Job Interview in English: Phrases You Can Practice Before Your Big Day

Next week is my first job interview in English. My native language is Italian, so I’d like to know some good ways to prepare myself for this interview.

–Pietro

If you’re not a native English speaker, it’s perfectly normal to feel stressed about speaking English during job interviews. Even native speakers get anxious and wonder about how to answer all those interview questions the right way.

Fortunately, you can prepare for your big day by practicing your responses to the most common job interview questions. In this article, we’ll go over some useful expressions that will help you nail your job interview and hopefully land your dream position (or at least something that will pay your bills and leave you with some extra spending money).

1. Greeting the interviewer

You don’t need to come up with a clever, unique greeting to make a good first impression. Just be friendly and polite and let the interviewer know you’re glad to be there.

• “It’s great to meet you, Janice. Thank you for this opportunity.”
• “Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today, Janice.”
• “Hello, Janice. I’m really excited to be here so I can learn more about this position.”

Practice Tip: Try saying these phrases out loud with a smile. If you already know the name of the person who will be interviewing you (in our examples, we used Janice), include that when you practice.

2. Talking about yourself

“Tell me about yourself” is a job interview staple. You’re likely to hear this one whether you’re applying for a position as a dishwasher, a dentist, or a dietician. Because it’s so open-ended, it can be hard to know what to say.

Here are some suggestions to help you get started:

• “I’m originally from Italy, and I spent seven years working in real estate before I moved to this country.”
• “For the past five years, I have worked as a computer repair technician at an electronics store. This job helped me develop my skills in troubleshooting and customer care.”
• “I would describe myself as someone who is creative and self-disciplined, which really gave me an edge when I was working remotely.”
• “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve dreamed of pursuing a career in education.”
• “I recently graduated from XYZ University with a degree in computer science, and I was very involved with the robotics team at a nearby middle school.”

Practice Tip: Pick one of the sentences above and adapt it to fit your own background. Then prepare a short “elevator pitch” (1-2 minutes).

3. Describing your experience

Be ready to tell the interviewer about your previous jobs. They might ask you about something specific from your resume, CV, or cover letter, so be prepared to elaborate.

Here are some phrases to help you get started:

• “In my last position, I was responsible for __________.”
• “One of my biggest achievements was _________.”
• “Some of the projects I worked on were __________ and ___________.”

Try using action verbs like “developed”, “designed”, “organized”, “managed”, “supervised”, “led”, and “improved”.

What if you are just entering the workforce and don’t have any previous jobs to discuss? Maybe you’re a recent graduate, or perhaps you delayed starting your career because you were busy with family responsibilities.

You can still use phrases like the ones listed above to describe your school activities, volunteer work, or even some of your hobbies. For example, maybe you led a team project for one of your courses, or organized a fundraiser for your child’s school, or took photos of adoptable puppies and kittens for a local animal shelter’s social media pages.

 

4. Answering common questions

Below are some popular job interview questions, plus some ways to begin your answers:

A. “What are your strengths?”

• “I’m very good at ___________.”
• “One of my main strengths is __________.”
• “At my last job, I received an award for ________.”

B. “What is your biggest weakness?”

• “I sometimes struggle with _________. But I’ve been working on it by _________.”
• “I am trying to become better at _______.”

C. “Why do you want to work here?”

• “I admire your company’s work in ________ and I feel that I could make a positive contribution.”
• “This position aligns with one of my goals, which is ________.”
• “Your company has a great reputation, especially in _______. I’d really love to be a part of that.”

Practice Tip: Record yourself answering these questions. Then listen and refine your answers.

5. Asking your own questions

Remember that job interviews go both ways! When the interviewer asks if you have any questions, the worst response is “No.”

So here are some examples of questions you can ask:

• “Could you tell me more about the team I’d be working with?”
• “What are the next steps in the hiring process?”
• “What does a typical day in this role look like?”
• “I’m really interested in your company’s latest ______. Can you tell me more about that?”

Asking questions shows that you’re serious about the job.

Final tips for a successful interview

• Do your homework and find out as much as you can about the company. Knowledge is power!
• Practice answering questions with a friend or tutor.
• Dress professionally, even if it’s an online interview.
• Don’t rush through your answers. It’s okay to ask the interviewer if you can have a moment to gather your thoughts about a topic.
• Smile and make eye contact.

You don’t need to memorize perfect answers, but familiarizing yourself with common questions and responses will help you feel calm and confident. The more you practice, the better you’ll sound during the actual interview.

If you aren’t sure if you’re on the right track, our TextRanch team is here for you. Send us written versions of the responses you’ve been practicing, and one of our editors give you some feedback.

And remember—you’ve got this!