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  • Youre hired! Two words everyone loves to hear. But before we hear those words comes

  • (dun dun duuuuhn!) “the interview”. Today’s video is part two in a series that’s all

  • about preparing for a job interview.

  • This is part two of a five-part series on preparing for an interview. Interviewing for

  • a job can be a huge source of stress and anxiety. And if youre interviewing for a job in

  • a non-native language, the stress can be even higher. In this video youll see me interview

  • for a job. Throughout the interview, well discuss some of the most common interview

  • questions and how to answer them. Youll also learn some basic information to get you

  • started creating your own answers to these questions. Let’s pick up where we left off

  • in the first video.

  • 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 youll hear

  • in interviews. It’s a chance to share a little bit about the research that youve

  • 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. Youre 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 educate themselves

  • in new techniques and skill sets. I think that really helps to build employee satisfaction

  • and loyalty. TK: Youve 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, youll 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.

  • To be continued! Well pick it up from here in the next video in this series, where well

  • talk about some questions that could be tough to answer. Talking about setbacks and challenges

  • at work.

  • I hope this video on job interviews has been helpful. There’s nothing better than walking

  • out of an interview feeling that you were fully prepared!

  • If you have interview-related questions or stories, please post them in the comments

  • below. I’d love to hear them.

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  • with English videos and lessons, as well stories of American culture and my own life. Click

  • here or in the description to sign up.

  • That’s it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.

Youre hired! Two words everyone loves to hear. But before we hear those words comes

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