had any problems in your past with other co-workers and if you could cause problems with that company in the future, such as having disputes with people or arguments. So one of the ways that I believe you should answer it is to keep your answer simple; nothing too controversial. Like for example I would answer it by saying, I don't dislike working in teams, but one of the issues that I have had in the past is dealing with delays caused by other people. However I've been able to overcome it with proper planning and communication. So I've got a question for you now, Have you ever had a disagreement with a coworker and how did you handle it? CLAIRE: Okay so this is a question that's all about conflict resolution. You need to show that you can solve issues in a professional and courteous way without involving your superiors, unless you need to, of course. So if I was asked this question, I would say, for example: Yes I have had a disagreement with a coworker before. It actually happened during a project with a very tight deadline and I needed information from a team member in order to develop the marketing material. He didn't send me the information that I needed on time so I confronted him to see what the problem was. And it turned out that he was struggling to gather all the details that I needed. And so rather than taking this up to our superiors and trying to make it a bigger issue, I just sat down with him and tried to figure out exactly what we could do together in order to collect all the details. CLAIRE: Okay so Andy, what do you do when you are asked a really general interview question such as: Why should we hire you?

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ANDREW: Okay well, what I think they are going for with this question is trying to find out how much research you've done about the company and how interested or motivated you are for that job. It's a good idea to do as much research as possible before the interview, and even if you can get to talk to the person who is doing the hiring. Although these days it's not always clear who does the hiring because usually HR takes care of doing all the postings. So this is where it's good to refer back to the original posting and try and match your skills with the ones that they have put as requirements in the posting. And it's good to have a couple of examples prepared ahead of time. Okay, well tough questions so far. How about one last question for you Claire? This is another tough one. Sometimes an employer might ask you: Why did you leave your last job? CLAIRE: Well I think the key to answering this question is to be honest but brief. If you left your last role by choice then just explain why exactly you left. For example, I would say: I left because I was looking for a new challenge. Or if you were let go or made redundant, you could probably explain the situation without going into any negative details about the circumstances or individuals. Well that's it for the podcast this week. Thanks for listening. We hope that it has given you some insight into answering tough interview questions. The transcript of this podcast as well as vocabulary and exercises can be downloaded from our website at www.myenglishoffice.com. You can listen to other business English podcasts about interviews or other useful business topics on our site. ANDREW: So with that we'll say goodbye until next time!

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Interview Questions Worksheet
A. Vocabulary Builder:
Match the underlined words below with their definitions. If you need help, try to review the transcript again to see how the words are used in context. Number three has been done for you. 1. trap question 2. controversial 3. to overcome 4. conflict resolution 5. requirements 6. to be made redundant a) the process of solving issues or problems b) to lose your job due to changes at the company (i.e. downsizing) c) items that are essential to a project, job or task d) to have the strength or abilities to deal with something difficult e) something that is debatable and may cause arguments f) a question that seems innocent but is aimed at getting you to reveal information that you wouldnt normally disclose in an interview.

B. Grammar Booster
Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous tenses are often used to speak about experience and accomplishments. One of the ways you can use the Present Perfect tense is to explain activities that happened in the past using unspecified time expressions (i.e. several times, never, before, many times, already, etc). You can use the Present Perfect Continuous tense to speak of something that happened in the past and continues into the present with specific time expressions (i.e. for three years, since 2002, etc.) Examples: A. (Present Perfect) B. (Present Perfect Continuous) Yes, I have written programs using C# many times. I have been working at ABC Corporation since 2004.

The following interview questions highlight different industries and professions. Fill in each blank below by selecting a verb from the list and conjugating it in the Present Perfect (have + past participle) or Present Perfect Continuous (have + been + gerund) form. Use each verb only once. to teach to have to fire to work to use to watch

1. Question: Answer:

Have you ever dismissed someone who worked for you? Yes, unfortunately I __________________ employees before. But I have always consulted with the companys HR Manager before taking this measure. I understand that you know a lot about web design. Do you have experience with Dreamweaver? Yes, I ________________________ Dreamweaver to create web sites for more than 5 years. Have you ever soldered a microchip? Not yet, but I ___________________ my coworkers do it many times. As a result of my training, I am confident that I have the skills to solder a microchip by myself now.

2. Question: Answer: 3. Question: Answer:

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4. Question: Answer: 5. Question: Answer:

Do you have any experience training others? Yes, I __________________________ customers how to use XYZ software since 2005. Do you prefer working alone or in teams? I guess that depends on the project. I enjoy working alone, but I any issues working in a team environment. never

6. Question: Answer:

Have you ever reported to someone who tried to take credit for your work? What did you do? Yes, I __________________ with someone like that before. I decided to report this person to HR when I found out that she was trying to take credit for one of my sales.

C. It's Your Turn

Now it's your turn to use what you've learned to answer some tough interview questions in your own words. Be honest but thoughtful about your response. You can use the Present Perfect or Present Perfect Continuous tenses where appropriate, as well as other tenses such as Simple Past. Some possible (fictional) responses are included in the Answer Key. 1. HR Manager: Have you ever disagreed with one of your Managers decisions? Response: ____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 2. HR Manager: Tell me about a time when someone criticized your work. How did you handle it? Response: ____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 3. HR Manager: Have you ever had to make a really difficult decision? What was the outcome? Response: ____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________

D. Extend Yourself! (Speaking and Reading Extension)

1.

Hold a mock (pretend) interview with a friend. Practice asking and answering tough interview questions. If you need ideas, search the internet using the term tough interview questions. Read the article called The Tough Interview Questions, posted on the MEO Blog on www.myenglishoffice.com, and discuss with a friend or coworker. If you need advice before a job interview, email Claire and Andrew at info@myenglishoffice.com.

2.

3.

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Answer Key
Vocabulary Builder:
1. f 2. e 3. d 4. a 5. c 6. b

Grammar Booster
1. Yes, unfortunately I have fired employees before. But I have always consulted with the companys HR Manager before taking this measure. 2. Yes, I have been using Dreamweaver to create web sites for more than five years. 3. Not yet, but I have watched my coworkers do it many times. As a result of my training, I am confident that I have the skills to solder a microchip by myself now. 4. Yes, I have been teaching customers how to use XYZ software since 2005. 5. I guess that depends on the project. I enjoy working alone, but I have never had any issues working in a team environment. 6. Yes, I have worked with someone like that before. I decided report this person to HR when I found out that she was trying to take credit for one of my sales.

It's Your Turn

There are many ways to answer tough interview questions based on your own experiences. These are just a few fictional examples that use grammar from this lesson. 1. Have you ever disagreed with one of your Managers decisions? Yes, I have disagreed with my manager on a few occasions. But thankfully we had an excellent working relationship so we were able to discuss our opinions and overcome issues quickly. 2. Tell me about a time when someone criticized your work. How did you handle it? Last year my manager told me that I should offer more support to the junior members of my team. Since then, I have been mentoring and training my coworkers almost every day. 3. Have you ever made a really difficult decision? What was the outcome? Yes, I have made difficult decisions many times during my career. Once, I had to dismiss an employee because he was always coming in late and leaving early and as a result, he missed several deadlines. It was difficult to let him go but I knew that my manager supported this decision.

If you have any questions or comments about this resource, please email us at info@myenglishoffice.com.

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