AEE 232: What You MUST Know About Interviews in the United States

Do you want to get a job in the US?

Today, Lindsay and Michelle discuss what you need to know to excel at an American job interview!

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Job interviews everywhere focus on skills and training. But in the US, employers are usually interested in character as well. They want to know whether you’re a team player, what your potential is to be a leader, and how you will grow in your job.

As such, they might ask some questions focused more on your behaviors than your skills. It would help to think about these questions ahead of time, so you can be prepared.

Some American job interview questions might include:

• “Tell us about the most difficult/frustrating individual you ever had to work with, and how you managed to work with them.” By asking this, they’re seeing whether you can rise above a problem and keep it from affecting the company.
• “Give an example of how you’ve broken out of a routine or when you’ve successfully developed a new approach.” Here they’re asking you to show flexibility.
• “How do you schedule your time/prioritize time when you have a tight turnaround?” With this, you might want to explain how you ask others for help or delegate your work.

In answering all of these questions, try to tell a story from conflict to resolution, and keep it under three minutes if possible.

Do employers ask questions like these during job interviews in your country?

Tell us about it in the comments section below!

Brad received his undergraduate degree at New York University in 1984, and spent the next 15 years in the business world focused on sales and marketing. After spending a year testing the English teaching waters in Korea, he returned to the USA and got a Masters degree in TESOL from Seattle University in March 2001.

Since then Brad has worked in London for a summer, spent a few years in Ireland writing TEFL materials for the Wall Street Institute and other companies, and has worked in Germany and Austria as an in-house Business English trainer for companies like Siemens, Deutsche Post/DHL and EADS.

He has also taught many seminars and workshops for various companies on skills like presentations and business correspondence, as well as a business course for two years at the University of Ulm, Germany.

How to Work with Brad on italki:

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Step 2- Search for “Brad C” in the teacher search bar after you have registered with the above link for our special promotion.

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