Job interview: how to prepare to get a job

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

This instruction will help you look competent in front of a foreign HR specialist and make a good impression.

1. Write the truth on your resume

Usually, companies do not require the applicant to know English so that later the manager can boast of the linguistic savvy of the employees. The language is needed for work. Therefore, it is worth mentioning the real level of English proficiency in the resume. This will save yourself time and hassle by not applying for a position where you most likely will not be taken. Because even the most thorough preparation will not upgrade your language from pre-intermediate to advanced.

2. Prepare a list of questions you may be asked

Most likely, at the interview you will be asked about the same thing as at the Russian-speaking interview, because HR scripts are quite unified. The most common questions are:

Can you tell me a little about yourself?	Tell us a little about yourself
How did you hear about the position?	How did you hear about the vacancy?
What do you know about the company?	What do you know about our company?
Why should we hire you?	Why should we hire (specifically) you?
What are your greatest professional strengths?	What qualities help you in your work?
What do you consider to be your weaknesses?	What do you consider to be your weaknesses?
What is your greatest professional achievement?	Tell us about your most important achievement
Tell me about a challenge or conflict you’ve faced at work, and how you dealt with it	Talk about difficulties or conflicts, that you have encountered at work, and how did you solve the problem
Where do you see yourself in five years?	Where do you see yourself in five years?
What's your dream job?	Describe your dream job
What other companies are you interviewing with?	Do you go for interviews with other companies?
Why are you leaving your current job?	Why are you leaving your current job?
Why were you fired?	Why were you fired?
What are you looking for in a new position?	What are your expectations from your new job?
What type of work environment do you prefer?	What kind of environment do you prefer to work in?
How would your boss and co-workers describe you?	How might your manager and colleagues describe you?

3. Find out everything about the company

Carefully study the website of the company you are going to interview. But don't stop there. Find informal communities of the organization, executive interviews, employee social media pages, information about competitors. You need to glean as much data as possible so as not to get screwed up. At the same time, use the photos from the office to find out how best to dress for the interview.

4. Prepare answers to suggested questions

In the interview, you are not expected to be crystal-clear, but still, you shouldn't lie frankly either. Build your answers based on what they want to hear from you. This is where the results of a company mini-survey come in handy. For example, when asked about your preferred work environment, you would describe exactly the same as in this organization.

Prepare stories about your successes and failures, which you eventually managed to transform into victories, stock up on facts and figures. This will allow you to make the conversation substantive and not do with the usual words about sociability and teamwork, which will favorably distinguish you from other applicants.

5. Write down the answers

It is better to form the text of your speech not in the form of answers to specific questions. Make small blocks of meaning that you can juggle with in conversation. This will allow you not to check the questions with the answers in your head, but to choose the information that is appropriate in meaning.

Consider a few nuances:

• Choose simple designs. All sixteen tenses (plus ten in the passive voice) are used only in lessons at schools and at receptions with the queen, but this is not certain about the queen. Conversational speech is distinguished by short sentences and simple words without a zaum.
• Check the English-English dictionary for the accents of the words you are using. For a non-native speaker, not all of the nuances are obvious. The wording that is neutral for you can be offensive to the interlocutor.
• Don't overuse idioms. The use of set expressions is undoubtedly indicative of a deeper knowledge of the language. But if speech consists only of them, the speaker looks unnatural and even comical.

To formulate answers, you can enter a question in English into the Google search box and see what options are offered by specialized job search sites. But copying them word for word is still not worth it.

6. Take notes

You did not write down the answers to the questions for fun, you have to learn them. However, memorizing the text by heart is a bad idea. You will look unnatural and nervous if you forget something. Therefore, make an outline of your speech. You can write down one key sentence for each block or words that you will rely on.

7. Learn the answers

String on the skeleton of the text, created using the outline, "meat" of facts, events, shock phrases. The main task is to learn to tell stories clearly and consistently without peeping at the piece of paper. You should easily switch between blocks, as if generating answers right at the moment of the interview.

8. Practice your answers out loud

Even if the text sounds smooth in your head, try saying it out loud. This will help you understand that you need additional rehearsals. Attract caring loved ones who will be willing to listen as you get lost and start over. It is good if one of them knows English and will ask clarifying questions in order to create a situation close to "combat".

If there are no volunteers in the immediate environment, use the Internet. Moreover, this way you can even contact a native speaker. To find an interlocutor, use foreign forums, Skype. Even Chatroulette is suitable if you are not afraid that you have to look at other people's genitals before an adequate person comes in contact. Explain the task to him and tell him about yourself as planned. This will help solidify the text and give you confidence.

9. Build your vocabulary

The interview is not limited to routine questions, so it is better to brush up on the basic terms that are used in your profession. The following words may also come in handy:

a team-player	team player
adaptable	adaptable
competent	competent
creative	creative
dependable	reliable
determined	purposeful
enterprising	enterprising
enthusiastic	full of enthusiasm
experienced	experienced
flexible	adaptable
loyal	devotee
motivated	motivated
problem-solver	problem solver
reliable	reliable
successful	successful
team building skills	team building skills

10. Grind the result

If you have followed the previous nine recommendations, you are ready for the interview. But there are little things that can help you look even more convincing in the interview.

Try not to allow disturbing pauses in the conversation while remembering the desired answer. Please note that all introductory constructions, nervous jokes and parasite words must be in English. “I am … what’s it called? I am JavaScript developer "is better than" I am … damn it … I am JavaScript developer ".

Watch your intonations. In English, sentences expressing a confident and authoritative opinion, formal questions and answers require a downward tone. The questions use an upward tone.

Try to treat the interview as a pleasant conversation, rather than an exam.

This is primarily a conversation with a person who should like you. So be nice, polite, confident, competent. This way you can get a job even if your English is far from ideal.