interviewing for a job in America. If English  isn't your native language, you're going to  

learn some English and some important phrases  to know for interviewing and everybody is  

going to learn that you can prepare for and  ace your next job interview, let's do this.

You're hired! Two words everybody loves  to hear. But before we hear these words  

comes (dun dun duuuuhn!) the  

interview. Today's video is part one in a series  that's all about preparing for a job interview.

This is part one of a five part series on  preparing for an interview. Interviewing  

for a new job can be a huge  source of stress and anxiety.  

And if you're interviewing for a job in a  non-native language, the stress can be even  

higher. In this video you'll see me interview for  a job. Throughout the interview, we'll discuss  

some of the most common interview questions and  how to answer them. You'll also learn some basic  

information to get you started on creating your  own answers to these questions. Let's begin.

TK: Hello Ms. Smith, I'm Tom Kelley.  Thanks so much for coming in.

RS: It's my pleasure, thanks  so much for meeting with me.

TK: Of course. Did you have  any trouble finding the office?

Small Talk. Most interviews will start out  with a handshake and some small talk – this  

may include questions about how you're doing,  your travel to the interview, the weather,  

how your weekend went, and more. All you  need to do is be polite and friendly.  

Keep your answers short. You can  also feel free to turn the question  

back to the interviewer. For instance, if the  interviewer asks you how your weekend was,  

you might respond, “It was great, we celebrated my  Mom's birthday. How was your weekend?” Small talk  

is used to build a more comfortable environment  before the interview begins. It may seem silly,  

but you can practice small talk on your own  by asking yourself simple, easy-to-answer,  

non-personal questions. You could also practice  with a friend. Here is an example of small talk:

>> How are you doing?

>> I'm great, thank you, and you?

>> How are you doing?

>> I'm doing really well. It's  such a nice day out there.

>> It is! It was perfect weather all weekend.

>> It was.

>> Did you do anything  interesting over the weekend?

>> Yes, I went to the park  with my family for a picnic.

>> That sounds nice.

>> It was. And you?

>> I worked this weekend, but I  got a lot done, so that was good.

>> It does feel good to get work done!

You can see we haven't said much of importance,  but the conversation is friendly and open,  

and can make two people feel more  comfortable in each other's presence.

TK: Hello Ms. Smith, I'm Tom Kelley.  Thanks so much for coming in.

RS: It's my pleasure, thanks  so much for meeting with me.

TK: Of course. Did you have  any trouble finding the office?

RS: Nope. The directions  on the website were great.

TK: Good. Would you like some  coffee or water before we begin?

RS: I'm okay, thank you.

TK: Alright. So, to get started, why don't  you tell me a little bit about yourself.

RS: Sure.

Common Question: Tell me a little bit about  yourself. It's very common for interviewers  

to simply ask you to tell them about yourself.  That can feel overwhelming! But don't worry;  

what they really want you to focus on is  your education and work history. You can  

also let them know what areas you have a lot  of experience in, or what your interests are  

when answering this question. Here are a  few different ways to begin your answer.

I studied at Harvard University and  graduated 2012 with a degree in business.

I've been working at Smith  Incorporated for 10 years as a manager.

I have 12 years of experience in graphic design.

Because of my time at Verizon, I have a lot  of experience in providing customer service.

If you're preparing for an interview, practice  talking about yourself and your work history.   

Record yourself with a video camera if possible.   Make sure it's not too long, maybe around a  

minute.  Go back and listen or watch, and write  down phrases that worked well to use again.  If  

there was anything you stumbled over or left out,  write down some possible phrases you could have  

used.  The next day, do the same exercise.  It's  important that you don't just write a paragraph  

and memorize it, but simply practice free-talking  with some key phrases. The more you practice  

before the interview, the more comfortable you'll  feel answering the questions during the interview.

TK: So, to get started, why don't you  tell me a little bit about yourself.

RS: Sure. I studied at the University of Florida  and graduated in 2010 with a Masters Degree in  

Toy Design. After graduation, I was hired at  Happy Kid's Creative. I've been there for the  

past five years and am currently the Director  of Toy Production. During that time sales have  

grown steadily. It's been a great experience,  but I've run out of room to grow with HKC and  

I'm looking for new opportunities. I have a lot of  experience leading teams in the creative process  

and finding new markets for  the products that we create.

TK: That's great. Can you tell me  how you heard about this position?

Can you tell me how you heard about this  position? This is a common question that  

you'll hear in interviews. It's a chance to share  a little bit about the research that you've done  

in order to learn about the position you are  applying for. It's also a chance to share if  

someone from inside the company let you know about  the position. Here are some example responses:

I heard about the position from one  of your current employees, Bob Greene.

I heard about the position from my friend  Liz Miller, who works in Accounting.

I saw this position on LinkedIn.

I read about the position on your website.

Since this is a simple question with a simple  answer, think about your answer and practice  

it out loud before your interview. Record  yourself and listen. Are you easy to understand?  

Are there any words that are challenging for  you? Practice these words separately, slowly,  

thinking about the mouth position.  As it becomes more comfortable,  

speed it up. You're going to want to practice  tough words 10, 20, 30 times in a row.  

Build your muscle memory, so in the interview  it will naturally be easier to pronounce.

TK: That's great. Can you tell me  how you heard about this position?

RS: Of course. A friend of mine saw the position  listed on LinkedIn and forwarded it to me,  

so I spent some time on your website learning  about the position and the company. I also  

read an article in Business Weekly about  your work that really got me interested.

TK: What attracted you to our company?

Common Question: What  attracted you to our company?  

This question gives you the opportunity  to share what you know about the company,  

and why you would like to work there. Some ways  to begin your response include the following.  

Notice that most responses show that you have a  strong feeling about what you learned. This will  

give the interviewer more information about who  you are and what you might bring to the position.

I was really impressed with your  commitment to renewable energy.

I was very excited to learn that you support  your research department so strongly.

I read that you encourage employees  to spend time with each other  

outside the workplace, and that  is something I really appreciate.

Again, think about the answer to this question  before your interview, and practice your  

responses using recordings and repetition.  Even if this question is not asked, the time  

spent practicing the response will be helpful when  you answer other questions during the interview.

TK: What attracted you to our company?

RS: To be honest, what really caught my eye was  your focus on growth. I was really impressed with  

your ambitious goals and the clear plan you  have for achieving those goals. I also like  

the support you provide for your employees.  I love your continuing education initiatives,  

where you pay for employees to learn new techniques and skill sets.  

I think that really helps to build  employee satisfaction and loyalty.

TK: You've obviously done your homework.  What would you say is your greatest strength?

Common Question: What would you say is your  greatest strength? This question gives you the  

chance to talk about what you do really well as an  employee, and as a person. You can share what your  

greatest strength is, then explain how that helps  you in your current job or life. For example:

My greatest strength is _________. I find  that this is very important when I _______.

My greatest strength is flexibility.  I find that this is very important  

when I'm working with lots of  different people and opinions.

To practice answering this question,  write down: My greatest strength is  

(blank). Then, fill in your strength. Write down  how this strength is demonstrated in your life and  

work. You may come up with several  different strengths you want to highlight.  

That's great, practice them all. But in  the interview, you'll only want to use  

one or two answers. Practice answering the  questions out loud, based on what you wrote  

down. But don't just memorize written text.  Practice speaking freely on these ideas.

TK: What would you say is your greatest strength?

RS: I would say, my greatest strength is a  combination of enthusiasm and persistence.  

My work ethic won't let me settle for less  than my best. I'm able to persevere through  

challenges and setbacks without falling  into frustration or anger. I've noticed  

that this tends to keep those around me  in good spirits as well, which is a plus.

TK: That's very good.

TK: Can you tell me about  a time where you suffered  

a setback and had to maintain your enthusiasm?

Common Question: Can you tell me about  a time when you suffered a setback and  

had to maintain your enthusiasm? The  interviewer may ask questions like  

this to get a better sense of how you behave  and perform in certain stressful situations.  

The question may be about your actual past  experiences, or a hypothetical situation,  

to see how you would respond. Here are examples  of other questions that are similar to this one:

Tell me about a time when you had to  deal with a difficult client or coworker.

Tell me about a time when you  had to respond to a crisis.

Tell me about a time when you  had to give difficult feedback.

How would you handle a situation  where you and your supervisor  

disagreed about an issue or course of action?

You can see, there's a lot of variety  in the kind of way question is asked,  

so it's impossible to know exactly  what you might need to say.  

In the days leading up to your interview, practice  responding to several different versions of this  

question every day. This will help build important  vocabulary you might need in the interview,  

and will also help you feel ready  to answer questions like these.

TK: Can you tell me about  a time where you suffered  

a setback and had to maintain your enthusiasm?

RS: Sure. One definitely comes to mind. Last year  a project for a new toy was in its final stages  

after two years of work. As we were looking at the  branding and working up a final marketing plan,  

a competitor launched a version of the  exact same toy that we were launching.  

As the leader of the project, I knew that my  reaction would set the tone for the group.  

I acknowledged that it was a setback, but  challenged the group to think of this as a  

blessing in disguise. I asked them to go out  and buy the competitor's product and make a  

list of anything they wished the toy could do  that it didn't. It turned out that the list was  

pretty long. We added these items to our toy, and  launched a far superior product 6 months later.  

So, in many ways, the competitor's  product became the key to our success.

TK: That sounds like a great victory. Now.  What would you consider your greatest weakness?

Common Question: What do you consider to be your  greatest weakness? This question can be a tough  

one. You want to be as honest as possible when  answering this question. This is an opportunity  

to show a future employer that you know yourself,  and are willing to work to improve yourself.  

Share a weakness, like public speaking, or  attention to detail, fear of failure. And  

then talk about ways you've worked on improvement  in that area. Here is a way to start a response:

My greatest weakness is ___.

It shows up in my work when __.

The ways I've worked to  improve in this area are __.

Take a moment to think about something  you've struggled with in your work life.  

Think of ways that you've worked to improve, any  books that you've read, classes you've taken,  

and so on. These are the things you want to share  with the interviewer when answering this question.  

Remember, the important thing is  to show that you are aware of your  

weak spots – and that you are already  working at improving in these areas.

TK: Now, what do you consider  your greatest weakness?

RS: Chocolate. Just kidding! No, my biggest  weakness is public speaking. It's something  

that I've spent a lot of time working on  and in which I've improved a great deal.  

I'm very comfortable in smaller meetings  with my teams. But when I present an idea  

or concept to a larger audience, I still  experience some stage fright. At this point,  

I can handle these situations professionally,  but I would like to be more comfortable in these  

moments so I can really enjoy the experience  of presenting, rather than just survive it.

TK: Fear of public speaking is a very common  fear; I'm in the same boat on that one!

TK: Where do you see yourself in five years?

Common Question: Where do you see yourself in  five years? This is a chance to share your goals  

for the future. You want to demonstrate that  you understand what is realistically achievable  

over a certain period of time. You'll also be  letting the interviewer know how ambitious you are