More and more recruiters in modern companies prefer to interview applicants in English. This is beneficial for HR specialists, because you can simultaneously check the applicant’s English knowledge and find out more information about him.
True, for the applicants themselves, telling about themselves in English often causes difficulties. Especially if the level of English does not yet allow you to freely communicate on any topic.
Teachers of the online English language school EnglishDom shared their opinions on how to build a presentation of yourself in English so that you are hired.
Step by step story about yourself
Self-presentation usually takes 3-5 minutes, but the first impression of HR largely depends on it. Therefore, we recommend that you prepare for a story about yourself in advance.
The optimal size of an autobiography for an interview is up to 15 sentences. More recruiter is unlikely to listen.
The presentation plan should be worked out in advance. The story should be compact, without unnecessary details, but at the same time capacious in meaning.
Let's go straight to the plan.
1. General information about yourself (name and age)
The beginning of an autobiography is the simplest, because you learn how to introduce yourself correctly even 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 people recommend using “Let me introduce myself” as an introductory phrase, but according to EnglishDom teachers, this will only assure the recruiter that your English level is quite low.
To make the story flow more smoothly and informally, use fillers. well, let's start, so, okay.
Okay, let's start. My name is… - Okay, let's start. My name is…
This will make the speech sound more natural. The main thing is not to overdo it with fillers. One for 3 sentences will be enough.
2. Place of residence
Here, too, everything is quite simple. You need to indicate the city in which you live and the district, if the city is large. You can also specify the region you are from, but this is optional.
- I'm from Kyiv. - I am from Kyiv.
- 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. A family
There is no need to go into too much detail. It is enough to mention whether you are married (or married), whether you have children. If yes, how old are they? You can tell in one sentence about your wife's profession. But don't 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've been married for 10 years.
- I'm divorced. - I'm 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 go in cycles in formal education. HSE is worth mentioning, but only focus on it if you're looking to get a job in your field.
Focus on professional knowledge and competencies.
- I'm 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 accounts experience… My work experience is...
This block should be the largest of all, spanning 3 to 8 sentences.
5. Recent jobs and positions
Almost all recruiters ask about the last job, so you can mention it right 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...
- For the last 5 years of work in ABC I've achieved the following results… - Over the past 5 years of work at ABC, I have achieved the following results ...
You should not focus on this - focus on your competencies and achievements.
6. Personal qualities
In a self-presentation, it is worth mentioning a few qualities that you consider to be the best in yourself. Three or four will be enough. Do not engage in self-praise too much - the recruiter will not appreciate it.
Here are some common positive qualities. Choose among them the ones that suit you:
- hard-working - industrious;
- 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 aspects of applicants, but you should not talk about them in a personal presentation. Your task is to present yourself as a person and as a specialist as briefly as possible, the negative here will be out of topic. If you really need it, HR will ask separately.
7. Hobbies and other personal information
This item is completely optional. But from personal experience, the applicant is perceived more pleasantly if he has hobbies and hobbies. Especially if they are not quite ordinary. One suggestion about a hobby will be enough.
- In the past time I'm fond of… In my free time, I enjoy...
- I have a few hobbies… I have several hobbies...
Tips for preparing for talking about yourself in a job interview
We've put together a few tips to help you present yourself properly and maximize your chances of getting a job.
Tip 1. Preparation and more preparation
Even if your level of English allows you to communicate almost fluently, it is worth spending a little time preparing for an interview.
You can't make the first impression twice, so any grammatical errors, jumbled words, and too long pauses between sentences can cost you your job.
The best way is to write your speech on paper in advance and read it aloud several times. It is not necessary to learn by heart, because the recruiter may ask clarifying questions in the course of the story. If you get confused 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 the professional field.
It is not worth overloading your speech with complex sentences, idioms and little-used words, even if you know English very well. This looks like a show off.
It is best to use available phrases and expressions. But if you want to make your speech more natural, you can use idioms and fillers, but only in a reasonable amount.
Tip 3: Stay calm
Panic is the easiest way to screw up in an interview. Especially if it is in English.
So try to keep your mind clear even if things go wrong. If you are too emotional, then before the interview, drink a sedative.
Some recruiters specifically try to get the applicant out of the usual rhythm by asking tricky and sometimes downright 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 full of notches?
- Why are manholes round?
The purpose of such questions is to test how you act in a completely unfamiliar situation. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to prepare for such questions in advance, so you will have to rely on your vocabulary and erudition.
Conclusions
Applicants believe that it is more difficult to pass an interview in English than in Russian. But all this is due to the language barrier, which does not allow you to freely express your thoughts in a foreign language.
Sometimes even specialists with good English (advanced and above) get lost in interviews, which leads to a natural refusal. Therefore, learn English and prepare for interviews carefully.
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Source: habr.com