Topic 1.10.3 Job Interview Questions

JOB INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

1a.Look at the cartoon. How do you think the candidate is feeling? How would you react if it happened to you?

1b.Read the title of the article and the first paragraph.

Would YOU get the job?

Interviews are a source of anxiety for most jobseekers. Job website Glassdoor has created a list of the toughest interview questions from the elite companies where they were asked, and offers an expert opinion on the best possible answers.

1.____________________ (The Phoenix Partnership)

How to answer: If you answer ‘nothing’, then you may look defensive, as if you’re hiding something, even if you are innocent. The best tactic would be to reply that everyone presents the best of themselves on a CV – that is the point of the document – but that you think lying, and even exaggeration, is wrong.

 

Then look at the interview questions   A-G. With a partner, say how you would answer them.

Which question would you least like to be asked?

  1. What do you usually do after a bad day at work?
  2. What’s your biggest weakness?
  3. How would your enemy describe you?
  4. You have 50 red and 50 blue balls. How would you divide these between two containers to give the maximum possibility of picking one of the colours?
  5. What’s the most selfish thing you have ever done?
  6. Are you a nice person?
  7. What on your CV is the closest thing to a lie?

1d.Read the article again. With a partner, try to work out what the following words and phrases mean, and how you think they are pronounced.

  • jobseekers
  • the point of
  • good-natured rivalry
  • light-hearted response
  • foolproof
  • geek
  • work-life balance
  • gut feeling

1f.Look at some more genuine interview questions. What do you think they would tell you about the candidate? Why? Do you think these kinds of questions really help interviewers to choose the best person for the job?

  • What would you do if you were the one survivor in a plane crash? (Airbnb)
  • Who do you think would win in a fight between Spider-Man and Batman? (Stanford University)
  • What did you have for breakfast? (Banana Republic)
  • Describe the colour yellow to someone who’s blind. (Spirit Airlines)
  • How many people flew out of Chicago last year? (Redbox software)
  • What am I thinking right now? (TES Global)
  • Who is your hero and why? (General Electrics)
  • Tell me something about your childhood. (Next)

1g.Choose two of the above questions and ask your partner.

2. LISTENING

2a.Have you ever had an interview for a job or a place on a course? What kind of questions did they ask you? Did you get the job or place?

2b.Listen to four people talking about a strange question they were asked in an interview.

2c.Listen again 

2d.Which of the questions do you think were acceptable to ask at an interview?

3.SPEAKING

Ask your partner some difficult interview questions.

STUDENT A

You’re going to interview B for a job as a manager in your company. Ask the tough questions below and ask him/her to give reasons for his/her answers. Then say if you would give him/her the job and why (not).

  1. Which one aspect of your personality would you change if you could and why?
  2. If you could have dinner with anyone from history, who would you choose?
  3. If you were an animal, which animal would you be?
  4. What kind of things make you angry?
  5. If you had to spend the rest of your life on a desert island (with plenty of food and water), what two things would you want to have with you?
  6. Which TV or film character would you most like to be?
  7. What’s the best (or worst) decision you’ve ever made?
  8. If I came to your house for dinner, what would you cook for me?

 

Now B is going to interview you. Answer the questions. Try to think quickly and make a good impression. Give good reasons for your answer.

STUDENT B

A is going to interview you. Answer the questions. Try to think quickly and make a good impression. Give good reasons for your answer.

Now interview B for a similar job in your company. Ask the tough questions below and ask him/her to give reasons for his/her answers. Then say if you would give him/her the job and why (not).

  1. Which three adjectives describe you best?
  2. If you were a car, what type of car would you be?
  3. How do you normally treat animals?
  4. Who do you admire most, and why?
  5. If you could be a superhero, what would your superpowers be?
  6. Tell me about something in your life that you’re really proud of.
  7. If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you like to see play the lead role as you?
  8. If you could have six months with no obligations or financial limitations, what would you do with the time?
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