English for Business

Speaking
Section 5-Interviews

Unit 36 The successful interview candidate

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 Outline
01. Review (3mins)
02. Exercise (7mins)
03. Speaking (13mins)
04. Summary (2mins)

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 Suggested time: 3mins

A. Review
1. Preparations before an interview
① Research the background of the company; ② Have
questions prepared; ③ Appearance and behavior

2. Eight common job interview questions

Can you list the rest of ① Tell me a little about yourself. ② Where do you see
the common job yourself in five years? ③What are your strengths/weaknesses?
interview questions? ④Why do you want this job? …

3. Tips on how to answer job interview questions

① Be concise and answer with relevant information.
② Speak in full sentences and be structured and focused.
③ Use signposting language.

© 2017 Acadsoc Limited TI: Do a brief review of the last lesson and ask S to list another four job interview questions. 2
 Suggested time: 4mins

B. Exercise
1. Match the interview questions with the appropriate strategies on the right.

A. Answer this question with a ‘yes’ and back it up

with examples of times where you have
1. So, could you tell me about yourself? demonstrated your ability to work as part of a
team.
2. How would your colleagues describe B. Answer by emphasizing the positive aspects of
you? your character.
C. It’s designed to find out if you are going to stick
3. What is your greatest strength? around or move on as soon as you find a better
4. What’s your greatest weakness? opportunity. So keep your answer focused on
the job and the company you’re interviewed
5. Are you a team player? with.
6. Where do you see yourself in five years’ D. Mention a small weakness, relevant to your work,
which you are trying to improve.
time? E. Don’t give your life story. Simply give relevant
facts about your education and work experience.
F. Choose a strength that is relevant to a work
situation.

© 2017 Acadsoc Limited TI: Ask S to do the matching. Answers are on the last page. 3
Answer:
1E; 2B; 3F;
4D; 5A; 6C Suggested time: 3mins

2. Decide in each case which candidate gives the most appropriate response to the question and
explain why.

Question 1: Why do you want this job?

Candidate 1: I’d like this job because it would give me an opportunity to work for a
larger organization than I do currently and so broaden my professional experience.
Candidate 2: Because it pays well.

Question 2: How do you cope with working under pressure?

Candidate 1: I don’t really like it.
Candidate 2: I try hard not to let pressure get to me and just to concentrate on
getting the job done.
Question 3: What’s your greatest weakness?
Candidate 1: I can be a bit lazy.
Candidate 2: I have a tendency to take on too much, but I’m trying to improve
on that by delegating wherever appropriate.

© 2017 Acadsoc Limited TI: Ask S to choose the correct answers and explain why. The answer is on the last page. 4
Answer:
Appropriate answers
Suggested time: 3mins
C. Speaking
Q1: Candidate 1
Q2: Candidate 2
Q3: Candidate 2

1. Choose the words you might use to describe your strengths and weaknesses and
then answer the questions.

creative determined enthusiastic

too honest experienced taking on too much tasks
reliable motivated sensitive
perfectionism focusing on details too much
too helpful trustworthy practical

If you say you have no weakness, you

are clearly lying. But, don’t choose Q1: What is your greatest strength?
anything serious that will make the
interviewer lose interest in you. Q2: What is your greatest weakness?

TI: Ask S to follow the tip and choose appropriate words from the box to answer the
© 2017 Acadsoc Limited questions. Comment on S’s answers. Explain the words if needed. 5
 Suggested time: 5mins

2. Think of your own line of work and the kind of interview you might attend, and then try
to answer the following job interview questions.

Interviewer: Thank you for coming. So, could you tell me about yourself?
You: _________________________________.
Interviewer: And why do you want this job?
You: _________________________________.
Interviewer: How would your colleagues (or friends) describe you?
You: _________________________________.
Interviewer: Can you tell me about a time when you dealt with a task under pressure?
You: _________________________________.
Interviewer: What is your greatest strength?
You: _________________________________.
Interviewer: What is your greatest weakness?
You: _________________________________.
Interviewer: And where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
You: _________________________________.
Interviewer: Okay, Do you have any questions for me?
You: _________________________________.

TI: Ask S to complete the sentences. Encourage S to speak and give S hints if S cannot
© 2017 Acadsoc Limited answer them. 6
 Suggested time: 5mins

3. Free talk.

Follow the example below and write another three questions you
might be asked at an interview. Then practice answering them. Your
tutor will be an interviewer and will give you his/her feedback on your
performance.
E.g. How do you evaluate success?

Question 1:_________________________?
Question 2:_________________________?
Question 3:_________________________?

TI: Guide S to write another five questions and ask S to answer them. Encourage S
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to speak and give S feedback when they finish.
 Suggested time: 2mins
D. Summary
What you have learned in Unit 35 and Unit 36:
✓ How to prepare for an interview;
✓ Eight common job interview questions;
✓ Three main strategies on how to answer the job interview questions;
✓ Speaking skills in answering job interview questions as a successful job candidate.

What should you do after class?

1. Familiarize yourself with what you should do before an interview. Also, you need to
keep eight commonly-seen job interview questions in mind and know how to answer
them appropriately.
2. Record yourself speaking for review and then listen to yourself. Try to find words
which don’t add anything to your meaning or sentences which you don’t finish, and
then try again. Keep practicing until you master all of them

© 2017 Acadsoc Limited TI: Summarize what S has learned in the previous units and give S advice for their further study. 8
 ￥2

See you the next unit!

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