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Hello and welcome back to Business English Pod for today's lesson on the skills you need to succeed in first round job interviews.
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A job interview is a chance to highlight your achievements and talk about the amazing things you've done in your career.
By talking about what you've achieved, you can show how your experience fits the position.
And by showing how your strengths have helped you, you can convince the interviewer that you're the right person to hire.
If only it were that easy, though.
Interviewers aren't going to ask you only about the good stuff.
They're going to ask you about difficult things as well.
That means they might ask you about problems in your current or past jobs.
And they might also ask you that dreaded question, what are your weaknesses?
But don't worry.
You know these questions are coming, so you can get ready.
Think of some difficult situations you've been in.
Focus on the ones where you were able to solve a problem or deal with difficult people.
And think about your weaknesses honestly and how you've tried to improve on these things.
In that way, you'll be able to face the tough questions confidently.
In this lesson, we'll rejoin William as he interviews for a position at a bank in Hong Kong.
William is being interviewed by Mike, an HR manager at the bank.
You will hear how William deals with difficult questions and how he isn't afraid to discuss problems and how he dealt with them.
As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following questions.
1.
William talks about a problem with short-term loans.
What does he say was the cause of this problem?
2.
What does William say is one of his strengths?
Three, what does William say is one of his weaknesses?
Okay, William, tell me about your proudest achievement.
When I took over as assistant manager in 2004, we had a non-performing loan rate of 5 on short-term loans and revolving credit due to problems with credit controls.
That sounds pretty bad.
Yeah, obviously there were some problems there.
So to find out where the weaknesses were, I worked with my team and the credit department to determine whether the issue was structural or down to a lack of controls.
And you determined it was lack of controls?
Yes, mainly.
How'd you go about fixing it?
Well, I was able to leverage my local cultural knowledge to find several previously unidentified risk factors that correlated strongly with the non-performers.
After analysis, I reduced exposure to high-risk segments, especially real estate.
Sounds like you really focused in on the problem.
What were the results?
Um, let's see.
In 2005, my team and I dealt with a total of 200 million in credit and loans, but I am proud to say that the non-performing rate was only 03.
This has added up to an estimated savings to the bank of $20 million over the next three years.
Did I give you the level of detail you were looking for, or would you like to hear another example?
No, that's fine, thank you.
Let's move on to another question.
So, what would you say are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
One of my strengths is my ability to be flexible in my perspective, my flexibility in analyzing new ideas and concepts.
Over the past seven years, I've seen First United go through several restructurings.
I've had to adjust my style to the new environments, but I've always succeeded in adapting.
Flexibility is always appreciated.
And what about your weaknesses?
I think I mentioned before that I enjoy challenges and work well under pressure.
I really enjoy my work.
The downside to this is that sometimes I put in too much time.
But by being aware of my tendency to overwork...
I've learned to pace myself more and work less overtime.
That's a hard thing to do in this business.
Now, can I ask you why you want to leave your current position?
Well, I've set some goals for myself and for my career.
And unfortunately, there's no room for me to move forward at First United.
I have begun to explore the options available before I spend too much time in a job where I can't advance.
Now let's go through the dialogue again and hear how William answers Mike's questions.
To begin, we can hear William discuss a problem with non-performing loans or situations where people who borrowed money couldn't pay it back.
Okay William, tell me about your proudest achievement.
When I took over as assistant manager in 2004, We had a non-performing loan rate of 5 on short-term loans and revolving credit due to problems with credit controls.
That sounds pretty bad.
Yeah, obviously there were some problems there.
So to find out where the weaknesses were, I worked with my team and the credit department to determine whether the issue was structural or down to a lack of controls.
Mike's question is about William's proudest achievement or something that he feels was a big accomplishment.
You can notice that William's answer relates to a specific problem with loans that couldn't be paid back.
Talking about specific situations instead of general ideas really helps the interviewer understand how you work.
William is obviously going to talk about how he solved this problem.
But first he talks about how he figured out or determined what caused the problem.
This shows that he has the ability to think analytically about an issue.
He's showing how smart he is and how he worked with his team.
Stating the cause of a problem is a good way to show you can deal with problems.
So let's practice some more examples.
The delay was caused by a lack of communication between departments.
High employee turnover has resulted from a lack of growth opportunities.
The issue arose because of insufficient quality control checks.
Now William can explain what he figured out, and then how he solved the problem.
And you determined it was lack of controls?
Yes, mainly.
How did you go about fixing it?
Well, I was able to leverage my local cultural knowledge to find several previously unidentified risk factors that correlated strongly with the non-performers.
After analysis, I reduced exposure to high-risk segments, especially real estate.
William's explanation of his solution shows his ability to analyze difficult problems.
He uses his cultural knowledge or understanding of other cultures to determine risk factors.
Risk factors are things that increase the chance that something bad will happen.
In this way, William was able to reduce the exposure to risk or the possible impact on his company.
It's great to show that you can take action and make decisions, but it's even better to show that you can make decisions that are logical and right for the situation.
What are some other ways we can show how we analyze the problem to come up with the right solution?
Let's try some more examples.
After reviewing client feedback, we changed the onboarding process to reduce delays.
Our analysis showed that adjusting price points could improve customer retention.
Based on the data, we streamlined operations to cut down on costs.
We shifted resources to address the areas most affected by the issue.
As we can hear, Mike wants to know how William's solution worked out.
Sounds like you really focused in on the problem.
What were the results?
Um, let's see.
In 2005, my team and I dealt with a total of $200 million in credit and loans.
But I am proud to say that the non-performing rate was only 0.3%.
This has added up to an estimated savings to the bank of $20 million over the next three years.
Did I give you the level of detail you were looking for?
Or would you like to hear another example?
Remember, Mike's original question was about William's proudest achievement, and William's approach to the problem of non-performing loans has led to a significant savings of 20 million.
He has clearly shown how his skills of analysis and problem solving created a huge success for his employer.
William finishes by checking whether his answer is sufficient with enough detail.
This shows he focused on giving the interviewer the information he needs.
And by asking whether he should give another example, he is suggesting that he has other achievements he could talk about.
It can be difficult to know exactly how much detail is the right amount of detail in an answer.
So let's try some more examples of checking whether an answer is sufficient.
Did I give you enough detail or would you like me to elaborate?
Does that answer your question fully or should I provide another example?
Would you like more specifics on that project?
Let me know if you'd like me to clarify any part of my answer.
Now let's get back to the interview, as Mike moves on to some pretty standard interview questions.
No, that's fine, thank you.
Let's move on to another question.
So, what would you say are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
One of my strengths is my ability to be flexible in my perspective, my flexibility in analyzing new ideas and concepts.
Over the past seven years, I've seen First United go through several restructurings.
I've had to adjust my style to the new environments, but I've always succeeded in adapting.
Anyone can state that they have a certain skill or strength.
But good interviewees give evidence of their strengths.
By that I mean they provide examples of how a particular strength impacted a situation.
In William's case, he mentions his flexibility or his ability to change and adapt.
And to prove that he has this ability, he talks about how he adjusted to several restructurings.
This is when a company changes its entire structure and organization.
That's a very hard change to deal with, but William adapted successfully.
Let's run through some more ways of showing evidence of a strength.
My organizational skills helped me reduce project delays by 20%.
I can adapt quickly, as shown when I managed our recent software transition.
My analytical skills helped me identify cost-saving measures.
I'm proactive, as demonstrated by my work improving client satisfaction scores.
Now that he's heard about his strengths, Mike wants to hear about a weakness.
Let's listen.
Flexibility is always appreciated.
And what about your weaknesses?
I think I mentioned before that I enjoy challenges and work well under pressure.
I really enjoy my work.
The downside to this is that sometimes I put in too much time.
But by being aware of my tendency to overwork, I have learned to pace myself more and work less overtime.
Many people fear this question about a weakness.
And sometimes people try to state a weakness that is actually a strength, like I care too much.
But William shows that it is a good idea to state a weakness that is actually a downside or negative aspect of one of your strengths.
Even more importantly, you need to explain how you've dealt with the weakness.
And as William points out, he learned to pace himself or manage his time better.
In this way, a question about your weakness can be a chance to show that you can learn and grow.
Let's run through some more ways of talking about how you've dealt with a weakness.
I tend to be detail focused, but I've learned to prioritize tasks more effectively.
My desire to get it right the first time has sometimes slowed me down, but I've learned to set clearer deadlines.
I used to take on too much work, but now I delegate more often.
Time management was a challenge, but I now use a scheduling tool to stay on track.
As the interview draws to a close, Mike asks another very common question.
That's a hard thing to do in this business.
Now, can I ask you why you want to leave your current position?
Well, I've set some goals for myself and for my career.
And unfortunately, there's no room for me to move forward at First United.
I have begun to explore the options available before I spend too much time in a job where I can't advance.
If you already have a job, when you're going through an interview, you can expect to hear this question about why you're leaving.
And just like other questions, William deals with this one confidently and effectively.
It is very understandable that someone might simply want new opportunities to grow their career.
Now let's practice some of the language we learned in today's lesson.
Imagine you are interviewing for a management position at a manufacturing company.
You'll hear a cue from the interviewer.
Then I'll tell you how to respond.
We'll guide you through each step in the practice and provide an example answer for each response.
Ready?
Let's give it a go.
And did you determine what led to the high turnover rate last year?
Start by saying that for the most part it was due to a lack of promotion opportunities.
Answer.
For the most part it was due to a lack of promotion opportunities.
So can you tell me how did you address this?
Now explain that you created a clearer path for advancement after looking at employee feedback.
After looking at employee feedback, we created a clearer path for advancement.
I see.
Now check if that covers everything or if they would like more detail.
Answer.
Does that cover what you're looking for or would you like more details?
No, I think that will suffice.
Now tell me about one of your greatest strengths.
Now say that using your analytical skills, you were able to cut delivery costs by 5%.
Answer.
Well, using my analytical skills, I was able to cut delivery costs by 5%.
And what would you say is your greatest weakness?
Answer.
I tend to overwork, but I've learned to balance my time more effectively.
That's all for this lesson on first round job interviews.
We've learned how to state the cause of a problem and how to show you used analytical skills to find a solution.
We've also looked at asking whether your response is sufficient.
And finally, we covered how to give evidence of your strengths and show that you've improved on your weaknesses.
For more practice.
Premium members can access the online quizzes and PDF transcripts for this and other lessons on the BEP website.
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Then head over to wwwbusinessenglishpodcom and sign up for a free trial to preview some of the extra resources available to members.
Thanks for listening, and see you again soon.
