English job interview practice, out loud

Say the first line of an interview now

Say the candidate’s first line after her

The exercise opens on a line from a filmed job interview between two people, at 0:08, the first thing the candidate says when she walks in: “I’m pleased to meet you.” Listen once, say it when she finishes, then open Compare and play your take beside hers. Your recordings stay on your device.

Common job interview questions, with answers to say out loud

For each question: how to build your answer, a real line a candidate says in a filmed interview, and a frame for your own answer. Press “Practise this line” to hear it and say it after the speaker, then say “Your turn” out loud with your own details. Don’t learn the candidate’s line as your story; take the phrase and the rhythm. Sada checks your take of the candidate’s line; it does not hear or judge the answer you make up, so record that on your phone and listen back.

“Tell me about yourself.”

Almost always asked, often first. Answer in three sentences: what you do now or what you studied, one thing you achieved, and why you want this job. It can also come as “Tell me about your qualifications.” Then name your skills:

“I have excellent interpersonal skills, I am well organized, and I’m a very fast learner.”

Ellii (formerly ESL Library) · 0:30 · Practise this line →

Three qualities in one sentence: a short pause at each comma, and “and” before the last one.

“I'm a self-starter, and when I don't know the answer, I'm not afraid to ask.”

Indeed · 2:10 · Practise this line →

From a mock interview for an entry-level job. A “self-starter” begins work without waiting to be told.

Your turn: “I’m a … with … years of experience in … . Last year I … . I’m applying because …”

“Do you have any experience?”

Give the number of years, or what you were responsible for, in one short sentence in the past tense.

“Yes. I’ve had over ten years’ experience.”

Ellii (formerly ESL Library) · 0:18 · Practise this line →

“I’ve had” runs together like one word; stress “ten” and “years”.

“Yes. I supervised three administrators in my last position.”

Ellii (formerly ESL Library) · 1:00 · Practise this line →

The “-ed” in “supervised” is a d, not an extra syllable: three syllables, not four.

Your turn: “Yes. I’ve had … years’ experience in … . In my last job I …”

What if you have no experience?

In Indeed’s mock interview, the coach explains that for an entry-level job the interviewer looks for qualities that fit the job, not years of work. Talk about your studies, your courses and why the field interests you:

“I'm really excited about this opportunity.”

Indeed · 2:08 · Practise this line →

Stress “really”, and let it sound excited, not flat.

“I'm passionate about marketing.”

Indeed · 3:10 · Practise this line →

“passionate about” runs together. Then put your own field in place of “marketing”.

Your turn: “I’m passionate about … . At university I … .”

“Why do you want to work here?”

Name one specific thing you learned about the company (its values, a product, a project) and why it fits you. Read its website before the interview and choose one thing to mention.

“Also, your company values really resonate with me.”

Indeed · 3:24 · Practise this line →

“resonate with me” means it matches what you believe. The stress in “company” and “resonate” is on the first syllable.

Your turn: “I’d like to work here because … . Also, your company values really resonate with me.”

“What was your biggest challenge, and how did you overcome it?”

It may also come as a question about your weakness. Tell a short story: the problem, what you did, and the result. This candidate found programming hard, and said:

“So I started a support group with some other students.”

Indeed · 4:36 · Practise this line →

“started” ends in an extra syllable because the verb ends in a t sound; “supervised” above does not.

“I put in hours of extra work and practice time on my own.”

Indeed · 4:40 · Practise this line →

“put in hours” means you gave a lot of time and effort. The h in “hours” is silent, so “in hours” runs together.

Your turn: “My biggest challenge was … . So I … . In the end, …”

“What are your salary expectations?”

If you do not know the right figure yet, this is a polite answer without a number:

“I expect to be paid the going rate for this type of position.”

Ellii (formerly ESL Library) · 1:16 · Practise this line →

“the going rate” is the usual pay for that kind of job.

Your turn: “I expect to be paid the going rate for this type of position.”

“Do you have any questions for us?”

Don’t say no. Have two questions ready about the work itself:

“Yes. What are the responsibilities in this position?”

Ellii (formerly ESL Library) · 0:43 · Practise this line →

A question that starts with “What” usually falls at the end; listen to how she says it.

“Can you tell me about the benefits you offer?”

Ellii (formerly ESL Library) · 1:19 · Practise this line →

“benefits” here means what comes with the pay: health insurance, holidays, a pension. Keep the “ts” at its end.

Your turn: “Yes. What does a normal day in this job look like?”

At the end of the interview

Thank the interviewer before you leave:

“Thank you very much. It’s been a pleasure meeting you.”

Ellii (formerly ESL Library) · 1:46 · Practise this line →

“Thank you” starts with a soft th: the tip of the tongue between the teeth, not a t.

“I hope to hear from you soon.”

Ellii (formerly ESL Library) · 1:49 · Practise this line →

“hear from you” runs together; stress “hear” and “soon”.

Your turn: “Thank you for your time. I hope to hear from you soon.”

Whole answers: tell me about yourself, strengths and weakness

These are examples we wrote for you to adapt, not lines from a video. Change the job, the place and the numbers until it is your own story, then say it out loud without reading. The rhythm comes from a real candidate, through each “First, practise a real line” button.

“Tell me about yourself.”

Three sentences: your job now, one result with a number, and why you are applying.

I'm an accountant with three years of experience at a retail company. Last year I helped move our reports to a new system, and now we close each month two days earlier. I'm applying for this role because I want to work on larger accounts and keep learning.

First, practise a real line: the three qualities give you the rhythm and pauses of a long sentence, “I have excellent interpersonal skills, I am well organized, and I’m a very fast learner.”

“What are your strengths?”

One or two strengths, each with an example from your work. Don’t list ten.

My biggest strength is that I'm well organized. I plan my week every Sunday, and I rarely miss a deadline. I also learn quickly: when we started using a new program, I was showing my colleagues how to use it within two weeks.

First, practise a real line: a candidate names her strength in one confident sentence, “I'm a self-starter, and when I don't know the answer, I'm not afraid to ask.”

“What is your greatest weakness?”

A real weakness that does not stop you doing the job, then what you are doing about it. Avoid “I’m too much of a perfectionist.”

I used to find it hard to speak up in meetings, especially in English. So I started preparing two or three points before each meeting and practising them out loud. Now I share my ideas more often, and I'm still working on it.

First, practise a real line: a candidate says what she did to get past a difficulty, in the past tense, “I put in hours of extra work and practice time on my own.”

Interviews to shadow line by line

Each video opens in Sada split into lines. Start with the shortest, and practise the candidate’s answers rather than the interviewer’s questions:

Interviewing for a Job – Everyday English DialoguesEllii · 2 min · short, clear dialogue Job interview in English | questions and answersSunshine English · 4 min · slow dialogue Job Interview Role Play | English Language PracticeSingle Step English · 7 min · role play How to Ace an Entry Level Interview | Mock Job InterviewsIndeed · 7 min · a real mock interview

A plan for the week before

1. Days 1–3: ten minutes a day on the candidates’ lines on this page, after the speaker and then with the speaker, to pick up the rhythm of a confident answer.
2. Days 4–5: write your own answers to the questions in short sentences, starting from each “Your turn” frame and borrowing phrases you liked.
3. Days 6–7: say each answer out loud without reading, record it and listen back. Repeat until it comes out without long pauses.

To be clearer overall: how to improve your English pronunciation. No one to practise with? See how to practise speaking alone. For everyday dialogues between two people, from the restaurant to the doctor: English conversation practice. If the company asks you to take the Versant English test first, see Versant Repeat practice; if it asks for TOEIC Speaking, whose first task is reading a short text aloud, see TOEIC Read a Text Aloud practice.

Practise one line, step by step

1. Open an exercise from this guide. Choose a captioned video for this guide’s topic and a line whose meaning you understand.
2. Listen and read the caption, then say the line after the speaker in Repeat mode.
3. Try saying the line with the speaker in Shadow mode, following the rhythm and pauses.
4. Record a take, then open Compare and play your recording and the original. Review words and timing; Sada does not grade individual sounds.
5. Form an answer using your own experience and practise saying it without presenting the example as your own history.