JOB INTERVIEW IN ENGLISH - USING THE JOB DESCRIPTION TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

HOW TO START PREPARING FOR A JOB INTERVIEW IN ENGLISH

Once you have applied for a position and been lucky to get invited to a job interview, you need to seize the opportunity to present yourself in the best possible way. One of the ways to deal with the preparation is to find the key words and phrases for your position, and then use them while talking about your skills, competencies or experience. 

Make the recruiter hear what they want to hear; it was them who wrote the job description, and they will be seeking in you the features included in the description. You will also see sets of words used for specific jobs within an industry in other job descriptions, so why not use it to your advantage. Search similar job ads and descriptions online, write down the most often repeating phrases, use a dictionary to understand their meanings. Even if you find out that the words used are not the same, they will fall into similar categories.

PHRASES THAT REPEAT IN JOB DESCRIPTIONS
​
communication skills - eg. excellent communication skills
confidentiality - eg. ability to handle confidential information
self-starter - eg. ability to work witout supervision
prioritizing and multitasking - eg. must be able to handle multiple projects simultanously
organised - eg. needs to be a quick learner and highly organized with excellent follow-up skills.
problem solving skills - eg. must have a go-getting attitude
analyzing skills - eg. ability to create and analyze reports, spreadsheets.


HOW TO PREPARE YOUR PERFECT PHRASE

Now, that you have analysed the job description and found the phrases that repeat, you can use them in a job interview to present your best features that match the requirements.

An example of a job advertisement for the position of Personal Assistant / Office Manager:

'...To be considered for the position, you must be a fast worker with the ability to multi-task. In addition, you must possess the following key skills and experience:

• Experience in a similar role or proven track record 
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Ability to liaise with clients confidently and professionally,
• Professional and confident telephone manner
• Computer literate
• High level of numeracy and literacy
• Extremely self-motivated
• Strong organisational skills ...'


Now using the above example you can formulate your perfect phrase:

"I can see that someone who is a great communicator with excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to cooperate with clients in a confidential and professional manner is your ideal candidate. I believe that the description matches with my skills completely. Apart from all these, I am also proficient in using computer and have numeracy and literacy skills. Additionally, my coworkers and previous bosses complimented me on my exceptional organisational skills."

Are you preparing for a job interview?  Do you need help? Contact me.