English for Business

Speaking
Section 5-Interviews

Unit 35 The successful interview candidate

© 2017 Acadsoc Limited

 Outline
A. Warm up (3mins)
B. Useful tips (8mins)
C. Conversation (13mins)

D. Further reading (after-class)

© 2017 Acadsoc Limited 1

 Suggested time: 3mins

A. Warm up

The job market today is competitive, even

cutthroat (残酷的). You need to plan your pitch
ahead of time and sell yourself in an interview.
So adequate preparation and knowing how to
answer the interviewer’s questions are quite
Q: Have you ever been interviewed by important.
someone for a job or an internship
opportunity? Did you finally get an
offer? In this lesson, you will learn:
➢ What to do before the interview;
➢ Eight common job interview questions;
➢ Three key techniques on how to answer
common job interview questions.

© 2017 Acadsoc Limited TI: Ask S the warm-up questions and then introduce the topic to S. 2
 Suggested time: 3mins

B. Useful tips
1. What to do before an interview:
① Make sure to do the research
Research the company before the interview and learn as much as possible about its
services, products, customers, which will give you an edge(优势) in understanding and
addressing the company’s needs. The more you know about the company, the better
chance you have of selling yourself in the interview.
② Have questions prepared
Interviewers always use questions to dig into past achievements and predict future
performance. These questions identify your competencies and skills. So it’s vital to prepare
to match your answers to the employer’s requirements. There’re eight questions that the
interviewer often asks during the interview (see the next page).
③ Appearance and behavior
First impression matters. Ask beforehand about what to wear—smart casual or formal wear?
Also pay attention to grooming (打扮), colors and accessories.
Arrive for your interview 5-10 minutes early. Some interviewers are time-sensitive. So never
arrive late or arrive too early and put pressure on the interviewer if they’re not ready for
you.

© 2017 Acadsoc Limited TI: Guide S to learn this part, and explain if needed. 3
 Suggested time: 2mins

2. During the interview, there’re eight common job interview questions: (also
mentioned in Unit 33 and Unit 34)

Why do you want this job?/What do you

1 Tell me a little about yourself. 5 know about our company?

Where do you see yourself five years from 6 Why should we hire you?
2 now?

3 What are your strengths/weaknesses? 7 What is your expecting salary?

Can you tell me about a time when you

4 8 Do you have any questions for me?
demonstrated/dealt with…

© 2017 Acadsoc Limited TI: Ask S to read these eight common questions. Explain to S if needed. 4
 Suggested time: 3mins

3. Three key techniques on how to answer the common job interview questions:

② Speak in full sentences and

① Be concise and answer with
make your answer more ③ Use signposting language.
Don’t relevant information
include unnecessary • Think aheadand
structured while you speak.
focused.
details to your answer. • Think about what you want Signposting language will show
Don’t include unnecessary • Think ahead while you speak.
E.g. Don’t give your entire to highlight in your answer your listener where you’re going.
details to your answer. • Think about what you want
work history because the and put it at the beginning. E.g. “For example”. The listener
E.g. Don’t give your entire to highlight in your answer
interviewer can get from your • Avoid very short answers. will know you’ll give him/her an
work history because the and put it at the beginning.
CV. example. Otherwise it can lose
interviewer can get from your • Avoid very short answers.
CV. focus and be hard to follow.

What other signposting language could you use when answering the
interviewer’s questions? List at least two except “For example ”.

TI: Guide S to learn the three key techniques and then ask S to give examples on
© 2017 Acadsoc Limited signposting language. 5
 Suggested time: 3mins
C. Conversation
Karl (K) is interviewing four candidates (C1-C4) for different positions in the European sales
team. There are four dialogs in total. Listen carefully and figure out how these four candidates
answer the interviewer’s questions.
(37s) http://www.acadsoc.com.cn/IES/Aplayer.aspx?code=BA8F36B78F4A3E73

Dialog 1
K: I see from your résumé that you have web design experience as well as in sales.
C1: Yes, that’s right.
K: Hmm. That could be interesting for the development of our Internet presence in
Europe. Our website is very US-oriented at the moment.
C1: Well, it’s something I really enjoy doing. In my current job I was part of a team
that did a redesign of the company website and I learned a lot.
K: What software can you work with?
C1: Well, I can use Dreamweaver, which is the classic web design tool of course, but
I’ve also got experience of using…
[The end of the interview with Candidate 1]

• Do you think this candidate effectively answers Karl’s questions? Why or why not?
• Would you hire this candidate if you were Karl?

© 2017 Acadsoc Limited TI: Explain the instruction to S and then ask S to answer the questions after listening. 6
 Suggested time: 3mins

(35s) http://www.acadsoc.com.cn/IES/Aplayer.aspx?code=44DB3EB7DFBECA4D

Dialog 2
K: So, do you think you can make a useful contribution to this company?
C2: Oh, yes.
K: I see.
C2: Yes.
K: Is your previous experience suitable for this position?
C2: Hmm. Yes. Yes, definitely.
K: And you don’t think it would be difficult moving into a management
position?
C2: No, I don’t think so.
K: Really?
C2: No, not at all.
K: Right.
[The end of the interview with Candidate 2]

• What mistakes does this candidate make? In your view, does the candidate offer useful
and convincing information about his suitability for the job to the interviewer?
• Choose one of the interview questions and try to answer it with relevant details based
on what you’ve learned.

TI: Ask S to listen to the audio and then answer the questions. Give S hints and 7
© 2017 Acadsoc Limited
advice if S doesn’t know how to answer it.
 Suggested time: 3mins

(41s) http://www.acadsoc.com.cn/IES/Aplayer.aspx?code=967F2BD1CFACABFC

Dialog 3
K: Perhaps you could tell me, what do you know about this company?
C3: Well, I know you have been very active in India over the last five years with the
Mumbai City Transit System. What was it now? A two billion-dollar contract to
provide not only the trains but also all the electronic equipment for the system, I
think.
K: Yes, quite a difficult project. We had a lot of trouble with subcontractors.
C3: Yes, I understand it was very challenging. But in the end the project was
completed on time and within budget. So you must have been pleased with the
final result.
K: That’s true and, of course, it is an excellent reference project for us…
[The end of the interview with Candidate 3]

• Is this candidate well prepared for this job interview? Why or why not?
• Would you hire her if you were Karl? Explain why in your own words.

© 2017 Acadsoc Limited TI: Ask S to listen to the audio and then answer the questions. 8
 Suggested time: 4mins
(79s) http://www.acadsoc.com.cn/IES/Aplayer.aspx?code=38C62154F9641054

Dialog 4
K: Now, could you tell me, what are your greatest strengths and weaknesses, in
your opinion?
C4: Hmm, that’s an interesting question. Well, I think my greatest strength is that
I never give up. In my experience, in order to win a customer you just have to
really go on and on looking for a way to give them what they want and then
you get the sale.
K: True. And what about weaknesses?
C4: Well, I need to improve my team player skills. Like many salespeople I don’t
like sharing customer information with other salespeople, but sometimes it
makes the customer angry when he or she gets a visit from two different
salespeople with different products from the same company. So, I realize it’s
necessary to share information, but it isn’t easy for me to put this into
practice.
K: Right. Well, here at Bergerbild, teamwork is very important.
C4: Yes, yes, I agree. I’m just telling you what I think is my greatest weakness. And
I’m working on it.
[The end of the interview with Candidate 4]

• What do you think of this candidate? Is she honest or unsocial(不合群的)?

• Would you hire someone who dares to expose his/her weaknesses to you?

© 2017 Acadsoc Limited TI: Ask S to answer the above questions. Encourage S to speak as much as possible. 9
 After-class
D. Further reading
Apart from techniques you’ve learnt before, here are some other tips you should know:

① Show enthusiasm. A firm handshake and plenty of eye contact demonstrate

confidence. Speaking distinctly in a confident voice even if you may feel shaky( 颤抖的).
② Listen. One of the most neglected interview skills is listening, Make sure you are
not only listening, but know what the interviewer is asking. Make sure you
understand what is being asked and get further clarification if you are unsure.
③ Give specific examples. One specific example of your background is worth 50 vague
stories. Prepare your stories before the interview. Give examples that highlight your
success and uniqueness. Your past behavior can indicate your future performance.
④ Ask questions. Many interviewees don’t ask questions and miss the opportunity
to find out valuable information. The question you ask indicates your interest in
the company or job.

It is important to keep confident and cool for the interview. One way to do that is to be
prepared to the best of your ability. There is no way to predict what an interview holds,
but by following these important rules you will feel less anxious and will be ready to
positively present yourself.

© 2017 Acadsoc Limited TI: Ask S to read this part after class. If time allows, teach this part in class to expand S’s knowledge. 10
 ￥2

See you the next unit!

In this lesson, you’ve learned preparation before the interview, eight common job
interview questions and three main techniques on how to answer questions. Please
review what you learned in this class and prepare yourself for the next unit. See you
soon!

© 2017 Acadsoc Limited 11