Our thoughts are with everyone at International School, Nepal, especially Professor Anirudra. We stand in solidarity with you and sincerely hope that you and all those close to you can find strength and comfort to overcome this devastating time.
The months I spent sharing books, exchanging letters and having the most delightful conversations with the school’s outstanding children will forever hold a very special place in my heart.

 

 

Coming next — Job Interview Series

. Tell me about yourself
How to start naturally and choose what is relevant.

. Talk about a mistake
How to answer without making yourself look bad — and show what you learned.

. Why do you want this job?
How to give a genuine answer instead of the usual “Because I’m interested in the position.”

. Questions to ask at the end
Probably the most useful one to finish the series: what to ask, what not to ask, and how to sound interested without sounding rehearsed.

JOB INTERVIEW ENGLISH: “TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF”

It sounds simple. It isn’t.

When an interviewer asks this, you don’t need to tell them everything about yourself. Give them a quick picture of who you are professionally.

A simple way to build your answer:

WHERE YOU ARE NOW → RELEVANT EXPERIENCE → WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR

You can start naturally with:

“Well, I’m currently working as…”

“At the moment, I mainly…”

“I’ve been working in this field for…”

Then connect it to your experience:

“Before that, I…”

“I also had the opportunity to…”

“One thing I’ve learned from that experience is…”

And finish by connecting yourself to the job:

“What I’m looking for now is…”

“I’d like to develop my experience in…”

“That’s one of the reasons this position caught my attention.”

Don’t try to tell your whole story.

Choose 2 or 3 things that make the interviewer want to ask you more.

A good answer should open the conversation — not finish it.

JOB INTERVIEW ENGLISH: “TELL ME ABOUT A MISTAKE YOU MADE”

This question can make you nervous.

But the interviewer isn’t necessarily looking for a perfect person.

They want to know what you do when something goes wrong.

You can keep your answer simple:

THE SITUATION → WHAT YOU DID → WHAT YOU LEARNED

Useful ways to start:

“There was a time when I…”

“I remember one situation where…”

“Earlier in my career, I made the mistake of…”

Then explain what happened:

“The problem was that…”

“I realised that I should have…”

“What I did was…”

And most importantly, show what changed afterwards:

“Since then, I’ve…”

“It taught me to…”

“Now, I always make sure that…”

For example:

“Earlier in my career, I sometimes left tasks until the last minute. One week, I underestimated how long a project would take and I missed a deadline. Since then, I’ve started breaking larger tasks into smaller steps and setting earlier deadlines for myself.”

Notice the important part?

You don’t spend the whole answer talking about the mistake.

You spend more time showing what you did about it.

A mistake can become a good interview answer when it shows that you learn and improve.

¿Te imaginás aprender inglés… viviendo Londres?

En julio de 2027, nuestros estudiantes podrán disfrutar de una experiencia inolvidable en una de las ciudades más fascinantes del mundo: Londres.

Muy pronto compartiremos todos los detalles sobre este viaje: propuesta, actividades, alojamiento, acompañamiento y mucho más.

¿Querés saber más? Te invitamos a nuestra charla informativa online.

Una oportunidad para conocer el proyecto, hacer preguntas y empezar a imaginar esta experiencia.

¿Te gustaría participar? Dejanos un mensaje y te contamos cómo sumarte a la charla.

London is waiting for you.

English We Learn vs. English We Actually Hear

One of the interesting things about learning English is discovering that the expressions we learn in class are not always the only expressions we hear in real-life conversations.

This doesn't mean that what we learn is wrong. Quite the opposite: expressions such as “Be careful”, “Come here” or “Calm down” are perfectly correct.

But everyday English gives us other options, and learning them can help us understand conversations more easily and sound more natural ourselves.

Be careful! → Watch out!

Both expressions can warn someone about danger.

“Be careful!”
“Watch out! There’s a car!”

Watch out! is particularly common when the danger is immediate and you want someone to react quickly.

Come here. → Come over.

These expressions are not exactly interchangeable.

Come here simply means “come to this place.”

Come over is often used when someone comes to where you are, especially when you are inviting them to your home or another place where you are staying.

“Come here for a minute.”
“Why don't you come over for dinner?”

Context makes the difference.

Calm down. → Take it easy.

Both can be used when someone is worried, angry or stressed, but the tone can be very different.

“Calm down. Everything is fine.”
“Take it easy. Everything is going to be fine.”

Calm down can sound quite direct, and depending on the situation and the speaker's tone, it can even make someone more annoyed.

Take it easy can sound softer and more reassuring.

Wait a minute. → Hold on! / Hang on!

When we want someone to wait for a moment, we have several possibilities.

“Wait a minute.”
“Hold on, I'll check.”
“Hang on, I'm almost ready.”

Hold on and hang on are especially common in informal spoken English.

Hurry up! → Come on!

Hurry up! is very direct.

In everyday conversation, Come on! can also express impatience or urgency.

“Hurry up! We're going to be late!”
“Come on! We're going to be late!”

But come on has many other meanings too. Tone and context are essential.

So, should we stop saying “Be careful” or “Wait a minute”?

Absolutely not.

The goal isn't to replace the English we learn with “more natural” English.

The goal is to expand our repertoire.

As learners, we often know one way of saying something. As our English develops, we start recognizing different expressions and understanding why a speaker chooses one rather than another.

That's an important part of becoming a more confident English speaker:

not just knowing what something means, but knowing how people actually use it.

And that's where context, tone and register become so important.

Real-life English isn't always about learning more words. Sometimes it's about discovering different ways to use the words you already know. 

What to say when you don’t have much experience

One of the most difficult moments in a job interview is being asked about experience you simply don’t have.

Maybe you’re just starting your career. Maybe you’re changing careers. Or maybe you have experience, but not in this particular field.

Your first instinct might be:

I don’t have any experience.

But don’t stop there.

You may not have experience in that specific job, but you probably have some of the skills it requires.

Think about what you have done

Have you:

• worked with customers?
• organised information?
• solved problems?
• worked as part of a team?
• learnt something quickly?
• dealt with people?

These experiences can be more useful than you think.

Instead of this:

Interviewer: Do you have experience of working with clients?
You: No, I don’t.

Try this:

You: I haven’t worked with clients in this particular field, but I have experience of dealing with customers and understanding their needs.

(Maybe you worked as an assistant in an estate agency, sold clothes in a shop, or worked as a secretary.)

You are not pretending to have experience you don’t have.

You are showing the interviewer what you can do with the experience you already have.

A useful structure

I haven’t… yet, but I have…

I haven’t worked in this area yet, but I have experience of…

I don’t have much experience in this field, but I’ve worked with…

I’m new to this area, but in my previous job I learnt how to…

You don’t need to have done exactly the same job before.

Think about your experience. Then think about the skills that could be useful in this new role.

How to make short answers a little more interesting

You don’t need perfect English to give a good answer in a job interview.

And you definitely don’t need long, complicated sentences.

But try not to stop too soon.

Do you enjoy working in a team?

You could say:

Yes, I do.

There’s nothing wrong with that.

But try adding one more thing:

Yes, I do. I like sharing ideas and working with other people.

Or:

Yes, I do. In my previous job, I often worked as part of a small team.

Answer + one more thing

Are you good at solving problems?

Yes, I think so. I usually try to stay calm and find a practical solution.

Do you like learning new things?

Yes, I do. I enjoy learning new things, especially when I can use them in my work.

Have you ever worked under pressure?

Yes, I have. In my previous role, there were times when we had to finish things quickly.

You can add:

• a reason
• an example
• a detail
• something you learnt

You don’t need advanced vocabulary.

Just answer the question, then add one more thing.

It’s a small change, but it can make the conversation more natural — and give the interviewer a better idea of who you are.

 A2+, B1, B1+, B2 activities 

 

Why You Shouldn’t Memorise Your Answers Word by Word

When preparing for a job interview, it’s natural to practise your answers. In fact, preparation can help you feel more confident.

However, memorising your answers word for word can create a different problem: you may start to sound rehearsed.

Interviewers usually want a conversation, not a perfect speech. If you forget one word, you might panic or lose your place. You may also sound unnatural because you are trying to remember the exact sentences you prepared.

A better idea is to prepare key points instead of a complete script. Think about:

• the main idea you want to communicate;
• one or two examples from your experience;
• useful vocabulary you may need.

Then practise explaining the same ideas in different ways.

For example, instead of memorising:

“One of my greatest strengths is my ability to work effectively under pressure.”

You could remember the key idea “I work well under pressure” and explain it naturally:

“I think one of my strengths is that I can stay calm when there is a lot to do. For example…”

The message is more important than using the same words every time.

How to Talk About Weaknesses Without Sounding Fake

The question “What is your biggest weakness?” can feel difficult. The problem is that many people give answers that sound carefully prepared rather than honest.

For example:

“My biggest weakness is that I’m a perfectionist.”

This answer is very common, and interviewers have probably heard it many times.

Instead, choose a real but professional weakness. Then explain what you are doing to improve it.

A useful structure is:

Weakness → Example → Improvement

For example:

“In the past, I sometimes found it difficult to delegate tasks because I wanted to control every detail. I realised that this wasn’t always the best way to work, so I’ve been trying to communicate more clearly and trust other people with responsibilities.”

This answer sounds more believable because it includes self-awareness and action.

You don’t need to pretend that your weakness is secretly a strength. Be honest, but choose something that doesn’t make you unsuitable for the job.

Remember

A good interview answer is not a perfect answer. It should help the interviewer understand how you think, what you have learned and who you are as a professional.

Prepare your ideas. Practise your English. But when the interview starts, try to have a conversation.

That sounds much more natural than a memorised speech.