Interviews

High-intermediate

Role-Play: Handling Unexpected Questions (15-20 minutes)

Objective: Practice handling unexpected questions during a job interview.

Activity: Pair up students and have them take turns being the interviewer and the interviewee. The interviewer should come up with unexpected questions, such as “What book are you currently reading?” or “Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?” The interviewee should respond to these questions confidently and thoughtfully.

After each role-play, provide constructive feedback to the students on their responses, emphasizing the importance of staying composed and providing meaningful answers even to unexpected questions.

1. 1. First impressions in a job interview are the most important.
   2. People should always wear formal clothes to a job interview.
   3. Being nervous in an interview is normal and acceptable.
   4. Job interviews are harder for introverts than extroverts.
   5. Employers often judge candidates based on appearance.
   6. It’s okay to talk about your weaknesses in a job interview.
   7. Experience is more important than education in most interviews.
   8. Job interviews don’t always show who is best for the job.
   9. You should always ask questions at the end of an interview.
   10. Virtual interviews are harder than in-person ones.

Here are some words and expressions that appear in the video:

• interview (noun): a formal meeting between a job candidate and an employer to assess the candidate’s qualifications and suitability for a position.
  – I have an important job interview tomorrow morning with a leading tech company.
  – The interview panel asked a series of challenging questions during the interview.
• prepare (verb): make ready or get ready in advance for a specific purpose, such as a job interview.
  – John spent hours preparing for the job interview by researching the company and rehearsing his answers.
  – The candidate prepared well and confidently answered all the interview questions.
• suitable (adjective): something that is appropriate or fitting for a particular purpose or situation.
  – The candidate’s skills and experience made him a suitable candidate for the management position.
  – The interviewers were impressed by how well the candidate’s qualifications matched the job requirements, making him a suitable fit for the team.
• effectively (adverb): in a way that produces the desired result or achieves the intended goal.
  – Sarah communicated her strengths effectively during the interview, leaving a positive impression on the hiring manager.
  – The candidate handled the unexpected question with composure and effectively demonstrated problem-solving skills.
• strengths (noun): the positive qualities or skills that a person can use in various situations, including a job interview.
  – During the interview, the candidate highlighted his strengths in teamwork and leadership.
  – Knowing your strengths and weaknesses can help you tailor your responses during the interview to showcase your best qualities.

Now, watch the interview and answer the comprehension questions. You can also turn on the automatically-generated captions for the video once you start it.

Randall: Okay, Aubrey, in this video, I want to talk about how to prepare for a job interview. There are certainly different ways to do that. The dos and don’ts. Your thoughts on this?

Aubrey: Yeah. So, I guess an important thing is to research the company that you’re, uh, applying for because you don’t want to show up and not know anything; that’s embarrassing. You need to know what job you’re applying for and what the company culture is.

Randall: When you say company culture, I think that’s an important point. Can you elaborate on that?

Aubrey: Yeah. So, you can get a general idea of the culture by following their social media, by taking a look at their websites, what they have as benefits. Obviously, you’re not going to have a complete picture of what that looks like and until you’ve worked there. But, you know, based on what they have on social media, what they have on their website, you might get an idea of, okay, are they more business casual? Do they . . . is it a formal environment? You know, things like that.

Randall: Okay. And those are great ideas. What about questions? What are some things that you should really consider before going to the interview? Questions you might be asked and questions perhaps you should ask.

Aubrey: Yeah. So as far as things that you’re going to be asked, there’s always the typical ones like tell us about yourself. What is your greatest weakness? So, be prepared to have all of those answers lined up.

Randall: Pretty generic.

Aubrey: Pretty generic.Uh, you’re going to be asked about your work history. And if you’re leaving a job, they’ll probably ask you why. [Okay.] And don’t trash your previous company.

Randall: Oh, I think that’s really important. I think people sometimes, you know, don’t turn off their filter. [Yeah.[ You know, they, they just, you know, just talk about things that they really should be more measured about.

Aubrey: One thing to remember in an interview, and this did happen to me one time, um, is what company you’re interviewing with on that particular day, I had an interview, and I was doing a mock training where I was talking to a client, a client, and it was like, oh, hey, this is Aubrey. From what company am I? Am I?

Randall: Oh, man.

Aubrey: Training with oh, no. Uh, I’m here to call you about your training. I did get that job, but it was very awkward because I couldn’t remember what the company’s name was.

Randall: Yeah, and I think also you should be prepared for unexpected questions. [Exactly] For example, I might ask someone, if you were to join this company, what position or what role do you hope to play in the next 2 to 5 years?

Aubrey: Oh yeah. That’s a . . . that’s an important one. Yeah.

Randall: I think . . .

Aubrey: The where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years? That’s a common question. Yeah.

Randall: I mean, you know, people are anticipating, as you mentioned, what are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? How do you resolve conflict and so forth. But I think companies are really going to ask more probing questions, especially if they know they have 52 other people. How are you going to stand out? What are you going to do differently than the 51 other people that are applying for the job?

Aubrey: Exactly. And if someone asks you what book you’re reading because you said you like to read, just make something up, because that’s another thing that happened to me. I forgot what book I was reading.

Randall: No, I, I would make things up. I would probably say, you know what? I’ve read a number of different books because if they catch you, if they catch you in that small micro . . .  I think it’s more important to say, you know what? Um, that’s really good. What is that book I was reading recently? I can’t remember that. I mean, I would say something, certainly you want to make sure that.

Aubrey: Because it’s like they’re like, oh, what are you reading right now? And I’m like, it’s a book. It has a name. It’s about something.

Aubrey: Yeah. I was just listening to it in the car. I don’t know what it’s called.

Randall: And I think the other thing is you really have to have more than just superficial answers. In other words, you know, a lot of times people can say anything for five minutes, but then you better know something. You have to be able to say things. Um, let me ask you, what about questions that you could ask the company?

Aubrey: Mhm.

Randall: Because sometimes people get caught flat footed. Uh oh. Oh. I get a chance to ask. And rather than just asking, you know, how many hours am I going to work? And, you know, these really trivial type of questions. I think people should be more prepared to ask questions. And what type of questions do you think people could ask?

Aubrey: Yeah. So it depends on what stage of the interviewing process you’re at. Um, like one thing that was important to me, uh, and I didn’t bring this up in an initial interview, but is what benefits are offered, especially here in the United States where health insurance is part of your employment package, because otherwise health insurance is way too expensive, and health care is expensive in this country. So you know, what are my benefits? What kind of health insurance is offered? Um, what are my options there? Is vision included. Is dental included? Those are things that are good to know. Uh, but I wouldn’t ask them in the first interview.

Randall: Good point.

Aubrey: Mhm. Like what does a typical day look like? That’s a good question.

Speaker 3: Yeah. That’s fair.

Aubrey: Uh, “What do you like about your job” is a good question.

Randall: So we’ve talked about these questions. Let me let’s wrap things up by asking this. What should you wear and not wear? I’m talking about clothing, about hairstyles, about earrings, about whatever. Uh, how should you go into that particular interview?

Aubrey: Yeah. So, that’s also going to depend on like what industry you’re interviewing for. Um, and whether it’s more formal, um, you definitely want to wear something nice, like don’t just wear your street clothes, but if you’re interviewing like for a business job, you might be more formal than if you’re interviewing for something else. Like if you’re interviewing for a restaurant, you might dress differently. Like if you’re interviewing in a medical field, you might wear scrubs. You know, it just depends.

Speaker 3: Okay.

Randall: And what about you? You have blue hair. So, how would that impact if you were looking for a new job? How would you approach that?

Aubrey: Um, so I’d probably find out what the company policies are and whether or not I can even have blue hair. Okay. Um, but it might be something I address at first. It’s like, “Hey, you know, my hair is currently blue. Is that going to be okay? Should I change my hair? Like I’m perfectly willing to change my hair color.” You know, just put that out there. One time when I was looking for jobs, I did go from blue to back to brown. Although I do want to let you know if you do want to go from blue to brown, it might turn green.

Randall: Okay. [’cause it did.]

 Got to be careful with that one.

Aubrey: Yeah.

Randall: Well, thank you, Aubrey, for sharing some insights and thoughts on how to prepare for a job interview.

Intermediate Level (Recall and Comprehension Questions)

1. According to Aubrey, what is one essential thing job seekers should do to prepare for a job interview?
2. How can candidates get a general idea of a company’s culture before working there, as mentioned by Aubrey?
3. What are some typical questions candidates might be asked during a job interview, as discussed in the interview?
4. Why does Aubrey advise against speaking negatively about a previous company during an interview?
5. What type of question might be considered unexpected during a job interview, based on the conversation between Randall and Aubrey?

Advanced Level (Critical Thinking Questions)

1. In your opinion, how important is researching a company’s culture before a job interview? How might this knowledge benefit both the candidate and the company during the hiring process?
2. Aubrey mentions the importance of avoiding revealing a weakness that is crucial for the job during an interview. How can candidates strike a balance between honesty and highlighting their suitability for the role when discussing weaknesses?
3. Randall talks about the significance of candidates standing out from other applicants. In your view, what can candidates do to distinguish themselves during a competitive job interview process effectively?
4. Considering Aubrey’s advice on asking questions during the interview, what are some insightful and thought-provoking questions candidates could ask that would leave a positive impression on the interviewer?
5. Aubrey shares a personal experience of forgetting the company’s name during an interview. How can candidates handle forgetfulness or unexpected questions gracefully and professionally to maintain a strong impression during the interview?

The following activities deal with related topics to give you additional language practice.

• First Job Experiences
• Job-Hunting Strategies
• Job Interview
• Youth Part-Time Jobs