Interview in English: how to tell about yourself correctly

    More and more recruiters in modern companies prefer to conduct interviews with applicants in English. For HR specialists, this is beneficial, because you can simultaneously check the English knowledge of the applicant and find out more information about him.

    True, for applicants themselves, a story about themselves in English often causes difficulties. Especially if the level of English does not yet allow you to freely communicate on any topic.

    The teachers of the EnglishDom online school of English shared their views on how to build a presentation of yourself in English so that you can be hired.

    Step-by-step story plan about yourself


    Self-presentation usually takes 3-5 minutes, but the first impression of HR-a is largely dependent on it. Therefore, we recommend preparing for the story about yourself in advance.

    The optimal size of the autobiography at the interview is up to 15 sentences. More recruiter is unlikely to listen.

    The presentation plan should be worked out in advance. The story should be compact, without unnecessary details, but at the same time capacious in meaning.

    We proceed directly to the plan.

    1. General information about yourself (name and age)


    The beginning of an autobiography is the simplest, because it is taught to present oneself correctly at the elementary level.

    • My name is Ivan Petrov. - My name is Ivan Petrov.
    • I'm 30 years old. - I am 30 years old.

    As an introductory phrase, some recommend using “Let me introduce myself,” but according to EnglishDom teachers, this will only assure the recruiter that you have a fairly low level of English.

    To make the story more fluid and informal, use the well, let's start, so, okay fillers .
    Okay, let's start. My name is ... - Ok, let's get started. My name is…

    So the speech will look more natural. The main thing is not to go too far with fillers. One for 3 sentences will be quite enough.

    2. Place of residence


    Here, too, everything is quite simple. You must specify the city in which you live and the area if the city is large. You can also specify the region you are from, but this is optional.

    • I'm from Kyiv. - I am from Kiev.
    • I live in Moscow, in the Khamovniki District. - I live in Moscow, in Khamovniki.
    • I used to live in ... - I used to live in such cities ...
    • My hometown is Lviv. - My hometown is Lviv.

    3. Family


    You don’t need to tell too much. It’s enough to mention whether you are married (or married), whether you have children. If so, how old are they. One sentence can tell about the profession of a wife. But don't get carried away. The interview is all about you, not about your family.

    • I'm married. - IM married. (I'm married)
    • My wife (husband) is a designer. - My wife (my husband) is a designer.
    • I've been married for 10 years. - I have been married for 10 years.
    • I'm divorced. - I divorced.
    • I have 2 kids. They're 9 and 3. - I have two children. They are 9 and 3 years old.

    4. Education, work skills and competencies


    We recommend not to go in cycles in formal education. The tower is worth mentioning, but focus on it only if you are striving to get a job in the specialty.

    Focus on professional knowledge and competencies.

    • I graduated from KNU with a degree in ... - Graduated from KNU with a degree in ...
    • I took a training program at ... - I took courses on ...
    • My professional experience includes ... - My professional experience includes ...
    • I have the following skills ... - I have the following skills ...
    • My work experience accounts ... - My work experience totals ...

    This block should be the largest of all, taking from 3 to 8 sentences.

    5. Recent jobs and positions


    Almost all recruiters ask about their last job, so you can mention it directly in self-presentation.

    • I worked as a system administrator in ABC company before then. - Before that, I worked as system administrators at ABC.
    • I was fired because of ... - I was fired because ...
    • It the last 5 years of work in ABC I've achieved the following results ... - Over the past 5 years of work at ABC, I have achieved the following results ...

    It’s not worth focusing on this - focus on your competencies and achievements.

    6. Personal qualities


    In self-presentation it is worth mentioning several qualities that you consider to be the best in yourself. Three or four will be enough. Do not self-praise too much - the recruiter will not appreciate it.

    Here are some common positive qualities. Choose among them those that are right for you:

    • hard-working - hardworking;
    • sociable - communicative;
    • diligent - diligent;
    • responsible - responsible;
    • open-minded - with a broad outlook; open;
    • creative - creative;
    • ambitious - ambitious;
    • stress-resistant - stress-resistant;
    • initiative - initiative.

    Some recruiters also ask about the negative aspects of applicants, but you should not talk about them in a personal presentation. Your task is to present yourself as briefly as a person and as a specialist, the negative here will be off topic. If you really need it, HR will ask separately.

    7. Hobbies and other personal information


    This item is optional. But from personal experience, the applicant is perceived more pleasantly if he has hobbies and hobbies. Especially if they are not quite ordinary. One hobby offer will be enough.

    • In my pastime I enjoy to ... - In my free time I enjoy ...
    • I have a few hobbies ... - I have several hobbies ...

    Tips for preparing for a story about yourself at an interview


    We have put together some tips that will help you present yourself correctly and maximize your chances of getting a job.

    Tip 1. Preparation and preparation again


    Even if your level of English allows you to communicate almost freely, it is worth spending a little time preparing for the interview.

    You won’t be able to make your first impression twice, so any grammatical errors, confused words and too long pauses between sentences can cost you a job.

    The best way is to write your speech on paper in advance and read it aloud several times. Learning by heart is not necessary, because the recruiter may ask clarifying questions along the way. If you get confused and forget what to say next, it will be too noticeable.

    Tip 2. Use simple words and phrases


    If you want to impress a recruiter, then it is better to do this with your knowledge and skills in the professional field.

    It’s not worth it to overload your speech with complex sentences, idioms and little-used words, even if you know English very well. It looks like a posturing.

    It’s best to use the available phrases and expressions. But if you want to make your speech more natural, you can use idioms and fillers, but only in a reasonable amount.

    Tip 3. Keep calm


    Panic is the easiest way to screw up an interview. Especially if it is in English.

    Therefore, try to maintain clarity of mind, even if something goes wrong. If you are too emotional, drink a sedative before the interview.

    Some recruiters deliberately try to get the applicant out of their usual rhythm by asking tricky and sometimes openly stupid questions. For instance:

    • What do you think of garden gnomes?
    • Do you have a favorite song in English? Sing it for us.
    • Why is the surface of the golf ball covered in recesses?
    • Why are manholes round?

    The purpose of these questions is to check how you are acting in a completely unfamiliar situation. Unfortunately, one won’t be able to prepare for such questions in advance, so you have to rely on your vocabulary and erudition.

    conclusions


    Applicants believe that interviewing in English is more difficult than in Russian. But all this is due to the language barrier, which does not allow you to freely express your thoughts in a foreign language.

    Sometimes even specialists with good English (advanced and above) get lost in interviews, which leads to a natural refusal. Therefore, learn English and prepare for interviews carefully.

    EnglishDom.com is an online school that inspires you to learn English through innovation and human care.




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