3.

DESCRIBING YOURSELF IN AN INTERVIEW

Learning objectives:
By the end of this unit, you will be able to use correct English expressions and grammar to
1. Describe your personality
2. Describe your educational background
3. Describe your future plan
4. Describe your past experience
A. READING
Maria

I am an architect with 20 years' experience of designing and developing

spaces. I am a partner in the award-winning STG Architects Ltd, which is
famous for its work on the Galroy Building in London. I enjoy working with
people from all over the world and have international experience of
working in Italy, Greece, Thailand, Australia and Brazil. I have a Master of
Science from Sheffield University and a BA in Architecture from Hull
University. I also speak Italian and Thai. When I am not working, I spend
my time hiking, skiing and diving.
Emily

I am an experienced sales manager with 12 years' experience of developing

customer service teams. I am skilled in negotiation, team motivation and
building successful sales teams. After ten years of working in sales and
customer service at Halo Bank, I am now the sales office manager of a
team of 120 at Southern General Plastics Ltd. I have an MBA from
Stanford University and a degree in Business Studies from Cornell
University. I am creative and hardworking, and enjoy working with others.

Maria or Emily?

She manages a large team of

people
Complete the sentences
She is a partner of a company.
She has worked in many
different countries. 1. Maria has worked as an architect for ………
Her last job was in a bank years.
She speaks two other 2. Maria’s company, STG Architects Ltd, is ……
languages. for
working on the Galroy Building.
3. Maria likes working with people from all
around the ….
4. Maria likes hiking, skiing and diving in her
…… time.
5. Emily has spent 12 years managing
customer ….. teams.

B. HOW TO DESCRIBE YOURSELF: A STEP-BY STEP GUIDE

When an interviewer asks you to introduce yourself, they’re asking you to
Describe yourself. Since that’s a broad question, you’ll need to create a
structure for it. Here’s a simple introduction structure you can use:
● Personal details
● Three adjectives
● Your achievements
● Expectations setting

Personal details
Example:

“I’m Saraswati . Pleasure speaking to you. Right now, I live in Jakarta with
my family. I’ve heard good things about Bakri Ltd in the estate industry
and it’s located in a great place. So I decided Bakri Ltd is a great company
to pivot my career to after 1 year finishing bachelor of Public
Administration from university of Indonesia.”

Three adjectives

“If I had to pick three adjectives to describe myself, I’d choose resourceful,
encouraging, and results-driven. I’m resourceful because I find ways to deliver
even in high-pressure situations. I’m quick to find new solutions if the current
methodology is lacking. At the same time, I keep my team’s morale up by hearing
out their problems and reminding them to take a breather when needed. Being
resourceful and encouraging to my team helps us achieve our set goals and tweak
them so we don’t plateau in growth.”

Your Achievement
 “In my last company, I was responsible for a 200% increase in blog traffic. By
working inter-departmentally, I spearheaded an overhaul of schedules and
campaigns that grew our audience. And by creating a relay system with our BDR
team, we doubled our conversion rate.”

Expectation Setting
“If I become your content manager, I can take stock of your organization’s
current needs and identify what strategies are needed to meet them. We can
then work on a long-term plan to work on neglected goals and create new ones
we can achieve per quarter. I can also introduce team bonding exercises I
developed in my last place of work, proven to improve morale and synergy.

C. PRACTICE
Prepare a script of your self description. Practice describing yourself and audio record your voice. You
may use the following adjectives to describe yourself.

Ambitious Cooperative Professional Devoted Diplomatic Consistent

Analytical Objective Experienced Resourceful Thorough Insightful

Artistic Observant Extroverted Results-oriented Tireless Methodical

Attentive Organized Focused Skilled Trustworthy Meticulous

Caring Persevering Good listener Sociable Proficient Disciplined

Committed Persuasive Hardworking Strategic Helpful Systematic

GRAMMAR:
 - Simple present
- Simple past
- Present continuous
- Present perfect

Questions in job interview

1. Tell me about yourself

2. What were your responsibilities in your previous job?
3. What did you like about your previous job?
4. Describe a difficult work situation or project and how you overcame it
5. How do you evaluate success?
6. What are you leaving or have left your job?
7. Why do you want this job?

Sources
https://eslblock.com/adjectives-to-describe-yourself/
https://scrambledeggsinglese.it/5-ways-to-describe-yourself-in-an-interview/
https://acadium.com/blog/how-to-describe-yourself/
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/top-job-interview-questions-and-answers-2061226