3 tips for your first interview in English- Akmal Hafiiz Abdul Rani

The thought of your first interview in English is daunting.  You might be worried about it even though you feel confident about speaking the language in other, less formal situations.  Don’t worry. Here are some ways to prepare for interviews in English.  With a little work and common sense you will exceed your own expectations and impress your interviewer.


1. Prepare set vocabulary

It’s a good idea to develop a strong vocabulary in relation to industry in which you work before the actual interview. This shows genuine interest in what you do as well as a desire to progress. For example, for somebody working in the education industry some good words and terms to incorporate into the interview are:

• Research
• Educational jargon 
• Teaching acronyms
• Academic standard
• Assessment
• Bilingual
• Brainstorming
• Constructivism
• Heterogeneous groups
• Methodology 
• Phonemic
• Taxonomy


2. Use suitable tenses.

When the interviewer asks you about your current position, answer in the present tense:
• I am working at…
• My current position involves…
• I have been working there for 4 years…

When the interviewer asks you about your past positions answer in the past tense:
• I worked at …
• My former role involved…
• I had been working there for 4 years…


3. Keep answers short and to the point.

There is a saying in English: Keep it short and simple (KISS) and nowhere is this more the case than in the interview situation. It is likely that questions during the interview will be direct and precise and your answers should be the same. Don’t over complicate things. Talking too much is called rambling in English and this should be avoided in interviews.


You only have 10-15 minutes to impress so make the most of the short time you have.


Written by,

Akmal Hafiiz Abdul Rani,
Lecturer,
Kolej UNITI Port Dickson