Interview in English: how to tell about yourself

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

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

The teachers of the online English language school EnglishDom shared their views on how to build a presentation of yourself in English, so that you could be hired.
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Step-by-step story about yourself

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

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

Plan the presentation is to work out in advance. The story should be compact, without unnecessary details, but at the same time succinct in meaning.

Let's go directly to the plan.

1. General information about yourself (name and age)

The beginning of an autobiography is the simplest thing, because the correct introduction is taught at the elementary level.

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

Some recommend using “Let me introduce myself” as an introductory phrase, but according to EnglishDom teachers, this will only assure the recruiter that your level of English is quite low.

To make the story smoother and more informal, use the fillers well, let's start, so, okay .

Okay, let's start. My name is ... - OK, let's begin. My name is…

So it will look more natural. The main thing - do not overdo it with fillers. One to 3 sentences will be 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 from which you come 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

Too much detail is not necessary. Suffice it to mention whether you are married (or married), whether you have children. If so, how old are they? Can one sentence to talk about the profession of his wife. But do not get carried away. The interview is 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 focus on formal education. HSE is worth mentioning, but focus on her attention only in the case when you seek 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 in ...
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. Last jobs and positions

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

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

Focus on this is not worth it - focus on their 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 would be enough. You should not engage in self-praise too much - the recruiter will not appreciate this.

Here are some common positive qualities. Choose among them those that correspond to you:

hard-working - hardworking;
sociable - sociable;
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 sides of applicants, but in a personal presentation you shouldn’t talk about them. Your task is to present yourself as briefly as a person and as a specialist, the negative here will not be the topic. If you really need, HR will ask separately.

7. Hobbies and other personal information.

This item is not required at all. But from personal experience the applicant is perceived more pleasantly, if he has a hobby and hobbies. Especially if they are not completely normal. One sentence about the hobby will be enough.

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

Tips for preparing for the story about yourself at the interview

We have collected a few tips that will help us present ourselves correctly and maximize our 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 will not make the first impression twice, therefore any grammatical errors, mixed words and too long pauses between sentences may cost you a working place.

The best way is to write your speech on paper in advance and read it out loud several times. There is no need to learn by heart, because the recruiter may ask clarifying questions in the course of the story. If you get lost 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 it with your knowledge and skills in a professional field.

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

It is 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 reasonable amounts.

Tip 3. Keep Calm

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

So try to keep your mind clear, even if something goes wrong. If you are too emotional, then drink a sedative before the interview.

Some recruiters specifically try to bring the applicant out of the usual rhythm, asking tricky and sometimes frankly stupid questions. For example:

What do you think of garden gnomes?
Do you have a favorite song in English? Sing it for us.
Why is the surface of a golf ball all in the grooves?
Why sewers round?

The purpose of such questions is to check how you act in a completely unfamiliar situation. Unfortunately, it is impossible to prepare for such issues in advance, so you have to rely on your vocabulary and erudition.

findings

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

Sometimes even specialists with good English (advanced and higher) are lost at interviews, which leads to a logical failure. Therefore, learn English and prepare for interviews carefully.