You're listening to Business English Pod, the Business English podcast for professionals on the move.
Hello and welcome back to Business English Pod for today's lesson on doing an online job interview.
Today we're going to look at some tips for online interviews, especially how to relate your experience to a new field of work.
Just a few years ago, you might have been surprised if a prospective employer requested an online interview.
After all, we often think of interviews as a good chance to meet face-to-face.
But these days, in many sectors, online interviews are completely normal.
In fact, with the move towards remote work, many newly hired people have never met their colleagues or boss face-to-face.
This is part of a shake-up in the world of work brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Early in the pandemic, millions of people lost their jobs.
Now, more and more of those people are getting hired for new positions, often in different industries.
And to get those jobs, they likely had to talk about how they would transfer their experience to a different line of work.
One of the things you'll have to deal with in an online interview is, of course, possible technical issues.
It's a good idea to be able to deal with such problems calmly and confidently.
Another important skill in any interview is talking about how you added value in your previous position.
When it comes to transferring experience, you'll need to consider how to discuss similarities between the industry you're leaving and the one you're hoping to find work in.
And, given the uncertainty of the pandemic, it's a good idea to talk about how you've adapted to change and demonstrated learning.
In today's dialogue we'll listen to part of an online interview for the job of operations manager at a property management company.
Rachel is applying for the job after working for many years in operations at a hotel chain.
Let's hear how she answers the interviewer's questions, deals with technical issues and talks about transferring her experience.
As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following questions.
One, what accomplishment does Rachel feel demonstrates her value at her last job?
Two, what did Rachel focus on during the transition to remote work?
Three, what kinds of learning did Rachel focus on in her last job?
All right.
Well, that's good to hear.
Now, maybe we can talk a bit about your time at Century Hotels.
You were there for seven years, right?
Yes, just over seven years, actually.
Uh-oh, hold on.
Just give me a sec.
Sound's dropping out.
Going to switch to earbuds.
Okay, that's better.
Thanks.
Thanks.
No worries.
So, Century Hotels.
I'd like to know more about what you think you accomplished there.
Anything stand out that you're particularly proud of?
Well, yes.
I think I did really good work there.
And one big thing I'd say was overhauling our maintenance contracts.
We had some outdated arrangements, so to speak, one of many things held over from previous ownership.
In the end, I was able to shave 12 off maintenance costs, and the work being done was to a higher standard.
So yeah, that was a big thing for me.
And that's fairly recent?
Before the pandemic.
I think I started that process a year before our big downsizing in June.
I see.
And when you say maintenance contracts, you're talking about what exactly?
Interior and exterior, basic maintenance, upkeep and cleaning.
Though not room cleaning, of course.
On-call work, but also seasonal priorities.
Very much the same as what you'd be doing for a residential property.
So, it sounds like your role was managerial.
That's right.
At Century, they call it a coordinator position, but definitely managerial in nature.
Okay.
And so that involved managing people, too?
Yes.
I was responsible for the team in San Diego for direct reports.
So when COVID hit, were you still in the office day to day or did you go remote or hybrid?
What did that look like?
We were pretty quick to go remote and we really didn't know how long it would be.
But I wanted to make sure we could do it as long as necessary.
So I really focused on getting the right tools and training for the team and tried to embrace it.
You didn't find that challenging, working from home, trying to manage a staff and all that?
It was definitely challenging.
For everyone.
Managing people is inherently challenging, even without the distance.
But I looked into training and really tried to improve my skills at virtual facilitation and remote management overall.
Now let's go through the dialogue again and look at the language and techniques Rachel used during her interview.
We join the interview just as Kevin is asking about her past experience.
All right.
Well, that's good to hear.
Now, maybe we can talk a bit about your time at Century Hotels.
You were there for seven years, right?
Yes.
Just over seven years, actually.
Uh-oh.
Hold on.
Just give me a sec.
Sound's dropping out.
Going to switch to earbuds.
Okay.
That's better.
Thanks.
Unfortunately, just as Rachel begins talking about her experience at Sentry Hotels, her sound starts dropping out or getting interrupted.
But she doesn't get confused or frustrated.
As you can hear, first she calmly states what the problem is.
Then instead of just remaining silent while she fixes it, she explains what she's doing.
Technical troubles are just a regular part of online work life.
When you have to deal with them, it's good to just stay calm and talk about what's going on.
This way, the other person or people can understand what's happening and you can avoid an awkward silence.
What are some other ways of talking through a technical problem during an online interview?
Let's practice some more examples.
Hmm, looks like my video isn't on.
Let me just fix that.
Seems there's no sound, so just going to adjust my speakers.
Please hold on a sec.
I need to reset my connection here.
Oh, that's much too bright, isn't it?
Maybe if I turn this light off.
Now let's hear Kevin ask a bit more specific question about Rachel's time at Century Hotels.
No worries.
So, Century Hotels, I'd like to know more about what you think you accomplished there.
Anything stand out that you're particularly proud of?
Well, yes.
I think I did really good work there.
And one big thing I'd say was overhauling our maintenance contracts.
We had some outdated arrangements, so to speak.
One of many things held over from previous ownership.
In the end, I was able to shave 12 off maintenance costs, and the work being done was to a higher standard.
So yeah, that was a big thing for me.
Kevin wants to know about any accomplishments that stand out or that are especially important to Rachel.
This kind of question is an opportunity to highlight your impact, and you best be ready with a good answer.
As Rachel shows, a good answer is specific.
She talks about how she overhauled or totally changed the company's maintenance contracts, which were outdated or old.
And she doesn't just say what she did.
She explains the results of what she did.
In particular, she talks about cutting costs by 12% and improving the quality of work.
Talking about how you added value at a previous workplace is crucial in any job interview.
Let's try some more ways of doing this.
The system I introduced was almost twice as efficient as the old one.
Well, one thing I brought to the company was a vast network of retail contacts.
I was able to bring our proposal success rate up to 60%.
Kevin wants to hear more about Rachel's accomplishment.
As you can hear, he also wants to ensure this was a recent accomplishment, which is a good reminder to focus on fairly current achievements.
And that's fairly recent?
Before the pandemic.
I think I started that process a year before our big downsizing in June.
I see.
And when you say maintenance contracts, you're talking about what exactly?
Interior and exterior, basic maintenance, upkeep and cleaning.
Though not room cleaning, of course.
On-call work but also seasonal priorities very much the same as what you'd be doing for a residential property.
If you're applying for a job in a different industry or field of work, you can bet the interviewer is wondering if your skills are transferable.
So take the opportunity to show similarities between the industries whenever you can.
In this case, Kevin wants more information about the maintenance contracts at the hotel company.
Rachel mentions several aspects of the contracts, including upkeep or regular maintenance, and both interior and exterior or inside and outside work.
As she says, this is similar to what Kevin's company would do for a residential property.
Note that property management companies might deal with residential properties such as apartments and condos, or commercial properties for business use.
Let's run through some more ways of emphasizing similarities between the field that you're coming from and the field that you're hoping to enter.
I think many of the problems you see in mining are similar to those in forestry.
On the surface, they look different, but there are a lot of structural similarities.
Yes, I understand this kind of regulation is important in real estate as well.
Next, Kevin wants to talk more about Rachel's previous position and responsibilities.
He asks if her role was managerial or involved aspects of management.
So, it sounds like your role was managerial.
That's right.
At Century, they call it a coordinator position, but definitely managerial in nature.
Okay.
And so that involved managing people, too?
Yes.
I was responsible for the team in San Diego.
Four direct reports.
As Rachel explains, her role was definitely managerial, as she had four direct reports or people she supervised.
This topic leads Kevin to ask about Rachel's experience when the pandemic started or hit.
So when COVID hit, were you still in the office day to day or did you go remote or hybrid?
What did that look like?
We were pretty quick to go remote and we really didn't know how long it would be.
But I wanted to make sure we could do it as long as necessary.
So I really focused on getting the right tools and training for the team and tried to embrace it.
COVID affected workplaces in many different ways.
Some businesses and some people adapted well, but others didn't.
Kevin wants to hear about Rachel's experience in particular, whether they shifted to remote work from home or adopted a hybrid or mixed approach.
Rachel takes this question as an opportunity to show how she is able to adapt to change.
She emphasizes how she tried to get the right tools and training for her team.
And she doesn't complain about change, but rather talks about how she embraced or welcomed the change.
What are some other ways we can show a positive approach to dealing with change?
Let's run through some more examples.
It was important for me to learn how the new managers communicated.
It was definitely a challenge at first, but I came to see it as an opportunity for personal development.
I had to find new ways to work with the marketing team.
Rachel tried embracing the change but of course change is hard and Kevin wants to know about the challenges.
Let's listen.
You didn't find that challenging, working from home, trying to manage a staff and all that?
It was definitely challenging for everyone.
Managing people is inherently challenging, even without the distance.
But I looked into training and really tried to improve my skills at virtual facilitation and remote management overall.
In an interview.
You don't have to pretend that everything is easy or that you never face challenges.
Instead, you can use these challenges to show how you solve problems.
As Rachel says, managing people is inherently challenging or naturally challenging, even without the complexities of remote work.
But she shows how she focused on learning to overcome these challenges.
For example, she did training on virtual facilitation or running meetings with online tools.
Showing a learner's attitude is especially important if you're hoping to transfer your skills to a new field of work.
So let's practice some more examples of demonstrating learning.
I decided it was a good idea to take an online course on design.
I was confused at first but I found some videos that taught me the basics.
It took a while but I was able to get good enough to help my coworkers.
Joining a new team was a good chance to learn about different work styles.
So Rachel seems to be doing very well in her interview.
She's overcome some early technical issues and highlighted some good achievements and a positive approach to change and learning.
Now let's practice some of the language we learned in today's lesson.
Imagine you have a background in software, but are now interviewing for a job in healthcare.
You'll hear a cue from the interviewer.
Then I'll give you a suggestion for what you can say in response.
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.
All right.
So, uh-oh.
Is there an issue with your video or something?
Start by saying you'll adjust your webcam and confirming the fix.
Answer.
Maybe.
Let me just adjust my webcam.
How's that?
Ah, okay.
That's better.
So you were telling me what you did at Doyle Tech?
Now say that you gave a big boost to research at the company.
Answer.
Yes, I believe I gave a big boost to research at the company.
I see.
And do you think that is something that would be useful in this position?
Next, say that both software and healthcare rely a lot on research and development.
Answer.
Certainly.
Both software and healthcare rely on research and development.
True enough.
So, you were at Doyle when they moved into Spain.
Confirm you were and say that you were able to build new relationships quickly.
Answer.
I was and I think I was really able to build new relationships quickly there.
That must have been difficult.
I mean, with the language barrier?
Finally, say that you actually studied Spanish for six months before the move.
Answer Well, I actually studied Spanish for six months before the move.
Now let's practice some of the vocabulary we've covered in this lesson.
In a moment, you'll hear a series of sentences with a word replaced with a beep.
Repeat each sentence, including the missing word.
For example, if you hear... You can say...
After each response, we'll provide the correct answer.
Let's begin.
We expect our proposals to be written to a very high Answer.
We expect our proposals to be written to a very high standard.
Answer I spend a lot more time in meetings now that I have six direct reports.
Answer.
With a great home office, I'm really happy we've gone to remote work.
The IT consultant thinks our website is very old and...
Answer.
The IT consultant thinks our website is very old and outdated.
We've also looked at how to show you can adapt to change and how to demonstrate learning.
Thanks for listening and see you again soon.
