job interview-willes revised 13

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©2011 The Chinese University of Hong Kong 1

Introducing Yourself in a Job Interview

Adapted from Mary Willes

Contents page

Preface

1. The first question asked 2

2. Forms of the question: Please introduce yourself 2

3. Meaning of the question 2

4. What the interviewer wants from the applicant 2

Preparing for the day

5. How to start 3

6. Presenting yourself as a memorable, even an outstanding applicant 3

Introducing yourself as a potentially valuable employee

7. Don’t be the interviewer’s worst nightmare 3

8. Be a really excellent employee 4

Past experience applicable to work situations

9. The experience of study 4

10. Participation in extra-curricular activities 4

"Please introduce yourself!" A selection of answers 5

The Final Phase of the Employment Interview1. Introduction

1.1 Some ways in which the question may be asked 8

1.2 The interviewer’s agenda and your own 8

1.3 Declining the invitation: how and when to say no 8

2. Pitfalls to avoid

2.1 Immediate practical questions 9

2.2 Questions to avoid 9

2.3 Questions already answered 9

2.4 Questions nobody can answer 9

3. Opportunities to seize

3.1 Clearing up remaining doubts 10

3.2 Signal points that might be overlooked 10

3.3 Assert your professional seriousness 11

3.4 Affirm your commitment 11

4. Reflecting on the interview

4.1 Was it a success? 12

4.2 How did it rate as a learning experience? 12

5. A final word 13




Preface

1. THE FIRST QUESTION ASKED

The first question asked at a job interview is usually

2. FORMS OF THE QUESTION

You may hear this question expressed in a number of different ways:

3. MEANING OF THE QUESTION

Before answering the question, think about this: What, exactly, does the interviewer want? What would he or

she find helpful in deciding among several applicants, who is best suited to the job?

4. WHAT THE INTERVIEWER WANTS FROM THE APPLICANT

The applicant’s seriousness

Make an effort to say something that shows you are serious about the job.

The applicant’s suitability

The interviewer needs to know what sort of character and disposition the applicant has, in order to make a

judgement about whether he or she will fit in and work well. Your task is to demonstrate self-knowledge and the

language to express it.

Explanations to clear up ambiguity and confusion

Clarify ambiguous statements. For example, if your grades are not very good or are noticeably uneven, or if your

major is not related to the job you are applying for, then you will need to give a reason for this. You are likely to

do better in the interview if you raise the questions that perhaps you would prefer not to be asked! You can then

offer an explanation without seeming defensive.

1 Would you like to introduce yourself?

2 Tell us what sort of person you think you are.

3 How about you? Your family, your interests?




One or more reasons to remember you!

Most of the people an interviewer sees are likely to be adequately qualified and reasonably well prepared. The

request for you to introduce yourself is an invitation to say what is special, unusual, outstanding, about yourself.

Summary

Convince the interviewer that you are a serious applicant and a potentially suitable employee.

Preparing for the day

5. HOW TO START

When the interviewer says to you

You could begin by answering with one of the following:

• Thank you for the opportunity of this interview.

• I received and read the detailed particulars of the post / the information about the company / the

brochure — thank you for these.

• Thank you for the address of your company's website. I found this very informative.

Such an acknowledgement tells the interviewer what information you already have. You have the next few

minutes to establish that you are a serious and suitable applicant. To do this you must articulate to yourself

before you attend the interview who you are and the sort of person you expect to become.

6. PRESENTING YOURSELF AS REALLY GOOD – EVEN AN OUTSTANDING APPPLICANT

Though you may not have a lot of working experience, there are other roles in which you have a great deal of

experience. As a university graduate, you are very familiar, for example, with what is expected of a student. You

may have a lot of practice as a representative of a group, a team member, or even a family member. Different

aspects of your personality emerge from different roles and you have an opportunity, and an obligation, to

consider how you are going to present yourself in the role of a potential employee.

Introducing yourself as a potentially valuable employee

7. DON’T BE THE INTERVIEWER’S WORST NIGHTMARE!

If you were an interviewer, you would not want to recruit someone who is:

Careless, slovenly in work habits – the sort of person who leaves work unfinished

Unpunctual, unmethodical, inconsistent in work habits

Untidy, casual, and grubby in appearance

Rude, disagreeable, sullen in mannerSo make sure you aren’t!




8. BE A REALLY EXCELLENT EMPLOYEE

What would the Excellent Employee be like?

• Arrives at work looking very much as on day of interview – neat, fresh, alert, suitably dressed, and punctual.

• Attention is focused on the job so quickly learns what is required and makes use of all learning opportunities.

• Well mannered and pleasant with colleagues collaborating closely with them and avoiding conflict andconfusion.

• An orderly, methodical and effective person who does not waste time.

• Able to set priorities to avoid crisis and panic and can work well under pressure.

• Accepts criticism, and does not make the same mistakes twice.

Now, how are you going to persuade an interviewer that you have the potential to be a valuable employee?

To avoid sounding boastful, instead of stating aloud that you possess the qualities of a valuable employee, you

have instead to identify situations in which you know that you have already shown one or two of the qualities that are characteristic of a really good employee and be prepared to talk about them.

9. THE EXPERIENCE OF STUDY

You have experience as a student so you should ask yourself if there are any ways in which being a student is

similar to being an employee. Could you say any of the following things truthfully about yourself?

I have learned, as a student,

To concentrate on my work seriously and conscientiously, meeting obligations and work deadlines, and I do

all these now as a matter of habit. How necessary it is to learn from criticism of one’s work.

To take the initiative in doing research for additional information about things that interest or puzzle me.

To make good use of my computer skills in the search for information.

To work as a team member. All the projects we completed involved collaboration. Everyone had a chance

to practise all the various roles that team members are required to fill.

To manage time properly, since it is one of the most important resources.

Think of other ways you have learned, as a student, to do things that would apply to a work place. Be prepared to

talk about only two or three of them. Let the interviewer infer that you have made good use of the opportunities

you talk about. Do not boast about your achievements. If the interviewer asks you for more detail about anything,

answer concisely; be careful not to go on for too long.

10. PARTICAPTION IN EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

As a student, you probably took part in extra-curricular activities. Interviewers are interested in these because

they provide opportunities to learn practical and intellectual skills that can be transferred to the work place. So

think about the things you did in the past, e.g. field trips, visits, production of publications. However, even if you

were very active in extracurricular functions and societies, you must make clear that your university work always

had its rightful, central, place in your life – the place the interviewer expects that in future your employment will

have.




Suppose you are a student who avoided any extra-curricular involvement. You would probably offer some

explanation. Here are some explanations you can adapt to fit you own experience:

"I had to spend 2 hours travelling every day, and I decided that in these circumstances involvement in music

was simply not practicable. I couldn’t do that and do justice to my studies."

"I had inescapable family responsibilities. I simply couldn’t commit my time to any extra-curricular or

sporting activities."

These types of explanations enable you to come over as a responsible person rather than as someone who has a

narrow range of interests or limited vitality and energy.

Next there are a few examples of how an answer to the question “Please introduce yourself!” might look.

“Please introduce yourself!” A selection of answers

Now you get a chance to practice answering this request. Read the Biographical Note (short summary of person’s

dates and academic record), and the Personal Reminder (notes made by the applicant before the interview about

things he or she thinks are important) for each student.

Try to keep your answer to the question relatively concise. After you have compared your answer with the

applicant’s, you may even be able to think of advice you could give to each applicant.

Case One: Wendy Lo

Wendy applied for a position as a Biology teacher. The advertisement was for an English teacher from an Aided

School in Hong Kong, but said that some teaching of Biology might be available for a suitably qualified

applicant.

Personal Reminder

Enjoy teaching both younger and older students. Convinced of the importance of

education to the individual and to society. Majored in Biology – but have a

long-standing interest in English Studies. Regularly watch English language TV – especially wildlife programmes. Some experience of teaching English. Keen to extend this.

Biographical Note

Born in Kowloon Tong in 1976; good grades in Primary and Secondary school.

Satisfactory grades in HKCEE and HKALE and high grades in English and Biology.

Majored in Biology in The Chinese University of Hong Kong, graduated in 1997.

Worked in 1995 and 1996 as a summer English teacher with great interest and enthusiasm. Has a letter of

recommendation from the Director of that program.

Immediately on graduation obtained a trainee-ship in Personnel Management, but was not happy or

successful in that environment so left and found full-time work as a graduate teacher of Biology. This

vacancy is for an English teacher who could teach some Biology in lower forms. It is not ideal, but Wendy

still thinks it is worth applying for.




Write six lines to introduce Wendy Lo.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Now look below at what Wendy actually said in her self-introduction. Notice that she didn’t remember

everything! This is not intended as a model answer!

Comment: Though she didn’t remember much information from her notes Wendy still gives a straightforward

response that doesn’t sound over-prepared. She is evidently serious about teaching and she seems realistic in her

expectations.

Case Two: DANIEL KWAN

Daniel applied for a position as a trainee manager, which is not well paid, but offers the possibility of promotion.

Biographical Note

• Daniel Kwan was born in Mainland China, and came to Hong Kong when he was young.

• Daniel went to Primary and Secondary school in Hong Kong.

• He was a hardworking and serious student. He studied at Chinese University. Geography was his major.

• He is always very nervous at the prospect of an interview in English.

• He has an excellent record of involvement in extra-curricular activities.

• He has worked with several voluntary organisations and they all speak warmly of him.

Yes, well… I’m a Hong Kong person, born and educated here. I’ve recently graduated

from T he Chinese University. Biology was my major. I’ve always been interested in

English though and I’ve done some teaching of English in Summer programs. I enjoyed

that, and I think the students did too. I’d really like an opportunity to do more.

Teaching is one of most valuable things a person can do though I know it’s very hard

work and ever one knows that it’s stressful.

Personal Reminder

Short sentences! Say what I’ve done. Say what I want to do. Say I’m more interested in people than in

school subjects. Don’t pretend to be good at exams. Talk about work with voluntary groups.




The scene is the Hong Kong office of an international company. The Personnel Manager, Mrs. Ada Chan, speaks

fluent English, the working language of the company.

Mrs. Chan:

Your turn now. Look again at Daniel’s biographical details and write what you think he said next. Remember he

decided to keep it short.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

This is what Daniel managed to say:

Mrs. Chan did of course make a note. Of the following remarks, which would you have made about Daniel’s

performance?

There are no right answers of course, but I expect you chose the second or the third!

“Please introduce yourself” gives you an opportunity to show how well and confidently you can answer in English

while sounding assured and modest. You don’t need to give many biographical facts as these are in your

documents so draw the listener's attention to the ways in which your experience is relevant to the vacancy.

1. Weak applicant: short, hesitant, poor quality2. Modest, sensible, conscious of his own limitations

3. Good, obviously sociable, sympathetic, likeable personality

4. Very good, concise, clear, to the point, seems a strong candidate

Oh yes, Mr. Kwan, isn’t it? Do sit down. Please introduce

yourself.

Yes, I'll introduce myself. I'm Daniel Kwan. In 1997, I graduated from T he ChineseUniversity of Hong Kong. I majored in Geography. I always wanted a career in businessthough and to specialise in Personnel Management. My interests are in people, not in

academic study.




The Final Phase of the Employment Interview: And now – have you any questions that

you would like to ask us?

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Some ways in which the question may be asked

You may hear the question in more than one form so any of the following are equally likely:

Don’t make the mistake of reading too much into the interviewer’s apparent good humour! Don’t, that

is, over-interpret the question. This just means that the interview is, at least from the standpoint of the

interviewer, almost at an end. Some thought beforehand could help you to make the best use of the last part of

the interview and avoid potential pitfalls.

1.2 The interviewer’s agenda and your own

Think about the interview in terms of the contrast between the interviewer’s purposes and yours.

You want a job – but not necessarily this job! So you must persuade the interviewer that you are a very

good applicant – probably the best on offer! You are on unfamiliar ground so you feel some nervous excitement.

If this feeling can be kept within limits, it is an asset. It enables you to concentrate more fully than usual. It gives

an edge to your performance.

When the interviewer asks this final question, and invites you to take the initiative, he hopes you will use

it to confirm the good impression you have already made. Don’t waste his time with a string of previously

prepared questions designed to impress him with your sharpness of mind! So that gives you two further rules:

• Keep what you say brief

• Don’t go in with a list (memorised or written) of prepared questions

1.3 Declining the invitation: how and when to say no

There are circumstances, obviously, when the best answer to the question “Do you have any questions” is “no”. It has to be a brief and courteous “no” of course – something like:

Thank you – no. You’ve been very informative. Thank you for the opportunity

of the meeting.

No, thank you. I found your brochure / leaflet accompanying the application

form / web-site – very informative.

No, I don’t think so. I really feel I have all the information I need. Thank you

for your time.

We seem to have asked you a great many questions: now it’s your turn!

Is there anything we haven’t covered that you want to know?

Any questions?




Then you smile, you shake hands, and you leave. You have not damaged your chances. Neither of course

have you enhanced them but in some circumstances, that choice is your best strategy.

2. PITFALLS TO AVOID

2.1 Immediate practical questions

Let’s look at the alternatives to a polite refusal of the opportunity to ask questions. Suppose you decide to

ask something of the interviewer. Remember your primary purpose in doing so is to enhance your own chances of

receiving an offer. Getting a satisfactory and informative answer is a secondary purpose in asking.

Remember that there are some questions better not asked! Let’s look at those first.

2.2 Questions to avoid

Don’t ask questions that can’t be answered at this stage of the interview procedure. That sounds obvious

but unluckily for you, these questions might include ones you are most anxious about!

Don’t ask how well or badly you did, or what your chances of an offer are. These questions may seriously

damage the good impression you made earlier. Not only does it make you look over-anxious – it makes you seem

self-centred and ignorant of the way in which the world of work operates. The interviewer may not have the

authority to make a final decision or may be obliged to consult with colleagues, including senior colleagues, who

are not present, but who will rely on his report.

2.3 Questions already answered

That includes information that was given to you at the interview. If you want to ask something which you

suspect the interviewer may feel you should already know, do so cautiously, like this:

Notice the use, in these questions, of “your organisation”, “your company” rather than “you”. Don’t expect a

lengthy answer and don’t ask more than one or two questions.

2.4 Questions nobody can answer

Avoid questions that require long-term or speculative answers. You want to come over as serious and

practical, someone who appreciates the nature of the working world, and sets a high value on time – especially

the time of the interviewer! Try to ask short-term, focussed questions. It is not a good idea, for example, to ask

I would like to know something more about your organisation’s plans for expansion

/ diversification / a narrower focus.

Perhaps you could enlarge on what you were saying earlier about your policies in

respect of promotion / opportunities outside Hong Kong / employees’ further

qualifications.

Was I right in understanding that your organisation has almost completed a phase

of expansion / your company intends to strengthen / extend its training programme?




Applicants who make this mistake usually hope that the interviewer will interpret the question as themark of a thoughtful, far-sighted, and ambitious person but this is an unsatisfactory question since the answer

depends on an economic future at present unknown.

Avoid any questions that might embarrass the interviewer including questions that imply any sort of criticism of

the company or its policies.

3. OPPORTUNITIES TO SEIZE

Don’t feel that you can’t ask any questions at all for fear of giving offence and damaging your chances.

Good preparation will allow you to be alert just before you leave the interview. Here are some situations when

you might ask questions:

3.1 Clearing up remaining doubts

Take this opportunity to clear up any doubts you have as a result of the interview and to correct any

misunderstandings the interviewer may have about you. This stage of the interview offers you the last

opportunity to do this. However, you must avoid giving the interviewer the impression that you think his

explanations have been inadequate. So it is worth knowing how to ask these questions in a way that sounds

uncritical, respectful, and polite. You could, for example, say:

These are indirect ways of asking the interviewer to repeat something important that you are still unclear about.

That indirectness may seem silly, wasteful of time, even less than honest but it is characteristic of polite exchange

in English! It has the important and necessary function of not embarrassing the person you address. It avoids

challenge and confrontation.

3.2 Signal points that might be overlooked

You might signal to the interviewer some points in your favour that may have been underestimated.

When you prepared for the interview, you considered the job specifically in terms of what you have to offer,

which is represented by your resume.

Can I check that I understood correctly what you said about salary structure

/ holiday entitlement / sick leave /...

Can you confirm that the subjects I took in my degree course are regarded

by your organisation as a suitable preparation for the position?

Am I right in thinking that a new recruit to your company is considered for pay

rise at the end of a satisfactory six months’ probationary period?

Where do you expect the organisation to be ten

years from now?




Knowing that you have qualities like these, which are valuable to an employer but which may not be

represented adequately by your qualifications, you could direct the interviewer’s attention by asking questions

like these:

Does the job offer scope for someone who

• particularly likes working with people?

• enjoys learning new computer applications?

• would like a chance to use fluency in Mandarin / French, etc.

• is interested in the visual presentation of data?

• especially enjoys researching and assembling new information?

Putting your question in this way ensures that you phrase your question modestly. It also allows the

interviewer to question you about what experience you have had and what you can actually do.

3.3 Assert your professional seriousness

It is natural that, in the early stages of your working life, you should be interested in opportunities of extending your experience and your knowledge. If this topic has not already been the focus of some discussion, you can

introduce it at this stage. You could ask:

What sort of opportunities are there for your junior employees to extend their qualifications

/ acquire varied experience?

If the organisation is already large and well established, you could narrow the focus of the question and

ask:

Can you tell me what sort of induction program I can expect?

Do you operate a mentoring programme for new recruits to your organisation?

Again, don’t expect a long, detailed answer. You will certainly get more details if you are offered and

accept an appointment. Remember that acquiring information is your secondary purpose: the primary purpose is

supplying the interviewer with information about you!

3.4 Affirm your commitment to this organisation

Employers tend to feel that an ideal applicant is enthusiastic not just about getting a job, but about

getting this job, in this company! Interviewers will sometimes ask:

Why do you want to work for this company / organisation?

Applicants who are unaware of this convention are unsure of how to respond, and allow the interviewer

to see that they interpret this as a superfluous question. They answer that obviously, they need the job! An

applicant who makes that (innocent and understandable) mistake, rarely gets the offer, though he or she has

done nothing worse than fail to understand a convention with which the interviewer is entirely familiar. Of

course, everyone concerned knows perfectly well that the primary concern of most applicants is almost always to

get a job – to have a livelihood, to make a start on the career ladder. However, it is to your advantage as an

applicant to ask a question that signals that you really do want to work here, and that you see this as a long-term

decision.

Oh! I don’t need the job, but I do need this job!




Make your question simple and straightforward if you can. You could say, for example:

How long have you had a web site? I notice it was last updated recently.

I notice you have a more recent brochure in the waiting room than the one I have seen. May I

take a copy of the new one?

4. REFLECTING ON THE INTERVIEW

So the interview is over. You smile, you take your leave, and you go. It may be that you will not be ready

just yet to reflect on the experience. Once you take time to think it over there are two questions, at least, you

should ask yourself. They are:

1. Was the interview a success?

2. How did the interview rate as a learning experience for you?

4.1 Was the interview a success?

Be careful here. It is very natural to regard an interview as successful if you are offered the job / training

position you applied for. However, it is more useful in many ways to regard the interview as successful if you

can feel that you performed well, whatever the outcome.

Let’s look at reasons for feeling well satisfied before you know whether you will receive an offer. When

you reflect on the interview, did you …

• Attend the interview well prepared, well informed about the organisation, having given careful thought to

the extent of the match between you and the job?

• Ensure that all the non-verbal signals of your dress and manner were appropriate (so far as you could tell

in advance)?

• Sustain your concentrated attention right through the interview?

• Answer the interviewer’s questions straightforwardly and directly, at sufficient but not at excessive

length?

• Find out in the course of the interview whether, if you were offered the job, you would be willing to take

it, with the intention of giving it your best attention for a reasonable length of time?

If you can answer “yes” to all these then you performed well .

4.2 How did the interview rate as a learning experience for you?

Don’t omit this question even if you have been offered the job, on very acceptable terms, and you arehappy with your success and ready to celebrate! Successful or not you should find someone to discuss the

following:

What were the successful and unsuccessful aspects of this

interview?

If you were offered the job, how many of the following

contributed?

If you were not which might have contributed?




• There needs to be a good fit between the demands of the job (as the interviewer perceived them) and the

qualifications and experience the applicant can offer.

• Some jobs are more specialised and this can narrow the field of applicants available to the interviewer

considerably.

• A strong personal rapport between you and the interviewer is helpful.

• There are often factors (family ties, longstanding friendship perhaps) which prejudice the interviewer for

or against an applicant.

Consider whether there came a point in the interview when you sensed that the interviewer made

decided on the success of your application. It is a good idea to make a diary note of your answers to these

questions, for later reference.

5. A FINAL WORD

Interviewing is not an exact science. Good preparation for an interview is helpful and necessary, but it

carries no guarantees. Like every employed person, you are subject to the ebb and flow of demand, which

depends on the changing state of the economy. There are situations in which jobs are in short supply: the number

of well-qualified and highly motivated applicants increases, and the individual applicant may feel that this is a

hopeless situation. If you are to avoid depression, you must not shoulder blame for circumstances that are

outside your control.

Look on job application as a serious game in which both luck and skills are involved. I hope the use of

these materials has helped you to develop some of the required skills and I wish you luck in the future.

job interview-willes revised 13

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