UNIVERSIDAD AUTÓNOMA DEL

ESTADO DE MÉXICO

FACULTAD DE ECONOMÍA

LICENCIATURA EN ECONOMÍA

Subject: English VII

Teacher: Miriam Diaz Gutiérrez

Student: Moncerrath Mateo Alvarez

Group: E1
Semester: 4
 Business magazine
Job interviews
Preparation is the key to a successful job interview. Here’s how to be ready for some common question
types.

Before reading
Do the preparation task first. Then read the article and do the exercises.

Preparation task
Match the definitions (a–h) with the vocabulary (1–8).
Vocabulary Definition
1. (d) to deal with something a. causing worry because something is difficult to do
2. (a) nerve-racking b. not related to what is being discussed or what is important
3. (f) hypothetical c. an important skill that is needed to do a job
4. (b) irrelevant d. to handle something; to take action in response to something
5. (h) to be the perfect fit for e. to remember a past event
something
f. imagined and not necessarily real or true
6. (c) competency
g. to not be working that day
7. (e) to recall
h. to be exactly what is needed
8. (g) to be off work

Job interviews
Job interviews can be a nerve-racking experience, especially when you don’t feel prepared for them. And
with the variety of interview questions that can be asked these days, it’s hard to know what type of questions
you should prepare for.
Here are three types of interview questions that you should practise answering before that important job
interview.
1. Common interview questions
Tell us about yourself.
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Why do you want to leave your current job?

These questions are for the interviewer to get to know you and to see if you’re the best person for the job.
Don’t simply list things like your hobbies, your strengths or your work experience. Instead, give examples
and use them to show your personality and the characteristics you have that make you perfect for the job.
Your interviewer may want to ask questions about certain areas of your CV, so use this opportunity to link
your experience to the job you’re applying for.

© 2020 British Council www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish

Avoid: Giving a detailed life history or telling long stories that are irrelevant to the job or to the company.

2. Competency questions
Tell me about a time you had to work as a team.
Tell me about a time you had to use your creativity to solve a problem.
Tell me about a time when you experienced conflict with a colleague and how you handled that
situation.

Here, the candidate is asked questions about situations they have faced in the past that can demonstrate a
particular skill they have. These could include skills like critical thinking, influencing, problem solving or
flexibility. Interviewers often want to hear about challenges you’ve had, not just about times when
everything went smoothly, so be ready with examples such as how you resolved conflict in your team or
dealt with someone who was not working well. This will demonstrate that you can handle difficult
situations.
When preparing for the job interview, read the job description carefully for the required skills and abilities
and try to recall situations where you had to use these skills. Then use the STAR technique when talking
about these examples:

• Situation – Give details about the context of your example and what you were trying to do.

• Task – Describe your responsibilities and the challenges you faced.

• Action – Describe what steps you took to deal with the situation.

• Result – Talk about the end result and how you contributed to this outcome.
Avoid: Going in unprepared and having to think up examples, or saying you’ve never faced any challenges
at work.

3. Hypothetical questions
What would you do if you had a different opinion from your boss about how to do something?
How would you deal with a large volume of work with several staff members off work?
What would you do if you had to introduce a new policy that you knew was going to be unpopular in
your team?

Hypothetical interview questions are similar to competency questions except that instead of asking you to
talk about an experience you’ve had in the past, they present you with an imaginary situation that you might
face in your new job.

© 2020 British Council www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish

This might seem difficult to prepare for, but remember that your answers are meant to demonstrate the skills
needed for the job. When preparing for the interview, consider the qualities that the interviewer might be
looking for, qualities like conflict management, time management or people skills. Then think about how
you can demonstrate those qualities in a range of situations. Start with situations that you’ve experienced
and move on to other possible situations that you might encounter in the role you’re applying for.
Avoid: Going off-topic, changing the subject and not answering the original question.

Whatever type of questions they ask, interviewers want to find the right person and are keen to give you the
opportunity to demonstrate what you can do. With some preparation, you can show them that you’re the
perfect fit for the job.

Tasks

Task 1
Are the sentences true or false?
Answer
1. The main message in this article is that you should spend time preparing for a job True False
interview if you have one coming up.
2. If the interviewer asks you about yourself, you should make sure all the information True False
you give is relevant to the job.
True False
3. You should avoid talking about personal things like your hobbies.
True False
4. If the interviewer asks you about an item on your CV, you can give more detail and say
how it is connected to the job you’re applying for. True False
5. The STAR technique can be used to organise your story when answering competency
questions. True False
6. You should never talk about difficulties you’ve experienced at work. True False
True False
7. You can’t prepare for hypothetical interview questions.
8. It helps to think about the skills and qualities that the interviewer is looking for when answering
interview questions.

© 2020 British Council www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish

Task 2
Put the questions in the correct groups.
Describe a difficult decision Why do you want this job?
What would you do if a team
you’ve made.
member was performing
badly?

Do you consider yourself

What would you do if your
Tell us about a time when you led successful? Why?
project goals suddenly
a team to achieve an objective.
changed?

What motivates you? Tell us about a new skill that

What would you do if you you’ve learned for work.
became dissatisfied with your job?

Common interview questions Competency questions Hypothetical questions

• Why do you want this job? • Describe a difficult decision • What would you do if a team
you’ve made. member was performing
• Do you consider yourself badly?
successful? Why? • Tell us about a time when you
led a team to achieve an • What would you do if your
• What motivates you? objective. project goals suddenly
changed?
• Tell us about a new skill that
you’ve learned for work. • What would you do if you
became dissatisfied with
your job?

Discussion
Do you have any tips for successful job interviews?

➢ Attend with an impeccable and professional appearance

➢ To be honest at all times
➢ You should be on time

© 2020 British Council www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish