Job Interview

Lesson 2

@englishcool.id
Most common questions in Job Interview
1. Tell us about yourself.
2. What are your strength? What are your weaknesses?
3. Tell us about your previous job/company.
4. What is your goal/plan for the future? Where do you
see yourself in 5 years?
5. What do you think about …?
 Materials

• Self-introduction

• Telling experiences

• Opinions and convincing the interviewer

 Self-introduction
• General information

• Personality

• Strengths

• Weaknesses

• Life goals
1. How to answer “Tell me about yourself?”

Bagi jawabanmu ke dalam 3 bagian:

Past: Tell the interviewer how you got there and/or mention previous experience that’s relevant
to the job and company you’re applying for.
Present: Talk a little bit about what your current role is, the scope of it, and perhaps a big recent
accomplishment. You can also tell about your personality and interest a little.
Future: Tell about what you’re looking to do next and why you’re interested in this gig (and a
great fit for it, too).
Example
How to answer “Tell me about yourself?”
“Hi, My name is Richa. I am originally from Padang but now settled in Depok. I graduated from Andalas University
with a bachelor’s degree in XXX.
PAST (experience)
Previously, I have worked as a Sales Executive at XYZ Limited. My biggest sale so far was closing a three -year deal
with ABC Cosmetics. Relationship building was crucial to this deal, as well as providing demos of the product we
were selling, which decreased the client time and improved productivity.

PRESENT (personality and skill)

As an individual, I enjoy building personal connections with clients; however, the area where I shine provides
attention to detail. I tend to spend a lot of time with new products, which helps me address the concerns of a
customer fluently, explaining features that may not be visible.

FUTURE (goal/aspiration)
My goal is to improve my selling and leadership skills in the long-term, helping me take up managerial
responsibilities in the future. Hence, I look forward to working in a sales-driven company as that of yours.”
Example
How to answer “Tell me about yourself?”

PAST (educational background)

I graduated from Howard in May with a major in Computer Science and a minor in Theater Arts and have
been spending this summer interning at a theater nonprofit.
PRESENT (current job and achievement)
I’ve had a chance to put my coding skills to good use by helping revamp the organization’s ticket sales
page. Since it launched two weeks ago, the time it takes patrons to get through the purchasing process
has decreased by 43% and scores on a popup satisfaction survey have gone up by nearly 20%.
It’s exciting to be immersed in this environment because I’ve been in love with theater since I was in
school.
FUTURE (goal/aspiration)
This internship has reinforced my desire to merge my Computer Science skills with my passion for theater,
which is why I applied as soon as I saw the junior web developer role here. I want to use my skill and
knowledge to help the theater industry to grow and reach more people.
LATIHAN:
“Tell me about yourself”
PAST (experience)
Previously, I worked as a warehouse head in a start-up company in East Java. My responsibility
was overseeing the inbound outbound and stock process, both physically and by using
programs. I was able to save costs on warehouse operations and maintain stock accuracy.
PRESENT (current job/personality/skill)
(Apa kemampuan/kualitas diri kamu saat ini?)
FUTURE
(Apa passion/goal/plan yang kita punya, dan kita merasa perusahaan ini sejalan dengan
passion/goal/plan tsb). I believe I have relevant skills and knowledge that I can use to contribute
to this company.
LATIHAN:
“Tell me about yourself”
PAST (experience)

I started off my career as a Graphic Designer at Tokome.id

Tokome.id is an e-commerce that provides artist or talent the platform to apply their intellectual property into

merchandise and sell them online on the tokome.id website. Later on, I was promoted to Partnership in Digital

marketing team leader after 1 year of working there. I was responsible for sourcing and finding the right talent that

has potential as well as managing talent and client partnership, and assisting them with social media content and

marketing campaign materials.

PRESENT (current skill/personality)

I am capable of operating various computer software, including Microsoft Office packages, Photoshop, Illustrator,

and Facebook ads. In addition to that, I am a hardworking person who can work independently or in a team. I can

also take the initiative and am very eager to learn under anyone’s guidance.

FUTURE (goal/aspiration)

With my experience, I am confident that my qualifications and skills can contribute significantly to your company.
 Describing Personality
The way you describe your personality will tell the interviewer how you see yourself and its relevance to your role.
Therefore, try to express the positive traits that will make a good contribution to your profession. Always elaborate
your answer.

• Attentive • Mature

• Creative • Patient

• Confident • Passionate

• Diligent • Punctual

• Independent • Reliable

• Kind • Sociable
 Example
“I’m a confident and passionate person. I like to think that I have the potentials to deliver the best
work and I can communicate effectively and efficiently. For me, to be passionate means I can
produce many ideas and improve my engagement levels.”
2. How to answer “What are your strength and
weakness?”
• Pilih 1 atau 2 kelebihan yang relevan dengan pekerjaan yang sedang kamu lamar

• Pilih 1 atau 2 kekurangan TAPI yang tidak dianggap fatal bagi pekerjaan yang sedang

kamu lamar

• Jelaskan atau beri contoh untuk setiap kelebihan/kekurangan yang kamu sebut
 Describing Strengths
You should state the strengths that match your profession and can maximize your
performance in completing your duties. Support your strong qualities with experience.

• Adaptable • Open-minded

• Analytical • Optimistic

• Cooperative • Organized

• Dynamic • Proactive

• Energetic • Resourceful
 Example

Q: “What are your strengths?”

A: “I see myself as someone who’s optimistic and organized. I believe that a good perspective will
lead to good things which is why we have to maintain positive attitude towards our work. I also think
that being organized is an important trait because it ensures a smooth-running work flow and
increases productivity.”
 Audio

Q: What are the woman’s strengths?

 Describing Weaknesses
Remember not to say any weakness that is necessary for the job description. It’s advisable to
make your weakness as a strength in some way, but most of all, try to show the interviewer you
are in a process of overcoming your weakness.

• Chatty • Self-critical

• Impatient • Risk-taking

• Insecure • Passive

• Too detail-oriented • Procrastinator

• Stressed around deadlines • Public speaking

 Example
Q: “What are your biggest weaknesses?”
A: “I consider being too detail-oriented and public speaking as my main weaknesses. I feel
unsatisfied about my work even though I have revisited and redid it many times. I also find it nerve-
wracking to speak in public. However, I try to fix my perfectionist side by being lenient with myself
and convince myself that every work I’ve done always shows good results. As for public speaking, I
work on it by joining workshops and focusing more on delivering materials rather than the
audience.”
 Audio

Q: What is the woman’s

weakness and what does she
wish to do with her weakness?
LATIHAN:
• What are your strengths?
• What are your weaknesses?
3. How to answer “Where do you see yourself in 5
years”

• Sebutkan rencana/cita-cita yang ingin kamu capai

• Jelaskan persiapan yang sudah kamu lakukan untuk mencapai hal tersebut

• Tutup dengan kalimat yang meyakinkan bahwa kamu bisa mencapainya

 Describing the Life Goals/future plan
By describing your life goals/future plan, the interviewer gets an insight on how you are
always thinking ahead and how your potentials and goals can add values to the company.

• I am aiming to • I am thinking of

• I am aspiring to • I envision myself to

• I am going to • I hope to

• I am interested to • I want to further my skills in

• I am planning to • My goal is to
 Example
Q: “What is your goal?”

A: “(Hal yang ingin dicapai) I aspire to better my writing career and publish a self-
motivation book in the upcoming year. (Persiapan yang sudah dilakukan) I have
joined several workshops and done many researches on this topic (Meyakinkan
bahwa kamu bisa mencapainya) which made me feel very confident that I can
achieve this goal of mine.”
 Audio

Q: What is the woman’s

goal and her dream
position?
4. How to answer “tell us about your last job”

• The previous job task

• The feeling about the previous job

• The feeling about the previous company

Telling the Feeling about Previous Job Task
You can use power verbs when asked about job experience.

Power verbs are action words that carry positive definitions and help you convey your statements in
a confident and persuasive manner. Use these power verbs appropriately:

• achieved, capitalized, devised, directed, volunteered

• accelerated, accomplished, awarded, increased, succeeded

• assisted, coached, conveyed, collaborated, interacted

 Example
Q: “What work experience do you have?”

1st answer: “I directed the monthly company newsletter that consistently gained an average of 5
new subscribers every month.”

2nd answer: “I was awarded employee of the month for my high work performance record.”

3rd answer: “I assisted in writing the contents for clients’ social media pages.”
 Audio

Q: What has the woman achieved

for the past 6 consecutive months?
 Telling the Feeling about the Previous Job
Interviewers ask about your previous job to learn about your professional work history and how
you make judgment about your job. Try to still be respectful even when you mention the negative
aspects.

Positive: happy, meaningful, rewarding, proud, thankful

Negative: burnout, limited, stressful, undervalued, mundane
 Example

Q: “What did you most like and dislike about your previous role?”
A: “I feel that my previous job brought a variety of positive and negative qualities. I feel proud about
how much I’ve developed professionally. As for the dislike, I feel that there weren’t many
opportunities for me to explore and to improve my performance. I felt limited at some point which
is why I decided to resign and join your company, as I seek for more and better opportunities.”
 Audio

Q: What did the man like and

dislike in his previous job?
 Telling the feeling about the previous company
Don’t bring down the previous company because you might seem childish and unprofessional
despite having disagreements with the management, work culture, etc. Focus on the skills and
knowledge you’ve gained there.

• accommodating • fast-paced

• collaborative • friendly

• competitive • inclusive

• challenging • nurturing

• good • pleasant
 Example
Q: “Could you share some information about your last employer?”
A: “My last company was fast-paced as it is a media company. It was challenging for me to multitask
and having different deadlines for each one of them. It could be stressful at times for me but since
we worked collaboratively, it was easier to complete. Overall, I had a good experience in my last
company.”
5. How to answer questions about opinion
Different ways of asking for opinion (formal)

You need to ask for opinions in a polite manner as part of being in a professional setting. These
questions might be posed by the interviewer to see how you would react to some scenarios.
Some of the common phrases are:

• Do you have any opinion on …? • What is your opinion about ...?

• Would you give me your opinion on …? • What are your views on …?

• What is your reaction to …? • What’s your position on … ?

 Giving Opinion
Different ways of giving opinion (formal)

Try to give positive explanations to the questions to show that you have a positive outlook. Only
do this if the positive answer can be considered appropriate as a response. These are a few
formal ways of sharing your point of view in an interview:

• I personally believe … • From my perspective …

• I personally consider … • If I could provide my insight, I would say …

• I personally think/feel … • I am of the opinion that …

• I hold the opinion … • My own view of matter is …

 Example

Q: “What are your thoughts on working overtime?”

A: “This question is debatable because everyone has different opinions, but from my perspective, if
I receive appropriate compensation and reward for the extra hours of workload, I wouldn’t mind.
Yet, I don’t think it’s healthy to work excessively too many times in a week since we need to rest
properly to perform optimally. “
Closing: How to convince your interviewer
Persuasive phrases or statements

Express confidently how you can be a good asset for the company by impressing the
interviewer with your credentials in a persuasive approach, such as:

• “I always strive to better my work performance.”

• “I always set goals and try to present high quality work.”

• “I am an agreeable person.”

• “I am committed to my work.”

• “I am confident that my experience and qualifications suit this role.”

 Example

Q: “Why are you the best person for the job?”

A: “I have the mindset, attitude, and work ethic to excel. I have 2 years of experience in this job
and in my last company, I have achieved some remarkable results and attained a great reputation
on top of that. I believe I will add value to your company.”
Additional questions in Job Interview
1. What is your salary expectation?
2. Do you have any questions?
1. How to answer “What is your salary expectation?”

• Sebelum datang ke interview:

-Cari tahu rentang gaji untuk jabatan yang kamu lamar (misalnya 10-15 juta)
-Cari tahu apa saja tanggung-jawab dan tugas standar untuk jabatan yang kamu lamar

• Saat menghadapi pertanyaan ini di interview:

-Tanyakan dulu apa saja tanggung-jawab dan tugas jabatan tersebut di perusahaan tersebut
-Jika tanggung-jawab dan tugasnya standar, sampaikan ekspektasi gaji kamu dalam bentuk rentang gaji
sesuai dengan data yang sudah kamu ketahui sebelumnya
-Jika tanggung-jawab dan tugasnya lebih berat/lebih banyak daripada yang seharusnya, sebutkan
rentang angka gaji di atas rentang gaji normal (misalnya naikkan jadi 13-18 juta)
1. How to answer “Do you have any questions”

• Jangan bilang tidak ada pertanyaan

• Tanyakan apapun yang masih kurang jelas bagi kamu
• Jika tidak ada pertanyaan yang terpikirkan, tanyakan salah satu atau dua dari hal-hal ini:
-Can you tell me more about the day-to-day responsibilities of the role?
-Can you tell me more about the team that I will be working with?
-What is the onboarding process like for new hires?
-Do you provide training for employees to help them grow or improve their skills?
-Can you tell me about the working culture/company culture here?
-What would I be expected to accomplish in my first month/year on the job?
-Is there anything that you think I can improve in my CV/Do you have any feedback for me?
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