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Skills 360 – English Interview Tips 2: Questions and Answers

Business English, Business Skills 360, ESL Podcast, Job Interview English /
YouTube video

Welcome back to Skills 360 for today’s lesson on tips for succeeding in a job interview in English.

In our last lesson, we talked about preparation for introducing yourself and questions about strengths and weaknesses. That’s all about you as a person, or your character. In this lesson, I’d like to home in on what you’ve done, or your actions and behavior.

The first big question you’ll get about what you have done pertains to achievements. As in, “what achievements are you most proud of?” Or “tell us about a recent achievement?”

Now, when you think back on your accomplishments, what should you choose to discuss? Well, rather than boasting about purely individual accomplishments, think of something that connects to the bigger picture. Or state why your accomplishment helped the company.

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Skills 360 – English Interview Tips 1: Preparing for an Interview

Business English, Business Skills 360, ESL Podcast, Job Interview English /
YouTube video

Welcome back to Skills 360 for today’s lesson on how to look at how to prepare for an interview in English.

When I say “prepare,” I’m not talking about making an appointment at the hair salon or picking out a clean shirt. I’m talking about doing some research, anticipating what you’ll be asked, and practicing how to respond. Yeah, I know I’m always going on about preparation, but this time it’s not just a suggestion, it’s essential. If you do it right, you’ll be able to head into the interview feeling relaxed and confident. And that will increase your chances of landing the job.

Now here’s the thing: most interviews cover the same basic territory. Sure, you might get a couple of curveballs, but for the most part you can predict what questions you’ll be asked. And that means you can plan your answers. I don’t mean script your answers. It’s pretty tough to appear authentic and natural while delivering a memorized response. But you can outline your answers and practice your delivery.

So how do we go about doing that? Well, let’s start by talking about how to introduce yourself in an job interview in English. The old “tell me about yourself” question. It’s amazing how many people are thrown by this question, or fumble through an awkward response as they wait for the real interview questions. But first impressions are important! And you need a good answer for “tell me about yourself.”

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Business English News 43 – Climate Change

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business News, ESL Podcast /

Business English News 43 Lesson - Climate Change

Change is a constant, and the earth’s climate has never been perfectly stable. But in recent years the pace of climate change has accelerated to the point of crisis. Scientists around the world are sounding the alarm, and more and more people and institutions are realizing that drastic times require drastic measures. Business is not immune. According to the New York Times:

The Carbon Disclosure Project analyzed submissions from 215 of the world’s 500 biggest corporations. They found that these companies faced roughly $1 trillion in potential costs related to climate change in the decades ahead, unless they took proactive steps to prepare. By the companies’ own estimates, the bulk of those financial risks could start to materialize in the next five years or so.

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925 English Lesson 32 – How to Generalize in English

925 English, A2, Business English, English Video, ESL Podcast /
YouTube video

In today’s 925 English video lesson, we’re going to learn how to make generalizations in English.

Don’t you hate it when people say things like “Americans are rude?” I mean, not all Americans are rude. And people in other countries are rude too. It’s simply not helpful to say something is true of a whole group of people. When it’s negative like that, it feels wrong.

But it can be helpful to describe a group of people, as long as we are clear that it’s not everyone we’re talking about. We call this a “generalization.” For example, “many of my friends work in finance.” I’m making a generalization about my friends. And it doesn’t have to be people. If I say “most of our online sales come from Europe,” I’m generalizing about sales.

925 English video lessons for beginners (CEFR level A2). With 925 English videos you can learn business English phrases for work.

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Skills 360 – How to Get a Year-End Bonus (1)

Business English, Business Skills 360, ESL Podcast, Human Resources /

Business English 360 - How to Get a Year-End Bonus (1)

Welcome back to Business English Skills 360 for today’s lesson on how to secure a great year-end bonus.

We all know that money’s not the only workplace incentive, but it sure is an effective one. Nothing beats a nice cheque at the end of the year to say “thanks for all the hard work.” That bonus can help us enjoy the holiday season more, and feel better about heading back to the office when the holiday is over.

So, how can you make sure you get that bonus? Or how can you increase the size of your bonus? Well, first of all, if you just started thinking about this now, you might be out of luck. You can’t just suck up to your boss in December and expect to be rewarded. If you’re looking for an easy workaround to hard work, I’m sorry to disappoint you.

And if you think that you deserve a bonus because you showed up on time every day and never ducked out early, then think again. If you make hamburgers at McDonalds, then your employer pays you for your time, in the form of a wage. But in professional settings, where people earn salaries, it’s not your time that your employer pays for. It’s your value.

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