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Section 1 / 8
Warm-up
Lesson 1
Job Interview Preparation
Business English B1Lesson 18 sections48 exercises
1.1
Job Interview Preparation
Today's lesson is 100% focused on getting you ready for a real job interview: the vocabulary you'll need, and — most importantly — practising your actual answers out loud, again and again, until they feel natural.
1.2
After this lesson you'll be able to...
- Use key job-interview vocabulary confidently
- Talk about your experience using the Present Perfect
- Answer the most common interview questions fluently
- Ask the interviewer smart questions of your own
1.3
Get to know each other (3 minutes)
- What job or position is the interview for?
- Have you had an interview in English before?
- How are you feeling about it — confident or nervous?
1.4
Say it out loud
Practise your first sentence for tomorrow. → Good morning, thank you for having me.
1.5
Fact worth knowing
Interviewers usually decide their first impression of a candidate within the first 90 seconds — a confident greeting and clear opening sentence matter more than people think.
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Section 2 / 8
Vocabulary
2.1
Key interview words
2.2
Useful interview phrases
| I have a proven track record of… | У мене є перевірений послужний список… |
| I take a proactive approach to… | Я застосовую проактивний підхід до… |
| I'm comfortable managing multiple stakeholders. | Мені комфортно працювати з кількома зацікавленими сторонами. |
| I take full accountability for the outcome. | Я беру повну відповідальність за результат. |
| I'd leverage my experience in… to… | Я б використав свій досвід у… щоб… |
2.3
Try out the new words
Describe your work ethic in one sentence. → I'd describe my work ethic as … .
Give an example of your initiative. → I once took the initiative to … .
2.4
Which word is it?
A history of your achievements and successes
track record
Acting before a problem happens, instead of reacting after
proactive
A person affected by or interested in a project
stakeholder
Taking responsibility for your results
accountability
A measurable number used to track success
KPI
2.5
Fill in the missing word
I have a proven ____ of hitting sales targets.
I always try to be ____ rather than reactive.
I worked with several ____ across departments.
2.6
Translate the phrase
адаптивність →
результат роботи (кінцевий продукт) →
навички міжособистісного спілкування →
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Section 3 / 8
Grammar
3.1
Present Perfect: talking about experience
| Pattern | have/has + past participle |
| Use it for | experience up to now, without a specific finished time — "I have managed a team of five." |
| Use Past Simple for | a specific past event — "I led that project in 2022." |
| With "for / since" | "I have worked here for three years / since 2021." |
3.2
Present Perfect or Past Simple?
I ___ in sales for six years. (have worked/worked)
Last year, I ___ a new CRM system. (have launched/launched)
I ___ never ___ a team before, but I'm ready to. (have/led)
3.3
Fill in for / since
I have worked in this field ____ 2019.
I have used Excel ____ many years.
3.4
Turn this into an interview answer
"manage / a team of 8 people" →
"increase / sales by 20%" →
3.5
Say it about yourself
Say two real sentences about your own experience, using "I have + past participle."
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Section 4 / 8
Reading
4.1
Read: a strong interview answer
"I've worked in customer service for four years, and for the last two years I've led a small team. I have a proven track record of hitting my KPIs every quarter. Last quarter, I took the initiative to introduce a new ticketing system that reduced our response time by 30% — I worked closely with stakeholders across three departments to get it approved, and I took full accountability for the rollout. I'm looking for a new position because I want more responsibility and the chance to manage a bigger, cross-functional team. I've researched your company, and I really admire how proactive your customer experience team is — that matches exactly what I care about in my work."
4.2
True or false?
The candidate has led a team.
True
Response time increased by 30%.
False — it was reduced by 30%.
The candidate worked with stakeholders in three departments.
True
4.3
Why is this a strong answer?
What structure does it follow?
Experience → a specific achievement with a metric (KPI, %) → who else was involved (stakeholders) → why they want this job → why this company.
Find every advanced business word used in the answer.
track record, KPIs, initiative, stakeholders, accountability, cross-functional, proactive
4.4
The STAR method
| Situation | Set the scene briefly — what was the context? |
| Task | What was your specific responsibility? |
| Action | What did YOU actually do? |
| Result | What happened? Use a number if you can. |
4.5
Find the STAR in the reading
What is the Situation/Task in the reading passage?
Response times were too slow (Situation); they needed a solution (Task).
What is the Action/Result?
Action: introduced a new ticketing system, worked with stakeholders. Result: reduced response time by 30%.
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Section 5 / 8
Practice
5.1
Picture your answer
💼📈🤝
Experience → Achievement → Fit for the role. Keep this structure in mind for every answer today.
5.2
Match the question type to the example
Behavioural question
Self-assessment question
5.3
Put the words in order
years / worked / I've / for / five / this / in / industry
5.4
Fill in the missing phrase
________ (I'd be/I am) a strong fit for this role.
5.5
An interview fact
Candidates who use specific numbers ("increased sales by 20%") are remembered far better than those who only use general phrases like "I did a good job."
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Section 6 / 8
Speaking — Mock Interview
6.1
How to use this section
This is the most important part of today's lesson. Your tutor will play the interviewer and ask you each question below, one at a time. Answer out loud in full sentences — don't just read the starter, build your own real answer from it. Repeat any answer that felt shaky until it's smooth.
6.2
Q1 — Tell me about yourself
🎙️ "Tell me a little about yourself."
Starter: "I'm currently a … with … years of experience in … . Most recently, I've … ."
6.3
Q2 — Why this company?
🎙️ "Why do you want to work for us?"
Starter: "I've researched your company, and I really admire … . I think my skills in … would fit well because … ."
6.4
Q3 — Your strengths
🎙️ "What are your greatest strengths?"
Starter: "One of my key strengths is … . For example, I once … ."
6.5
Q4 — Your weaknesses
🎙️ "What is your biggest weakness?"
Starter: "I've sometimes struggled with … , so I've started … to improve it."
6.6
Q5 — A challenge you solved (use STAR!)
🎙️ "Tell me about a time you faced a difficult problem at work."
Starter (STAR): "In my last role, we had a problem with … (Situation). I was responsible for … (Task). I decided to … (Action), and as a result, … (Result)."
6.7
Follow-up — Can you be more specific?
🎙️ "That's interesting — can you give me a specific example, with numbers if possible?"
Starter: "Sure. To give you a concrete figure, … . If I hadn't taken that approach, I estimate we would have … instead."
Interviewers ask this follow-up ALL the time. Never let a vague answer be your final answer — always have a number ready.
6.8
Q6 — Teamwork and cross-functional work
🎙️ "How do you work with stakeholders who don't report to you?"
Starter: "I usually build trust by … . For example, I've worked closely with a cross-functional team on … , where I had to align people with different priorities."
6.9
Q7 — Why should we hire you?
🎙️ "Why should we hire you over other candidates?"
Starter: "I'd bring a proven track record in … , plus real accountability for my results. I'm confident I can leverage that experience to deliver on your KPIs from day one."
6.10
Q8 — Salary expectations (negotiation roleplay)
🎙️ "What are your salary expectations?"
Starter: "Based on my experience and the market rate for this role, I'm targeting somewhere in the range of … . That said, I'm flexible and open to discussing the full package, including benefits."
NEGOTIATION ROLEPLAY
Interviewer: "That's a bit higher than we'd budgeted — we were thinking closer to X."
You: "I understand budget is a real constraint. Given my track record of [achievement], would there be flexibility to revisit this after a successful probation period?"
6.11
Q9 — Five years from now
🎙️ "Where do you see yourself in five years?"
Starter: "I'd like to have grown into a role with more … , taking ownership of bigger deliverables, while continuing to build my … skills."
6.12
Q10 — Your questions for them
🎙️ "Do you have any questions for us?"
Prepare 2-3 sharp questions, e.g.: "What KPIs would this role be measured against after the first quarter?" / "How is the onboarding process structured?" / "What does the cross-functional collaboration look like day-to-day?"
6.13
Buying yourself thinking time
If you need a second to think, never go silent — use one of these instead:
"That's a great question — let me think about that for a moment."
"I want to give you a proper answer, so let me organise my thoughts."
"Could you clarify what you mean by…?" (if you didn't fully understand)
"That's a great question — let me think about that for a moment."
"I want to give you a proper answer, so let me organise my thoughts."
"Could you clarify what you mean by…?" (if you didn't fully understand)
6.14
Full mock interview — no stopping
FULL RUN-THROUGH
Now do all 10 questions again, back to back, with no pausing to think in Ukrainian. Use the STAR structure for every behavioural question, and always try to land on a number. If you get stuck, use one of the "thinking time" phrases above instead of switching to Ukrainian.
6.15
Let's talk — reflection
- Which question felt hardest to answer with STAR?
- Did you manage to include a specific number in every answer?
- How did the salary negotiation roleplay feel?
- What's one more thing you want to practise before tomorrow?
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Section 7 / 8
Cool down
7.1
Now I can...
- Use key interview vocabulary
- Talk about experience with the Present Perfect
- Answer the 10 most common interview questions
- Ask the interviewer my own questions
7.2
One more thing before you go
Say your answer to Question 1 ("Tell me about yourself") one final time, from memory, with confidence.
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Section 8 / 8
Homework
How to do your homework
- Do the exercises below and press Check in each one. Green = correct. Red shows what was expected.
- Do the writing and speaking tasks and tick them when they are done.
- Write your name and press Copy my result, then send the text to your tutor.
8.1
Words to remember
| track record / leverage | послужний список / використовувати з користю |
| proactive / accountability | проактивний / відповідальність |
| stakeholder / deliverable | зацікавлена сторона / результат роботи |
| cross-functional / onboarding | міжфункціональний / адаптація нового співробітника |
| KPI / initiative / interpersonal skills | ключовий показник / ініціативність / навички спілкування |
8.2
Fill in Present Perfect
I ____ (manage) a team of six people for the past two years.
8.3
Translate the phrase
я беру повну відповідальність за результат →
8.4
Write it yourself
Using the STAR method, write full answers to Question 5 (a challenge you solved) and Question 7 (why hire you) — try to naturally include at least 3 of today's advanced words (track record, proactive, stakeholders, accountability, KPI…). Read them out loud three times before the interview.
8.5
Practise out loud
Tonight, do the full 10-question mock interview once more, alone, in front of a mirror.
Tick what you have done
- 8.4 Write it yourself: Using the STAR method, write full answers to Question 5 (a challenge you solved) and Question 7 (…
- 8.5 Practise out loud: Tonight, do the full 10-question mock interview once more, alone, in front of a mirror.