BEP 40c – Job Interviews: First-Round Interview (1)

Hello and welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on key skills for
first-round job interviews.

If you find job interviews stressful, you’re certainly not alone. Many people struggle
to feel confident and comfortable in interview situations. And there’s the added
worry that the stress you feel will make it even more difficult to answer the
questions well. But you can reduce this stress with effective preparation.

You know that you’ll be asked certain types of questions. So you can make notes
about your responses, or make an outline of important ideas that you want to talk
about. You can also develop skills to make sure you’re being clear and accurate in
your responses.

So what should you prepare and what skills should you develop? Well, for starters,
you should be ready to introduce yourself and your career path, and to summarize
your current job responsibilities. In terms of skills, it’s good to practice clarifying
the words you use, buying yourself time, and connecting your answers back to the
question.

In this lesson, we’ll listen as William is interviewed for a position in business

development at a bank in Hong Kong. He’s being interviewed by Mike, an HR
manager at the company. This is a first-round interview, and you can hear William
show how comfortable and skilled he is at responding to the questions.

As you listen to the dialog, try to answer the following questions:

1. What information does William give about his education and work history?
2. What does William say about his management style?
3. What does William say to buy himself time to think of an answer?

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Vocabulary

Atrocious: Extremely bad or unpleasant. "The customer service was absolutely

atrocious, and I won’t be shopping there again."

To have a seat: A polite way to ask someone to sit down. "Please have a seat, and
we’ll start the interview shortly."

To graduate with honors: To complete a degree with high academic achievement.

"She worked hard throughout college and graduated with honors in finance."

Branch: A local office or division of a company or organization. "The bank opened a

new branch downtown to serve more customers."

Loan officer: A professional who evaluates and approves loan applications. "The
loan officer reviewed my application and approved my mortgage."

Revolving credit: A type of credit that allows borrowing up to a limit and repayment
over time. "Many businesses use revolving credit to manage short-term cash flow
needs."

Expat: A person who lives and works in a country other than their home country.
"As an expat in Japan, he had to adjust to a completely new work culture."

To oversee: To supervise or manage a project, team, or operation. "The regional

manager oversees multiple stores across the state."

Portfolio: A collection of investments, projects, or responsibilities. "Her investment

portfolio includes stocks, bonds, and real estate."

Fixed assets: Long-term assets such as buildings, equipment, and land used in a
business. "The company invested heavily in fixed assets, including new
manufacturing plants."

Management style: The way a leader directs and interacts with employees. "His
management style is hands-on, and he prefers to work closely with his team."

Participatory: Involving employees or team members in decision-making. "The

company adopted a participatory approach, allowing employees to give input on
major decisions."

Situational: Adapting leadership or actions based on the circumstances. "Her

situational leadership style allows her to adjust based on the team’s needs."

To place emphasis on: To give special importance to something. "Our training

program places emphasis on developing strong communication skills."

To thrive on: To perform well or feel energized in a particular situation. "She thrives
on high-pressure situations and always meets tight deadlines."

Under pressure: In a stressful or demanding situation. "The team performed

exceptionally well under pressure and met the deadline."

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Detail-oriented: Focused on accuracy and small elements of a task. "As a financial
analyst, being detail-oriented is crucial for spotting errors in reports."

Proactive: Taking action in advance to prevent problems or make improvements. "A

proactive approach to customer service helps prevent complaints before they
happen."

CRM: Customer Relationship Management; software or strategies for managing

customer interactions. "The sales team uses a CRM system to track client
interactions and follow-ups."

Status: The current condition or progress of something. "Can you give me a quick
update on the status of the project?"

Back on schedule: Returning to the planned timeline after a delay. "After resolving
the supply chain issues, the project is back on schedule."

Course of action: A planned series of steps to achieve a goal. "We need to decide
on the best course of action for handling the budget cuts."

Influence: The ability to affect decisions, behaviors, or outcomes. "Her influence in

the industry helped the company secure major partnerships."

Authority: The power or right to make decisions and enforce rules. "The department
manager has the authority to approve all hiring decisions."

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Dialog

Mike: Nice to meet you. It’s William, right? Just call me Mike. Have any trouble
finding us?

William: No, thanks. But the traffic was bad.

Mike: Atrocious, isn’t it. You’re right on time though. That’s good. Have a seat…
Let’s start off with just a general question about your background. Can you tell me
a little about yourself?

William: Alright… Since graduating with honors in Economics from the

University of Hong Kong - that was in 1996 - I’ve been working for 10 years at First
United Trust at the Admiralty branch, first as a loan officer and for the past three
years as a branch assistant manager.

Mike: Okay. And what are your main responsibilities at First United?

William: I’ve been mainly responsible for handling revolving credit for over 100
local and expat customers and overseeing a portfolio of HK$400 million per year
in new short and long-term fixed assets loans for individuals and... for small
businesses.

Mike: Uh huh. That’s great. Maybe you could also tell me something about the
way you manage people. What’s your management style?

William: Uh, let’s see... I’d say my management style is participatory and
situational, by that I mean that my style adapts to what each situation requires,
but I always place great emphasis on participation from my team. As for my
personal characteristics, I thrive on challenge. I work well under pressure and I
would describe myself as detail oriented and proactive.

Mike: Interesting. Those are always good qualities to bring to the job. You said that
your management style was participatory and situational. Could you give an
example of that?

William: Let’s see. Let me think about that… Okay, we were installing a major
client CRM system which was behind schedule. I called a meeting with all seven
team members, described the project status and asked for recommendations for
getting the project back on schedule. The team decided on the best course of
action and the result was that we successfully delivered the project on time. This is
a good example of my participatory leadership style... I try to use influence rather
than authority to lead.

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Debrief

Now let’s go through the dialog again and listen to how William deals with the
different questions Mike is asking. They begin with a bit of small talk about traffic
before Mike asks his first question.

Mike: Nice to meet you. It’s William, right? Just call me Mike. Have any trouble
finding us?

William: No, thanks. But the traffic was bad.

Mike: Atrocious, isn’t it. You’re right on time though. That’s good. Have a seat…
Let’s start off with just a general question about your background. Can you tell me
a little about yourself?

William: Alright… Since graduating with honors in Economics from the

University of Hong Kong - that was in 1996 - I’ve been working for 10 years at First
United Trust at the Admiralty branch, first as a loan officer and for the past three
years as a branch assistant manager.

When Mike invites William to introduce himself, notice that William keeps his
response focused on his career path. He mentions his education as well as his work
history, which includes two roles at a “branch,” or a particular office of a bank.

What you’ll notice is that William gives just the right amount of information. If your
response to any question is too short, you won’t make a good impression. Imagine
if William just said “Okay, I’m William and I work at First United Trust.” But it’s also
not good to give an answer that’s too long. In this case, the right amount is just a
few sentences.

What are some other things we can say as part of an introduction focused on your
career path? Let’s try some more examples.

§ I graduated with a degree in finance and have since specialized in risk management.
§ After completing my MBA, I worked as an analyst in corporate finance for five years.
§ I spent a decade in marketing before transitioning to a role in product management.
§ I began as an intern in the industry and worked my way up to team lead.

Now that William has introduced his current work, it’s a chance for Mike to ask a
follow-up question.

Mike: Okay. And what are your main responsibilities at First United?

William: I’ve been mainly responsible for handling revolving credit for over 100
individual local and expat customers and overseeing a portfolio of HK$400
million per year in new short and long-term fixed assets loans for individuals and
for... for small businesses.

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Once again, you can hear William give enough information for Mike to understand,
but not so much that he gets distracted. And with his answer, William uses some
key phrases to explain his level of responsibility. He talks about what he’s
“responsible for” and mentions that he “oversees” a big portfolio, or collection of
investments.

You’ll also notice that he gives some idea of the scope or scale of his responsibility.
This includes mentioning how many customers he handles and how big the
investment portfolio is. This will help Mike understand his capabilities.

You can assume that you’ll be asked to summarize your current job responsibilities,
so let’s practice more ways of doing this. Notice the strong focus on verbs like
“coordinate,” “manage,” and “oversee.”

• I’m responsible for managing key client accounts and ensuring service quality.
• My role involves coordinating project timelines and communicating updates to all
stakeholders.
• I oversee a team of six, providing guidance and support on daily operations.
• My primary focus is on budget management and financial forecasting.

Now let’s get back to the interview, as Mike asks about a specific skill or
responsibility.

Mike: Uh huh. That’s great. Maybe you could also tell me something about the
way you manage people. What’s your management style?

William: Uh, let’s see...I’d say my management style is participatory and

situational, by that I mean that my style adapts to what each situation requires,
but I always place great emphasis on participation from my team.

William has used the words “participatory” and “situational” to describe his
management style. It’s easy to throw buzz words around. But good job candidates
will show that they have a clear understanding of the words they use.

As you can hear, William explains exactly what he means with these words.
“Situational” means he adapts to different situations. And “participatory” means he
considers team participation important. Or he “places emphasis” on participation.

Let’s run through some more ways of clarifying the words you use so that an
interviewer understands exactly what you mean.

• When I say “innovative,” I’m referring to finding creative solutions to problems.

• I define “team-oriented” as always being willing to collaborate with colleagues.
• By “efficient,” I mean delivering quality work within the set deadlines.
• When I say “goal-driven,” I’m talking about my commitment to achieving
results.

After explaining his approach to management, William talks about his working style.

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William: As for my personal characteristics, I thrive on challenge. I work well
under pressure and I would describe myself as detail oriented and proactive.

Mike: Interesting. Those are always good qualities to bring to the job. You said that
your management style was participatory and situational. Could you give an
example of that?

William: Let’s see. Let me think about that.

William is trying to create a clear picture of how he works. He emphasizes that he’s
good in high pressure challenging situations. And he’s good with details. But Mike
wants to come back to William’s ideas about “participatory” and “situational”
management. He wants more than just an explanation; he asks for an actual
example of his approach to management.

Questions about specific examples when you did something or demonstrated some
quality or approach are common. It’s a part of what we call “behavioral questions,”
where you are asked about situations and how you reacted. It’s not always easy to
think quickly about situations in your past. For this reason, it’s good to know some
expressions for buying yourself some time.

William doesn’t rush to give an example. Instead, he takes his time and says “let’s
see” and “let me think about that” to give himself time to think of a good answer.
Let’s try some more ways of buying yourself some time to think of a response.

• That’s a great question; give me a second to gather my thoughts.

• Let’s see… I’ll need a moment to recall a good example.
• Hmm, let me think about the best way to explain that.
• Just a second… I want to make sure I answer accurately.

So, what example does William come up with for his “situational” and
“participatory” management style? Let’s listen, as he talks about a project to install
a new “CRM,” or customer relationship management system.

William: Okay, we were installing a major client CRM system which was behind
schedule. I called a meeting with all seven team members, described the project
status and asked for recommendations for getting the project back on schedule.
The team decided on the best course of action and the result was that we
successfully delivered the project on time. This is a good example of my
participatory leadership style... I try to use influence rather than authority to
lead.

William summarizes the situation concisely and clearly. He uses what we call the
STAR approach to behavioral questions. That means he talks about the situation,
the task that was needed, his action, and the result.

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Most importantly, William brings his response back to the exact question about
“participatory leadership style.” It can be easy once you start telling a story about
your work experience to forget what the question was!

What are some other ways of connecting a long answer back to the question? Let’s
run through a few more examples.

• So, in short, that’s how I approached the challenge with my team.

• To bring it all together, that’s how my role impacted the project.
• To answer your question, that’s how I lead in a high-pressure situation.
• And in the end, that’s how I ensured the team’s success.

These ways of connecting a long answer back to the question are very useful. A
good interviewer will frame their questions to collect the information they need to
make a decision. And if you stray from their questions too far, they might not invite
you back for a second interview!

Now let’s practice some of the language we learned in today’s lesson. Imagine you
are interviewing for a management position at a financial services company. You’ll
hear a cue from the employee, then I’ll tell you how to respond. We’ll guide you
through each step in the practice and provide an example answer for each
response.

Ready? Let’s give it a go!

Cue 1: Could you share a bit about your background?

Start by saying you started as a financial analyst and then became a team lead.
Answer:

Cue 2: I see and what kind of tasks do you handle in your current role?
Now say that you manage client portfolios and advise them on investment
strategies.
Answer:

Cue 3: You mentioned that your management style is collaborative. Could you
expand on that?
Now clarify that you mean you always encourage your team to share ideas.
Answer:

Cue 4: On another note, can you give an example of leading a project under
pressure?
Now buy yourself some time by asking for a moment to think of a good example.
Answer:

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Answer 1: So I started as a financial analyst and then became a team lead.
Answer 2: I manage client portfolios and advise them on investment strategies.
Answer 3: By collaborative, I mean I always encourage my team to share their ideas.
Answer 4: Let see… just give me a moment to think of a good example.

That’s all for this lesson on job interviews. We’ve looked at how to introduce
yourself and talk about your current job and responsibilities. We’ve also learned
how to clarify the words you use, buy yourself some time, and tie a long answer
back to the question.

Thanks for listening and see you again soon!

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Study Strategy

There are some interview questions that you know you’ll be asked and others that
you can likely guess at. For example, you’ll have to introduce yourself and describe
your current job responsibilities. And you can probably guess at the kinds of
behavioral situations you’ll be asked about.

Imagine you’re applying for a position at another company. To keep it simple, just
imagine the position is the same or very similar to the one you have now. Now,
what kinds of behaviors or situations do you think an interviewer would ask about
in such an interview? Choose three situations (e.g. “Can you tell us about a time
when you…”) and make notes on how you have dealt with such a situation.

Now, with a partner, you will role play part of the interview. Your partner can begin
by asking you to introduce yourself and describe your current job responsibilities.
Then your partner can choose one of the situations that you came up with and ask
you to explain an example in your work.

Start by using an expression you’ve learned to buy yourself some time. Then
explain the example situation from your experience before tying the answer back to
the question. When you’re finished, switch roles and interview your partner.

Language Review

A. Buying Yourself Time

A useful interview skill is buying yourself time when you need to think of an answer
to a tough question. There are many different expressions we can use in this
situation, as you’ve learned in this lesson. In the sentences below, which verb is
needed to complete the expression and the sentence? Fill in the blanks with the
given verbs.

gather recall see think

1. Great question, and I just need a moment to __________ a good example.

2. Hmm… let me __________ about that for a second.
3. Ah yes, well give me a second to __________ my thoughts on that.
4. Well, let’s __________, I do remember a situation like that.

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B. Review Quiz

For each question, choose the sentence that best fulfills the given language function
or purpose.

1. Which of the following is an appropriate way to introduce yourself and your

career path?

a) I’ve actually always wanted to work in financial services, ever since I was in
high school.
b) After graduating from Wharton, I worked my way up to branch manager at
WestKey Bank
c) I started out majoring in biology but soon switched to accounting.

2. How might you describe your current responsibilities at your job?

a) I manage a marketing team and am responsible for all company social media.
b) I’m a Regional Manager, but I used to work in B2B sales.
c) I’m in the office usually three days a week and work from home the rest of the
time.

3. Which of these demonstrates clarifying a word that you have used?

a) I think I’m less results-focused and more of what I call “process-oriented.”

b) If by “innovative” you mean able to solve problems creatively, then yes that’s
me.
c) By “relational” I mean that I put a strong focus on developing strong
relationships.

4. How might you buy yourself some time to think of an answer to a question?

a) Yes, well, that’s a very good question, let me see.

b) Would you mind if we came back to that question a little later?
c) I’m not exactly sure what you mean.

5. Which of the following is an example of connecting a long answer back to the

question?

a) Does that answer your question?

b) So yeah, that’s pretty much what I think.
c) And that is, in short, how I handle pressure.

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Answers

Listening Question

1. William mentions his education, as well as his different positions at his current
employer.
2. William says his management style if “participatory” and “situational.”
3. To buy himself time, Williams says “let’s see, let me think about that.”

Language Review

A. Softening Language

1. Great question, and I just need a moment to recall a good example.

2. Hmm… let me think about that for a second.
3. Ah yes, well give me a second to gather my thoughts on that.
4. Well, let’s see, I do remember a situation like that.

B. Review Quiz

1. b; 2. a; 3. c; 4. a; 5. c

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