Preparing for a job interview in English

Most people find it hard to cope with job interviews. Some even suffer and feel they are going through a nightmarish ordeal.
There are, of course, plenty of reasons for this but, I think, one of the most important ones is the fact that we have to “sell ourselves” so to speak. We need to brag, something which isn´t seen under such a positive light by our society, perhaps due to religious and sociocultural matters.
So, here are some tips to help you succeed:

1) Do some research on the company + position you’re being interviewed for. This will definitely help you ask the right questions when the time comes, and, of course, answer them. You need to know what they expect from you as a professional, and how your assets match those expectations.

2) Have a list of possible questions that might come up during the interview, and try to think about what your answers would be (remember you don’t need to memorise stock answers!). Some typical job interview questions are:
“So, tell me about yourself.”
“What are your greatest strengths?”
“Why should I hire you?”
“What experience do you have in tis field?”
“Are you applying for other jobs?”
“Why do you want to work for this organization?”
“Are you a team player?”
“How long would you expect to work for us if hired?”

3) Try not to use the verb “be” when you are describing your strengths or abilities (“I am a very creative person”). It’s better to use action verbs and the present perfect and past tenses (I have led a team of 20 engineers) . “Remember that employers aren’t interested in who you are, but what you can do.” (Richardson, D.)

4) You can avoid self-praise by saying something like “Well, my colleagues say I’m…”. Another useful technique (and one which also appears in Ricardson’s article) is focusing on the things you enjoy, those that give you great pleasure and make you proud.

5) Finally, once you’re there you need to be aware of your non-verbal communication (90 % of all communication is non-verbal!): be careful of your body posture, make eye contact with your interviewer, show confidence in your general manners.

If all goes well, and you don’t get an interviewer like this, your chances to be successful are pretty high. So, Good luck!!