3. Workshop Objectives
1. To learn 8 new words related to job interviews
2. To learn the meaning behind 5 common interview
questions
3. To learn how to answer 5 common interview questions
4. • What is your name?
• Where are you from?
Introductions
6. Activity one: Vocabulary Review
Member of a nationut
to be direct
circumstances
opportunity
to handle pressure/ stress
commitment
to badmouth someone
concrete example
talk about important things to say bad things about someone
promise to do something
a favourable time
To do well in difficult situations
a very good and clear example
to be clear
a condition that modifies an event
to stick to the facts
7. Activity two: Fill-in-the-blank
1. We should never _____________________ our past employer.
2. We should __________________________ when speaking to our prospective employees.
3. This job could be a great _____________________ .
4. How do you ____________________________ ?
5. ____________________ when answering job interview questions.
6. Can give me a __________________________ about how you handle pressure?
7. Are you ready to make a ______________________ to work hard?
8. Can you tell me ___________________ about why you lost your last job?
to badmouth
handle pressure
Be direct commitment
concrete exampleopportunity stick to the factscircumstances
8. Group discussion
Activity 2
• Have you ever gone for a job interview?
• What are some common interview
questions you have heard?
9. Listen to a dialogue.
What important points did you hear?
Activity 3
10. Listen to a dialogue:
Johanna
Johanna
Alicia
Johanna
Alicia
Johanna
Alicia
Alicia
Wow, thanks for inviting me to the job seminar!
Did you enjoy it?
I sure did!
What was your favourite part?
Well, probably about how I need to be ready to give concrete examples.
If you say, for example, that you are good at handling stress, you need
to be ready to give a good example of this.
That does make sense.
What was that again? I think I missed that part.
I also appreciated where the speaker said that we need to be direct
when speaking during the interview.
Johanna
Alicia Exactly. This is why it’s so important to understand what prospective
employers are asking when asking job interview questions.
11. Listen to a dialogue:
Johanna
Alicia
Johanna
Alicia
Johanna
Alicia
Johanna
Alicia
Alicia
Of course!
yes. For instance, a really difficult question is about why you left your
previous job.
Right. It is so important not to badmouth our previous employer.
One more thing about is that we should be ready to discuss the
circumstance that led to us leaving that previous employer.
I think the most important thing is to be able to show your
commitment to the new company.
What did you take away from that?
Johanna Uh-huh, they want to know you are going to stick around.
Good point. Anyway, can I go to the next seminar with you?
Yes, and on the other hand we learned about how to answer when
they ask why you want to work for them.
This is where speaking about your plans for the future is so important.
12. Let’s learn about 5 very common
interview questions, and what they
really mean!
Activity 4
13. 1. Why are you leaving your job?
Focus on the future!
14. 1. Why are you leaving your job?
Tips to answer question:
Be direct
Stick with the facts
15. 1. Why are you leaving your job?
SAMPLE ANSWER:
“I'm relocating to this area due to family
circumstances. I left my previous position in order
to make the move.”
16. 2. Why do you want this job?
What is attractive to you about the job or company?
Image by Festivio/ 8 images shared underCC0
17. 2. Why do you want this job?
Tips to answer question:
Be specific about why you are the one for the job.
Focus on the future.
Don’t talk about the location of the company or the hours of the job.
18. 2. Why do you want this job?
SAMPLE ANSWER:
“ I think this is an excellent opportunity, and this
company is a place where my qualifications can
make a difference. I think the job will be a great
challenge. This is the opportunity I am looking for”
19. 3. How do you handle stress and
pressure?
What do you do when things go wrong?
Image by Gerault/ 10370 images shared under CCO
20. 3. How do you handle stress and
pressure?
Tips to answer question:
Give concrete examples of what you have done to handle stress in the past.
Image by Gerault/ 10370 images shared under CCO
21. 3. How do you handle stress and
pressure?
SAMPLE ANSWER:
“I find that I work very well under pressure. Once at my
previous job 3 people were sick and the deadline was
pushed back by 10 days. Despite this, I was able to get
the work done before the deadline.”
Image by Gerault/ 10370 images shared under CCO
22. 4. Describe how you overcame a
difficult situation at work.
When do you do when the “going gets tough”?
23. 4. Describe how you overcame a
difficult situation at work.
Tips to answer question:
Be ready to give some good examples.
24. 4. Describe how you overcame a
difficult situation at work.
SAMPLE ANSWER:
“ Once while working on a team project, my colleagues and I had to
make a number of choices about how to use our limited budget. These
decisions depended on consensus from the group. I was able to get
everyone to work together and the project was a great success.
25. 5. What are your future plans?
Are you going to stick around?
Image by PublicDomainPictures / Peggy _Marco/ 4661 images Shared under CCO
26. 5. What are your future plans?
Tips to answer question:
Refer to the company and the position you want.
Image by PublicDomainPictures / Peggy _Marco/ 4661 images Shared under CCO
27. 5. What are your future plans?
Image by PublicDomainPictures / Peggy _Marco/ 4661 images Shared under CCO
SAMPLE ANSWER:
“My long-term goals involve growing with a company where I can
continue to learn, take on additional responsibilities, and contribute as
much of value as I can..”
29. Case studies
Read the studies.
• What is done well?
• What is not so well done?
Activity 6
30. Case Study 1
Manager: “Why do you want to work for this
company?”
Candidate: “I really need a job. I have been out of
work for 6 months!
31. Case Study 2
Manager: Why did you leave your previous
employer?
Candidate: “ My boss was very unreasonable. He
was mad because I was late a few times. It wasn’t
my fault that I missed my bus.”
32. Case Study 3
Manager: “How do you handle pressure?”
Candidate: “I react to situations, rather than to
stress. That way, the situation is taken care of and
doesn't become stressful. For example, when I
dealing with an unhappy customer, I focus on the
task at hand. I believe my ability to communicate
effectively with customers during these moments
helps reduce my own stress in these situations, and
also reduces any stress the customer may feel.”
33. Case Study 4
Manager: Describe how you overcame a difficult
situation at work.
Candidate: “ I was a manager at my previous company.
Sometimes I have had to let people go, due to financial
constraints. I would research to make sure I did what was
best for the company, while releasing as few employees
as possible.”
34. Case Study 5
Manager: Tell me about your future plans.
Candidate: “ I plan on building a house next year and
maybe losing a little weight!”
41. Review: What did you learn
today?
• 8 new words related to job interview
questions
• The meaning behind 5 common interview
questions
• How to answer 5 common interview
questions