IQA_Learning_Guide.pdf

English as a Second Language Podcast Interview Questions Answered 1 “Tell me about yourself.”These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development(2006).Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.1 SUMMARY OF TIPS:Your Goal:To prove to the interviewer that you have the skills and experience to be the ideal or perfect candidate for the job?Keep the answer short at about two minutes.?Focus on work-related skills and accomplishments,not personal information.?Tell the interviewer why you think your work-related skills and accomplishments would be an asset to the company.?Describe your education or work history very briefly.?Tell the interviewer about things you have done and jobs you have had related to the position you are interviewing for.?Mention one or two personal characteristics that have helped you accomplish your goals,giving short examples to illustrate._ SAMPLE ANSWERS Sample Answer 1:I have always enjoyed working with computers,so it was an easy decision to major in computer science at California University with a plan to enter the IT field.In school,I excelled in my computer-related classes and during my college years,I became particularly interested in software development,especially software that would help consumers.Thats why I applied for and completed a one-year internship with Lotadoe Industries.At Lotadoe,I learned how to formulate new ideas for software and how to communicate those ideas effectively to the rest of the development team.I am a very focused person and I tend to be product-oriented.At Lotadoe,I made sure that whatever projects I worked on,I saw to completion.For instance,I worked with a team that was developing a new version of a piece of popular software called Rototype.I asked to be part of every step of software development and at the end of the project,I was given the responsibility of getting final technical approval.I made sure that I followed through with the right departments,keeping my team informed of the progress.This is the type of work I enjoy and thats why I applied for a position with your English as a Second Language Podcast Interview Questions Answered 1 “Tell me about yourself.”These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development(2006).Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.2 Your company is a leader in software development and is in the forefront of new ideas in the field.I think that the products your company has developed in the past several years have been outstanding and are the best on the market.I want to work in a company where I can be challenged and where I can make a contribution.I would very much enjoy working in your company to develop new software and to improve existing ones.Sample Answer 2:I have worked successfully in sales for over 10 years.One of my first sales jobs was in college,where I majored in business.I worked for the college newspaper selling advertising space,and as an extrovert who likes interacting with people,I was very successful in the job.What also helped me sell more than any other salesperson was my persistence.I was willing to follow up with a potential client over weeks and even months,developing a relationship with them until they were ready to make a deal with us.Im currently working as a sales rep for the Michmuney Company.I have been their top salesperson for the past two years.Last year,I sold over$3 million worth of products.Now,Im ready for a new challenge.I want to work in public relations because it is an area where I can use my creativity together with my knowledge of advertising and sales.I have a proven ability to work well with people and I can develop good long-term relationships with clients.I want to work for your company in particular because you work primarily with Internet-based companies,which is an area that is growing at the rate of 40%a year.This makes your company a leader in the industry and Id like to be part of that._ GLOSSARY to major in to study something as ones main subject area in a college or university*Hes majoring in business and German because he wants to work for an international business based in Berlin.to enter a field to begin to work in a specific industry or field*She wants to enter the field of medicine and is taking a lot of biology courses and volunteering at the English as a Second Language Podcast Interview Questions Answered 1 “Tell me about yourself.”These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development(2006).Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.3 to excel to do very well;to be very good;to receive excellent grades*She excels in her foreign language courses and her professors have recommended that she become a translator.internship a short-term position with a company that allows a student to get work experience in his or her chosen field*Jacob did so well in his internship that the company offered him a job when he graduated the following year.to formulate to think of something;to create something step by step*Many organizations are trying to formulate a plan to reduce poverty in developing countries.effectively in a way that achieves a goal quickly and thoroughly,using the least amount of resources possible*If we want to manage this business more effectively,we have to find a way to reduce our costs.to be focused to be concentrated;with clear goals;not easily distracted*She is very focused on becoming an actress.Shes always taking acting classes and going to the theater.product-oriented thinking about products;focused on products;being most concerned about the results of the work*Sometimes Henry gets so interested in the day-to-day work that he forgets what we are trying to create.I wish he were more product-oriented.to see(something)to completion to make sure that a project gets finished;to be involved in all stages of a project,from start to finish*Even though Abdullah was excited about his promotion,he was disappointed because it meant that he wouldnt be able to see his old project to completion.to follow through to finish what one has started After sending my resume to a company,I always follow through by calling to request an interview.forefront the leading position in an industry or field*His ideas are at the forefront of cancer research and many people believe he will find a cure English as a Second Language Podcast Interview Questions Answered 1 “Tell me about yourself.”These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development(2006).Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.4 to be challenged to be presented with difficult,interesting tasks that require using ones skills and abilities*I dont like working as a receptionist.I want to be challenged,but all I do is answer the phones all day.contribution something that one does or gives to help a project,organization,or society*He received an award in honor of his contributions to world peace.extrovert an outgoing person who enjoys spending time with other people;not shy*My sister is an extrovert and is always going out with her friends,but I prefer to spend most of my time alone.persistence determination;willingness to continue trying to do something even when it is difficult;never giving up*That authors persistence is amazing.Even though 30 publishers have rejected her novel,shes still trying to find a publisher.top best;highest-ranking*Selecting the top five candidates for interviews was difficult,because they had received more than 100 applications for the position.creativity ability to think of new,unique ideas;ability to create something new*The company wants to hire a graphic designer with a lot of creativity who can make its website better than it is now.proven tested;shown to be true;having evidence that something is real*According to this article,it is a proven fact that people lose weight when they eat more fruits and vegetables.in particular especially;specifically;particularly*I hope that all of my friends come to the party,but in particular,I hope that Jason comes because I havent seen him for English as a Second Language Podcast Interview Questions Answered 1 “Tell me about yourself.”These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development(2006).Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.5 COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT ESLP presents Interview Questions Answered,episode one.Hello,Im your host,Dr.Jeff McQuillan,coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles,California.This series is designed to teach you the English you need to know to have a successful interview.The questions from this series are the most common questions asked at US business interviews.Each episode has two parts.First,we give you some important tips on how to answer the interview question.Second,we provide you with two sample answers that use these tips in answering the question and that you might hear in a typical business interview.You will hear each sample answer read slowly,then you will hear an explanation of the vocabulary and expressions we used in the answers.Finally,youll hear the answers read at a normal speed.All the episodes come with a written Learning Guide that contains all of the tips we discuss,definitions and sample sentences for each of the vocabulary words we use,and a complete transcript of the episode.Lets begin with question number one:Tell me about yourself?The question,Tell me about yourself,is usually the first question that you will hear in a business interview.Your goal,in answering this question,is to prove to the interviewer-to show the interviewer-that you have the skills and experience to be the ideal or perfect candidate for the job.Here are some tips in answering this question:Keep your answer short,at about two minutes.The person interviewing you wants you to give them an overview-a general idea of your skills and qualifications.You dont want to talk too much on this first question;two,maybe three minutes is all you will really need.Since you can expect that this question will be asked in the interview,you should prepare something that you can tell the person-the general qualifications that you have-in that short amount of time.Our second tip is to focus on work-related skills and accomplishments,not personal information.When the interviewer asks you to tell him or her about yourself,theyre interested in things that are related to the job.You may have some personal accomplishments or personal information,but what you want to English as a Second Language Podcast Interview Questions Answered 1 “Tell me about yourself.”These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development(2006).Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.6 do mostly here is to talk about why you are good person for the job.So,dont talk about your family,or a good vacation you went on,or something that you have done that is not related to the job in some way.Our third tip is to tell the interviewer why you think your work-related skills and accomplishments would be an asset to the company.An asset is a positive contribution to the company.You want to tell the person interviewing you not just what your skills are-the things that you can do,and the things that you have done-your accomplishments-you also want to tell them why these are related-why they are important for the company-why you would be able to give something to the company it doesnt have right now because of your skills and accomplishments.Fourth,you want to describe your education or work history very briefly.Normally,if youre going on an interview,you would talk about,very briefly,what you studied in college,for example,what degrees you have.Do you have a bachelors degree,do you have a masters degree,do you have a Ph.D.,a doctorate?You want to tell them where you went to school,what you studied at the school,and then you want to say a little bit about companies youve worked with or worked for and what positions you have had in those companies.So,you want to give them some information so they know,in general,what youve been doing before you came to this interview.You dont normally want to talk about your high school or grade school;most employers are not interested in that,unless you only graduated from high school-that you havent gone to college yet-then you might mention your high school degree-your high school diploma.Fifth,you want to tell the interviewer about things you have done and jobs you have had that are related to the position you are interviewing for.You want to tell them about your skills and accomplishments,but you also want to tell the interviewer or interviewers about specific things you have done-specific jobs that you have had that are somehow related to the position that you are interviewing for now.Finally,you want to mention one,maybe two personal characteristics that have helped you accomplish your goals,and give a short example to illustrate.We said earlier that you dont want to talk about your personal life in this question,but personal characteristics are a little different.Personal characteristics are things that you have that would be related to the job,things such as being able to get a job done on time,being able to focus and concentrate your attention on the English as a Second Language Podcast Interview Questions Answered 1 “Tell me about yourself.”These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development(2006).Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.7 You might say,for example,that you have good attention to detail-you can look at all the little things in an issue or a project and make sure that you are taking care of them.That would be a personal characteristic,and then you could give an example of why that was important in a job that youve already done.You may say,I had a project where I had many different parts that I had to take care of,and I was able to do them all.That way,youre showing the person-youre telling the interviewer how your personal characteristics will be able to help you do your job better.An interview,in general,particularly for US businesses,is sort of like an opportunity to sell yourself.You have to be able to show to the person that you are the best man or woman for the job.To summarize then:In answering the question,Tell me about yourself,you want to keep the answer short,two to three minutes.You want to focus on work-related skills and accomplishments,not your personal information.You want to tell the interviewer why you think your work-related skills and accomplishments would be a positive thing for the company.You want to talk about your education and where you worked before you came to the interview.You also want to tell