Interview Questions

A list of tried and tested questions.

1. Warm-up Questions 2. Work History 3. Job Performance 4. Education 5. Career Goals 6. Self-Assessment

7. Creativity 8. Decisiveness 9. Range of Interests 10. Motivation 11. Work Standards 12. Leadership

13. Oral Presentation Skills 14. Written Communication Skills 15. Flexibility 16. Stress Tolerance 17. Stability & Maturity 18. Interest in Self Development

1. Warm-up Questions

• What made you apply for this position?
• How did you hear about this job opening?
• Briefly, would you summarize your work history & education for me?

2. Work History

• What special aspects of your work experience have prepared you for this job?
• Can you describe for me one or two of your most important accomplishments?
• How much supervision have you typically received in your previous job?
• Describe for me one or two of the biggest disappointments in your work history?
• Why are you leaving your present job? (or, Why did you leave your last job?)
• What is important to you in a company? What things do you look for in an organization?

3. Job Performance

• Everyone has strengths & weaknesses as workers. What are your strong points for this job?
• What areas would you say need improving?
• How did your supervisor on your most recent job evaluate your job performance? What were some of the good points & bad points of that rating?
• When you have been told, or discovered for yourself, a problem in your job performance, what have you typically done? Can you give me an example?
• Do you prefer working alone or in groups?
• What kind of people do you find it most difficult to work with? Why?
• Starting with your last job, tell me about any of your achievements that were recognized by your superiors.
• Can you give me an example of your ability to manage or supervise others?
• What are some things you would like to avoid in a job? Why?
• In your previous job what kind of pressures did you encounter?
• What would you say is the most important thing you are looking for in a job?
• What are some of the things on your job you feel you have done particularly well or in which you have achieved the greatest success? Why do you feel this way?
• What were some of the things about your last job that you found most difficult to do?
• What are some of the problems you encounter in doing your job? Which one frustrates you the most? What do you usually do about it?
• What are some things you particularly liked about your last job?
• Do you consider your progress on the job representative of your ability? Why?
• How do you feel about the way you & others in the department were managed by your supervisor?
• If I were to ask your present (most recent) employer about your ability as a____________________, what would he/she say?

4. Education

• What special aspects of your education or training have prepared you for this job?
• What courses in school have been of most help in doing your job?

5. Career Goals

• What is your long-term employment or career objective?
• What kind of job do you see yourself holding five years from now?
• What do you feel you need to develop in terms of skill & knowledge in order to be ready for that opportunity?
• Why might you be successful in such a job?
• How does this job fit in with your overall career goals?
• Who or what in your life would you say influenced you most with your career objectives?
• Can you pinpoint any specific things in your past experience that affected your present career objectives?
• What would you most like to accomplish if you had this job?
• What might make you leave this job?

6. Self-Assessment

• What kind of things do you feel most confident in doing?
• Can you describe for me a difficult obstacle you have had to overcome? How did you handle it? How do you feel this experience affected your personality or ability?
• How would you describe yourself as a person?
• What do you think are the most important characteristics & abilities a person must possess to become a successful ( )? How do you rate yourself in these areas?
• Do you consider yourself a self-starter? If so, explain why ( and give examples)
• What do you consider to be your greatest achievements to date? Why?
• What things give you the greatest satisfaction at work?
• What things frustrate you the most? How do you usually cope with them?

7. Creativity

• In your work experience, what have you done that you consider truly creative?
• Can you think of a problem you have encountered when the old solutions didn't work & when you came up with new solutions?
• Of your creative accomplishments big or small, at work or home, what gave you the most satisfaction?
• What kind of problems have people recently called on you to solve? Tell me what you have devised.

8. Decisiveness

• Do you consider yourself to be thoughtful, analytical or do you usually make up your mind fast? Give an example. (Watch time taken to respond)
• What was your most difficult decision in the last six months? What made it difficult?
• The last time you did not know what decision to make, what did you do?
• How do you go about making an important decision affecting your career?
• What was the last major problem that you were confronted with? What action did you take on it?

9. Range of Interests

• What organizations do you belong to?
• Tell me specifically what you do in the civic activities in which you participate. (Leading questions in selected areas. i.e. sports, economics, current events, finance.)
• How do you keep up with what's going on in your company / your industry/ your profession?

10. Motivation

• What is your professional goal?
• Can you give me examples of experience on the job that you felt were satisfying?
• Do you have a long & short-term plan for your department? Is it realistic?
• Did you achieve it last year?
• Describe how you determine what constitutes top priorities in the performance of your job.

11. Work Standards

• What are your standards of success in your job?
• In your position, how would you define doing a good job? On what basis was your definition determined?
• When judging the performance of your subordinate, what factors or characteristics are most important to you?

12. Leadership

• In your present job what approach do you take to get your people together to establish a common approach to a problem?
• What approach do you take in getting your people to accept your ideas or department goals?
• What specifically do you do to set an example for your employees?
• How frequently do you meet with your immediate subordinates as a group?
• What sort of leader do your people feel you are? Are you satisfied?
• How do you get people who do not want to work together to establish a common approach to a problem?
• If you do not have much time & they hold seriously differing views, what would be your approach?
• How would you describe your basic leadership style? Give specific examples of how you practice this?
• Do you feel you work more effectively on a one to one basis or in a group situation?
• Have you ever led a task force or committee or any group who doesn't report to you, but from whom you have to get work? How did you do it? What were the satisfactions & disappointments? How would you handle the job differently?

13. Oral Presentation Skills

• Have you ever done any public or group speaking? Recently? Why? How did it go?
• Have you made any individual presentations recently? How did you prepare?

14. Written Communication Skills

• Would you rather write a report or give a verbal report? Why?
• What kind of writing have you done? For a group? For an individual?
• What is the extent of your participation in major reports that have to be written?

15. Flexibility

• What was the most important idea or suggestion you received recently from your employees? What happened as a result?
• What do you think about the continuous changes in company operating policies & procedures?
• How effective has your company been in adapting its policies to fit a changing environment?
• What was the most significant change made in your company in the last six months which directly affected you, & how successfully do you think you implemented this change?

16. Stress Tolerance

• Do you feel pressure in your job? Tell me about it.
• What has been the highest pressure situation you have been under in recent years? How did you cope with it?

17. Stability & Maturity

• Describe your most significant success & failure in the last two years.
• What do you like to do best?
• What do you like to do least?
• What in your last review did your supervisor suggest needed improvement?
• What have you done about it?

18. Interest in Self Development

• What has been the most important person or event in your own self development?
• How much of your education did you earn?
• What kind of books & other publications do you read?
• Have you taken a management development course?
• How are you helping your subordinates develop themselves?

Listening: The Godfather

English Café 232 
     
Download Podcast Tags: English Café

Audio Index: 29:34

Topics: The Godfather; Graceland and Elvis; to hinder versus to hamper versus to impede; the hunt is on; quick and dirty tips Words: godparent mafia bribery corruption brutal to legitimize stillborn sideburns the rest is history mansion recording studio artifact to hinder to hamper to impede the hunt is on quick and dirty tips

Vocabulary Quiz - "N" Words

Click the answer button to see the correct answer.

1. The opposite of broad is ___
   Answernarrow
2. The part of the body which joins the head to the torso is called the ___
   Answerneck
3. An acupuncturist and a seamstress both use this thin piece of metal to work with.
   Answerneedle
4. Twelve o'clock or mid-day is also known as ___
   Answernoon
5. Almond, cashews and Brazil are all types of ___
   Answernuts
6. A person who lives next door to you is your ___
   Answerneighbour
7. A photographic print is made from a ___
   Answernegative
8. The "N" on a gear shift stands for ___
   Answerneutral
9. A quick, short sleep is called a ___
   Answernap
10. Women's stocking and tights and many other things are made from ___
    Answernylon

Idioms: Cast pearls before swine

Cast pearls before swine

Offer or show something valuable, good, or beautiful to someone who does not understand its value

If you are casting pearls before swine, you are wasting your time showing or offering something very helpful or valuable to someone who does not understand or appreciate it.

Don't bother explaining Shakespeare to Bob. It would be like casting pearls before swine.

Tom wouldn't listen to Sarah's wise advice. She was just casting pearls before swine.

*swine [countable]

1 plural swine or swines informal someone who behaves very rudely or unpleasantly:

Leave her alone, you filthy swine! 

Idioms:the world is your oyster

 the world is your oyster

used to tell someone that they can achieve whatever they want

oy‧ster [countable]

1 a type of shellfish that can be eaten cooked or uncooked, and that produces a jewel called a pearl

Slang of the Day: Croak

Slang of the Day

I feel like I am going to croak.

Slang

a.  (intr) to die

b.  (tr) to kill

The old man finally croaked at the age of 92.

(Slang of die )

die, 

expire, 

pass away, 

perish, Many people perished in the earthquake.

buy it (U.S. slang), 

check out (U.S. slang), 

kick it (slang), 

go belly-up (slang), 

peg out (informal), 

kick the bucket (informal), 

buy the farm (U.S. slang),

peg it (informal), 

cark it (Austral. & N.Z. slang), 

pop your clogs (informal), 

hop the twig (informal) 

Idiom: Be broke

Be broke: idiom,
Without money, If you are broke, you don't have money.

I can't even buy a bottle of water, I am so broke!

Word: Jullary Stones

1. agate noun

   1. ag‧ate [countable]

a hard stone with bands of different colours, used in jewellery

2.amethyst noun
     am‧e‧thyst

1 [countable] a valuable purple stone used in jewellery

2 [uncountable] a light purple colour

—amethyst adjective

3-aquamarine noun 

aq‧ua‧ma‧rine

1 [uncountable and countable] a greenish blue jewel, or the type of stone it comes from

2 [uncountable] a greenish blue colour

—aquamarine adjective

emerald noun 

em‧e‧rald

1 [countable] a valuable bright green stone that is often used in jewellery

2 [uncountable] a bright green colour

—emerald adjective

Idioms:lick somebody's boots

lick somebody's boots :Informal Idiom: 

to obey someone completely because you are afraid of them or want to please them.to try too hard to please someone important .

I'm not prepared to lick someone's boots to get a promotion.
Have you ever licked somebody's feet?

Grammar:Gerunds Quiz

Gerunds Quiz

1	I dislike to gogoingto go/going to the movies by myself.	Click for answergoing
2	We started eatingto eateating/to eat dinner without you.	Click for answereating/to eat
3	I can't imagine buyingto buybuying/to buy my own house.	Click for answerbuying
4	I used to watchwatchingto watch/watching that television show all of the time.	Click for answerto watch
5	I always eat breakfast before to gogoingto go/going to school.	Click for answergoing
6	When do you practise playingto playplaying/to play the piano?	Click for answerplaying
7	My grandmother prefers readingto readreading/to read science fiction books.	Click for answerreading/to read
8	You need to studystudyingto study/studying harder this year.	Click for answerto study
9	I am used to seeingseeseeing/see her in a bad mood.	Click for answerseeing
10	Have you talked to the dentist about to cleancleaningto clean/cleaning your teeth?	Click for answercleaning

Speaking:Figures of Speech

Figures of Speech

	A figure is worth a thousand words
	(A picture is worth a thousand words)

Figurative language: One meaning of "figure" is "drawing" or "image" or "picture". Figurative language creates figures (pictures) in the mind of the reader or listener. These pictures help convey the meaning faster and more vividly than words alone.

We use figures of speech in "figurative language" to add colour and interest, and to awaken the imagination. Figurative language is everywhere, from classical works like Shakespeare or the Bible, to everyday speech, pop music and television commercials. It makes the reader or listener use their imagination and understand much more than the plain words.

Figurative language is the opposite of literal language. Literal language means exactly what it says. Figurative language means something different to (and usually more than) what it says on the surface:

• He ran fast. (literal)
• He ran like the wind. (figurative)

In the above example "like the wind" is a figure of speech (in this case, a simile). It is important to recognize the difference between literal and figurative language. There are many figures of speech that are commonly used and which you can learn by heart. At other times, writers and speakers may invent their own figures of speech. If you do not recognize them as figures of speech and think that they are literal, you will find it difficult to understand the language.

In this lesson we will look at four common types of figure of speech:

1. Simile
2. Metaphor
3. Hyperbole
4. Oxymoron
   
   
   

   Simile

   pronounced: SIM-i-lee

   
   

   	It's been a hard day's night, and I've been working like a dog
   	The Beatles

   A simile is a figure of speech that says that one thing is like another different thing. We can use similes to make descriptions more emphatic or vivid.
   We often use the words as...as and like with similes.
   Common patterns for similes, with example sentences, are:
   • something [is*] AS adjective AS something
     His skin was as cold as ice.
     It felt as hard as rock.
     She looked as gentle as a lamb.
     
   • something [is*] LIKE something
     My love is like a red, red rose.
     These cookies taste like garbage.
     He had a temper (that was) like a volcano.
     
   • something [does**] LIKE something
     He eats like a pig.
     He smokes like a chimney.
     They fought like cats and dogs.
   * stative verb: be, feel, smell, taste etc
   ** action verb
   Here are some more examples of well known similes:

   [is] AS adjective AS something	meaning
   as blind as a bat	completely blind
   as cold as ice	very cold
   as flat as a pancake	completely flat
   as gentle as a lamb	very gentle
   as light as a feather	very light
   as old as the hills	very old
   as sharp as a knife	very sharp
   as strong as a bull	very strong
   as white as snow	pure white
   as wise as an owl	very wise
   Longer list of AS...AS similes
   [is] LIKE something	possible meaning (depending on context)
   like a rose	beautiful
   like a volcano	explosive
   like garbage	disgusting
   like an animal	inhuman
   like spaghetti	entangled
   like dewdrops	sweet and pure
   like golddust	precious
   like a tip	very untidy (tip = garbage dump)
   like a dream	wonderful, incredible
   like stars	bright and beautiful
   [does] LIKE something	meaning
   to drink like a fish	to drink a lot
   to eat like a bird	to eat very little
   to eat like a horse	to eat a lot
   to eat like a pig	to eat impolitely
   to fight like cats and dogs	to fight fiercely
   to sing like an angel	to sing beautifully
   to sleep like a log	to sleep well and soundly
   to smoke like a chimney	to smoke heavily, all the time
   to soar like an eagle	to fly high and free
   to work like a dog	to work very hard

   Note that with the AS...AS pattern, the first AS is sometimes suppressed, for example:
   • His skin was cold as ice.
   The above patterns of simile are the most common, but there are others made with adverbsor words such as than and as if, for example:
   • He ran as fast as the wind.
   • He is larger than life.
   • They ran as if for their lives.
   Similes can include other figures of speech. For example, "He ran like greased lightning" is a simile that includes hyperbole (greased lightning).
   Similes often make use of irony or sarcasm. In such cases they may even mean the opposite of the adjective used. Look at these examples:
   • His explanation was as clear as mud. (not clear at all since mud is opaque)
   • The film was about as interesting as watching a copy of Windows download. (long and boring)
   • Watching the show was like watching paint dry. (very boring)
   Similes are often found (and they sometimes originate) in poetry and other literature. Here are a few examples:
   • A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle - Irina Dunn
   • Dawn breaks open like a wound that bleeds afresh - Wilfred Owen
   • Death has many times invited me: it was like the salt invisible in the waves - Pablo Neruda
   • Guiltless forever, like a tree - Robert Browning
   • Happy as pigs in mud - David Eddings
   • How like the winter hath my absence been - William Shakespeare
   • As idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean - Samuel Taylor Coleridge
   • Jubilant as a flag unfurled - Dorothy Parker
   • So are you to my thoughts as food to life - William Shakespeare
   • Yellow butterflies flickered along the shade like flecks of sun - William Faulkner
   Popular songs, too, make use of simile:
   • A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle - U2
   • Cheaper than a hot dog with no mustard - Beastie Boys
   • I must do what's right, as sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti - Toto
   • It's been a hard day's night, and I've been working like a dog - The Beatles
   • Like A Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan
   • Like a bat outta [out of] hell - Meat Loaf
   • My heart is like an open highway - Jon Bon Jovi
   • These are the seasons of emotion and like the winds they rise and fall - Led Zeppelin
   • Thick as a Brick - Jethro Tull
   • You are as subtle as a brick to the small of my back - Taking Back Sunday
   Caution: Many similes are clichés (phrases that are overused and betray a lack of original thought). You should use well know similes with care, but it is certainly useful to know them so that you can understand language that contains them.
   
   
   

   Metaphor

   pronounced: MET-uh-for

   
   

   	All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players They have their exits and their entrances
   	William Shakespeare

   
   
   
   A metaphor is a figure of speech that says that one thing is another different thing. This allows us to use fewer words and forces the reader or listener to find the similarities.
   The word metaphor comes from the Greek word metapherin (meaning "transfer").
   The simplest form of metaphor is: "The [first thing] is a [second thing]."
   Look at this example:
   • Her home was a prison.
   In the above sentence, we understand immediately that her home had some of the characteristics of a prison. Mainly, we imagine, she could not leave her home. She was trapped inside. Why it was a prison we do not know, but that would be clear from the context--perhaps her husband forced her to stay at home, perhaps she was afraid of the outside. We don't know, but the rest of the story would tell us. What is important here is that in five simple words we understand a lot about her environment, how she felt and how she behaved. In this sentence, "prison" is a metaphor.
   Look at another example:
   • George is a sheep.
   What is one characteristic of sheep? They follow each other. So we can imagine that George is a follower, not a leader. In this sentence "sheep" is a metaphor.
   Metaphors are very common in everyday language. But poets also like to use metaphors. In the following famous verse (from The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes), can you spot three metaphors in the first three lines?

   The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,
   The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
   The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
   And the highwayman came riding--
   Riding--riding--
   The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.

   Look at these examples of metaphors with sample sentences and meanings:

   Metaphor example	Metaphorical sense	Original sense
   I'm not an angel, but I wouldn't behave like that.	exemplary person	a spiritual being believed to be a messenger of God
   America is a melting pot.	place where different peoples, styles and cultures are mixed together	a container in which metals or other materials are melted and mixed
   John is a real pigwhen he eats.	greedy person	a four-legged animal kept for meat (pork)
   My father is a rock.	very strong or reliable person	a hard, mineral material made of stone
   How could she marry a snake like that!	traitor	a long, limbless reptile (eg: cobra, python, viper)
   The policeman let him off with a yellow card.	warning	(in soccer) a yellow card that the referee shows to players when cautioning them

   All the above metaphors (the simplest form) are nouns. But there are other ways of making metaphors, for example with verbs or adjectives. Here are some examples:

   Metaphor example	Original sense of the word (example)
   The committee shot her ideas down one by one.	Anti-aircraft guns shoot down planes.
   The private detective dug up enough evidence to convince the police to act.	Dogs like to bury bones and dig them up later.
   He broke into her conversation.	Burglars break into buildings.
   The new movie was very popular. Peopleflocked to see it.	Birds flock together before they migrate.
   His head was spinning with ideas.	Some computer hard drives spin at over 10,000 revolutions per minute.
   Reading that book kindled my interest in politics.	You need to start with twigs and small branches when you kindle a camp fire.
   Tim lost his job after a heated argument with his boss.	We have a heated swimming pool.
   The new car's sexy design increased sales for the company.	Some women think that lipstick makes them look sexy.
   He was dressed rather vulgarly in a loudchecked suit.	I can't hear you because the radio is too loud.
   It wasn't long before their relationship turnedsour.	Sour food has an acid taste like lemon or vinegar.

   Difference Between Metaphor and SimileBoth similes and metaphors link one thing to another. A simile usually uses "as" or "like". A metaphor is a condensed simile, a shortcut to meaning, which omits "as" or "like." A metaphor creates a relationship directly and leaves more to the imagination. With simile A islike B. With metaphor A is B.

   simile	metaphor
   Your eyes are like the sun.	You are my sunshine.
   He eats like a pig. He lives like a pig.	He is a pig.

   Dead MetaphorsIn the phrase "to grasp the concept" the physical action "to grasp" is used as a metaphor for "to understand" (which is non-physical). But this phrase has been used so often that most English speakers do not have an image of the physical action in their mind. This metaphor has died; it is a "dead metaphor".
   Mixed Metaphors
   The awkward use of two or more different metaphors at the same time is normally best avoided. It creates conflicting images in the reader or listener's mind, reduces each metaphor's impact, and generally causes confusion. Look at this example:
   • America is a melting pot where new ideas are kindled.
     
     
     
     

     Hyperbole

     pronounced: hy-PER-buh-lee

     
     

     	Give me a thousand kisses, then a hundred, Then another thousand, then a second hundred, Then still another thousand, then a hundred
     	Catullus

     Hyperbole is a figure of speech that uses an exaggerated or extravagant statement to create a strong emotional response. As a figure of speech it is not intended to be taken literally. Hyperbole is frequently used for humour. Examples of hyperbole are:
     • They ran like greased lightning.
       
     • He's got tons of money.
       
     • Her brain is the size of a pea.
       
     • He is older than the hills.
       
     • I will die if she asks me to dance.
       
     • She is as big as an elephant!
       
     • I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.
       
     • I have told you a million times not to lie!
     The media and the advertising industry often use hyperbole (which may then be described as hype or media hype).
     
     
     

     Oxymoron

     pronounced: ox-ee-MOR-on plural: oxymora, oxymorons

     
     

     	So fair and foul a day I have not seen!
     	William Shakespeare

     
     
     
     An oxymoron is a figure of speech that deliberately uses two contradictory ideas. This contradiction creates a paradoxical image in the reader or listener's mind that generates a new concept or meaning for the whole. Some typical oxymorons are:
     • a living death
     • sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind
     • a deafening silence
     • bitter-sweet
     • The Sounds of Silence (song title)
     • make haste slowly
     • he was conspicuous by his absence

     Pseudo Oxymorons

     In the standard meaning of oxymoron the contradiction is deliberate. However, in popular usage oxymoron is sometimes used to mean "contradiction in terms", where the contradiction is unintentional. Such expressions, unlike real oxymorons, are commonly used without any sense of paradox in everyday language, for example:
     • anecdotal evidence
     • friendly fire
     • pretty ugly
     A common attempt at humour is to describe a certain phrase as an oxymoron, implying that the two parts of the phrase are mutually exclusive and that consequently the phrase as a whole must be nonsensical:
     • airline food
     • American culture
     • eco-tourism
     • Microsoft security
     • military intelligence