Job interviews: talking about your achievements
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Think about these questions before reading. Share your ideas with a partner.
- How easy or difficult is it for you to talk about your professional achievements? Why?
- Think about a time you felt proud of something you did at work or school. What happened?
- Imagine an interviewer asks you about a big success from a past job. What kind of information is important to include in your answer?
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Telling Your Success Story
Listen to the dialogue. Notice how the vocabulary and grammar from the lesson are used.
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Read the article and answer the questions in your own words.
01What kind of professional actions do the key vocabulary words in the article describe?
Sample answerThey describe positive actions you might take at work, like helping your team with a project, which is 'contribute', or making a process more efficient, which is 'streamline'.
02According to the article, why is the present perfect tense useful for talking about your work history?
Sample answerIt's useful because you can talk about things you have done in your career without saying exactly when. It focuses on the experience itself and connects it to the present.
03When an interviewer asks you to describe a project you managed, what two things should your answer highlight?
Sample answerYour answer should highlight the specific skills you used to do the job and the positive result or successful outcome of the project.
04How do the different language points mentioned in the article work together to help someone answer interview questions well?
Sample answerThey all help you build a strong answer. You can use the specific vocabulary to sound professional, use the present perfect to introduce your experience, and then use the practical advice to structure your story.
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Key phrases for interviews
Vocabulary
These expressions will help you describe your professional achievements more effectively.
Examples
Play a key role in (something) — to be one of the most important people in making something happen.
Usage note: This is a professional way to say you were an important part of a project. It sounds stronger than 'I helped with...'
Take on (a responsibility) — to accept a new task or duty.
Usage note: Use this phrasal verb to show you are proactive and willing to accept challenges. For example: 'I took on the role of project manager.'
Be responsible for (doing something) — to have the duty of managing or taking care of something.
Usage note: This is a standard phrase for describing your main duties. Follow it with a noun ('the budget') or a verb in the -ing form ('managing the team').
From scratch — from the very beginning, without using anything that already exists.
Usage note: This idiom is great for showing your creativity and ability to build something new. For example: 'We built the new website from scratch.'
Meet a deadline — to finish a task or project by the agreed time or date.
Usage note: This is a very common collocation in business. Talking about meeting deadlines shows that you are reliable and efficient. The opposite is 'to miss a deadline'.
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Key interview vocabulary
Prepare for your next interview by learning these common terms.
Match each word or phrase on the left with its correct definition on the right.
Drag or click to match
Definitions
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Grammar: Present perfect for experience
Grammar
We use the present perfect to talk about our past actions and experiences when the exact time is not important. It's perfect for job interviews because it connects your past achievements to your present qualifications.
Examples
I have managed several successful projects.
This tells the interviewer about your experience. The specific dates of the projects are not mentioned because they are not important in this sentence.
Have you ever worked with international clients?
We often use 'ever' in questions to ask about someone's experience at any time in their life up to now.
She has streamlined processes in her previous roles.
This highlights a skill she has and can use in the future. The focus is on the result of the experience, not when it happened.
Key points
- Form the present perfect with have/has + the past participle (e.g., I have worked, she has seen).
- Use it to talk about life and work experiences without saying a specific time.
- Avoid using specific past time words like 'yesterday', 'last week', or 'in 2019'. Use the past simple for that.
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Find the mistake
Read the sentences below. They are all about talking about your work experience.
Each sentence contains one error. Find and correct it.
01I have finished the project last week.
Corrected version
I have finished the project last week.
02My previous jobs has taught me how to work in a team.
Corrected version
My previous jobs has have taught me how to work in a team.
03I am responsible for manage a small team of designers.
Corrected version
I am responsible for manage managing a small team of designers.
04She has never be to a job interview before.
Corrected version
She has never be been to a job interview before.
05We successfully implementation a new system to track sales.
Corrected version
We successfully implementation implemented a new system to track sales.
06I played a key role for developing the new marketing plan.
Corrected version
I played a key role for in developing the new marketing plan.
07Have you ever take on a big responsibility at work?
Corrected version
Have you ever take taken on a big responsibility at work?
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Useful phrases: answering behavioral interview questions
Vocabulary
In job interviews, you're often asked to give examples from your past experience. These questions often start with 'Tell me about a time when...'. Use these phrases to structure your answer clearly and effectively.
Examples
"A good example that comes to mind is when..." — use this to introduce your story.
Register: neutral/formal. This is a confident and natural way to begin your answer after the interviewer asks a question like, 'Tell me about a time you faced a challenge.'
"The main challenge was that..." — use this to explain the problem or situation.
Register: neutral/formal. Use this phrase to clearly set the scene and show the interviewer you understood the difficulty of the situation.
"So, what I decided to do was..." — use this to describe your specific action.
Register: neutral/formal. This phrase focuses on your personal contribution and shows that you took initiative to solve the problem.
"In the end, we were able to..." — use this to describe the positive result.
Register: neutral/formal. This is a great way to introduce the successful outcome of your actions. For example, 'In the end, we were able to launch the project on time.'
"As a result, we saw a..." — use this to give a specific, measurable outcome.
Register: neutral/formal. Use this to make your achievement stronger. For example, 'As a result, we saw a 10% increase in customer satisfaction.'
"What I learned from that experience was..." — use this to conclude your story.
Register: neutral/formal. This is a perfect final sentence. It shows you reflect on your work and are always learning, which is very attractive to employers.
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Complete the sentences with words from the box. One word is extra.
Word bank
01In my last job, I played a key in developing our new marketing strategy.
02I was for managing a team of five people and ensuring all projects were completed on time.
03We had no existing software, so I had to build the entire customer database from .
04Even though it was a difficult project, we managed to meet the and deliver it to the client on time.
05I'm always willing to take new challenges and learn new skills.
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Discuss these questions with a partner. Try to use vocabulary from the lesson.
- Think about job interviews in your country. Is it more important to show you are a good team player, or to highlight the specific responsibilities you have taken on? Why?
- Some people believe it's best to only talk about projects where you met every deadline perfectly. Others think it's good to discuss challenges you faced. Which approach do you think is better in an interview, and why?
- Imagine you are hiring someone for your team. Which of these achievements would impress you more, and why? A) Someone who created a successful project from scratch, or B) someone who played a key role in improving a very large, existing project?