Job Interview

Where you are looking for a job now or preparing yourself for your future dream job, it is important to build up on your job interview skills. Here are some tips and common job interview questions.

Tips:

Prepare

Prepare a response so you are ready for the question "What do you know about our company. Know the interviewer's name and use it during the job interview. If you're not sure of the name, call and ask prior to the interview. Try to relate what you know about the company when answering questions.

Get Ready

Make sure your interview attire is neat, tidy and appropriate for the type of firm you are interviewing with. Bring a nice portfolio with copies of your resume. Include a pen and paper for note taking.

Be On Time

Be on time for the interview. On time means five to ten minutes early. If need be, take some time to drive to the office ahead of time so you know exactly where you are going and how long it will take to get there.

Stay Calm

During the job interview, try to relax and stay as calm possible. Take a moment to regroup. Maintain eye contact with the interviewer. Listen to the entire question before you answer and pay attention - you will be embarrassed if you forget the question!

Show What You Know

Try to relate what you know about the company when answering questions. When discussing your career accomplishments match them to what the company is looking for.

Follow Up

Always follow-up with a thank you note reiterating your interest in the position. If you interview with multiple people send each one a thank you note.

Don’ts:

Don't chew gum during the interview.

Don't rely on your application or resume to do the selling for you. No matter how qualified you are for the position, you will need to sell yourself to the interviewer.

Don't be soft-spoken. A forceful voice projects confidence.

Don't act as though you would take any job or are desperate for employment.

Don't say anything negative about former colleagues, supervisors, or employers.

Don't ever lie. Answer questions truthfully, frankly and succinctly. And don't over-answer questions.

Don't answer questions with a simple "yes" or "no." Explain whenever possible. Describe those things about yourself that showcase your talents, skills, and determination. Give examples.

Don't bring up or discuss personal issues or family problems.

Don't answer cell phone calls during the interview, and do turn off (or set to silent ring) your cell phone and/or pager.

Don't inquire about salary, vacations, bonuses, retirement, or other benefits until after you've received an offer. Be prepared for a question about your salary requirements, but do try and delay salary talk until you have an offer

Most Common Questions:

1. What is your greatest strength?
2. What is your greatest weakness?
3. How do you handle stress and pressure?
4. Describe a difficult work situation / project and how you overcame it.
5. Why are you leaving or have left your job?
6. Why do you want this job?
7. Why should we hire you?
8. What are your goals for the future?
9. Tell me about yourself.

1. What should you do first in a job interview?

2. When the interviewer asks why you left your previous job, how should you answer?

3. How should you respond when the interviewer says you are overqualified?

4. What should you do when the topic of salary and benefits comes up?

Sayings for Halloween

Halloween is coming up.

It is said that Halloween is the time when ghosts, monsters, witches and all the scarying things you can think of appear.

Here are some Halloween themed sayings....

♦ witching hour - witching hour is the time of night when witches, ghosts, and other supernatural creatures are said to appear.

Example:

I'm not leaving the house at witching hour on Halloween!

♦ skeleton in the cupboard – a skeleton in the cupboard is is something that might bring shame or embarrassment to a family or person if other people knew about it.

Example:

Mrs Mills has a skeleton in the cupboard: she was caught stealing money from her employer in 2002.

♦ a ghost town – a ghost town is one that has been abandoned and is no longer inhabited.

Example:

All the young people have left our village and it's like a ghost town now.

♦ spirit away – to spirit away something or somebody (or spirit something or somebody away), is to remove something or someone from a place quickly, secretly and mysteriously.

Example:

According to legend, she was spirited away in the middle of the night by witches.

♦ chill the blood – if something chills your blood it scares you. Also – make the blood run cold

Examples:

The horror story chilled my blood.

The screams from the haunted house made my blood run cold.

♦ in cold blood – to act in cold blood is to do something deliberately and without emotions or mercy.

Example:

They killed their former friend in cold blood.

♦ makes one's blood boil – if something makes your blood boil, it makes you angry.

Example:

It makes my blood boil to think that he was promoted to Manager before I was.

♦ put / stick the knife in – to do or say something very unpleasant or very unkind to someone.

Example:

He really put the knife in when he told her that nobody at work liked her.

♦ stab in the back – to stab someone in the back is to betray them.

Example:

We let him stay in our home, but he stabbed us in the back by telling lies about us to everyone.

♦ scared stiff - if someone is scared stiff they are so frightened they are unable to move.

Example:

I was scared stiff when I saw the ghostly face at my window.

♦ scare the pants off someone - to scare the pants off someone is to frighten them a great deal

Example:

Halloween scares the pants off me!

♦ a Jekyll and Hyde personality - someone with a Jekyll and Hyde personality has two sides to their personality: good and evil.

This expression comes from the novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, in which the good Dr Jekyll turns into the evil Mr Hyde.

Example:

Everybody thinks he is a lovely old man, but he can be very cruel and heartless: he has a Jeckyll and Hyde personality.

♦ mad as a hatter – if someone is as mad as a hatter, they are completely insane.

It is thought this expression might have its origins in the fact that mercury was used in hat making: this caused nerve damage in the hat makers, making them appear insane.

Example:

Be careful when you talk to him, he's as mad as a hatter.

♦ driven out of one's mind – to be driven out of one's mind is to be made insane with worry or fear.

Example:

I was driven out of my mind with worry when I lost my job and had no money to pay the bills.

Source: http://online-english-lessons.eu/wordpress/2011/10/35-phrasal-verbs-idioms-and-sayings-for-halloween/

Are you brandwashed?

First of all, what is the meaning of being brainwashed?

If you are brainwashed, your mind is manipulated in a way that changes the way you think and consequently on the way you act and the decisions you make. Like in the Nazi days, people were told continuously how we had to get rid of the Jews and why they were evil. Although it is not true, many people were manipulated to believe that it was true. We all know what happened and how powerful and dangerous brainwashing can be.

In the same way, nowadays we are all exposed to constant marketing and selling, and we run the risk of being brandwashed. Below is a video about an experiment on how word of mouth influences the way we buy.

Why did they consider the Morgenson family as the perfect family to experiment on?

Did the family find it hard to sell products all the time?

What were the results?

Do you agree that we are brandwashed? Why or why not?

Idiom no. 3

'music to my ears'

You can use this idiom when someone says something that you want to or like to hear.

For example, it was my wedding last week.

When my husband say 'I do', it was music to my ears.

Idiom no. 2

'Keep a straight face'

The meaning of this idiom is to try not to laugh or show emotions.

For example, a friend once told me how he got a black toe. He told me that he had kicked the leg of a coffee table and explained how painful it was.

When my friend told me his story, I tried very hard to keep a straight face.

Edit a Wikipedia Page

Have you ever checked the Wikipedia page about your city, state or country?
When you take a look at it, I'm sure you will find missing information or information you would like others to know about the place.
Why not start a little Wikipedia project by editing and improving a page?
It can improve your vocabulary as well as your knowledge about the place you live.

Take a look at this website for guidelines:

http://gordonscruton.blogspot.com/2011/09/improve-your-english-edit-wikipedia.html

Idiom no.1

This week's idiom is `give a shot'.

Give a shot = to try

In Brazil, most people drive manual cars. In Australia, I drove an automatic car and never tried or intended to try to drive a manual car. Apparently I will need to have a driving test with a manual car even if I intend to drive an automatic car in Brazil.

I might fail my driving test with a manual car, but I will give it a shot.

Write a story

Here is a website which gives you random sentences to start a story:

http://www.thestorystarter.com/

Storywriting is fun. It allows your imagination go wild and at the same time, practice your English. I recommend you using a thesaurus while writing. It will make your story sound more elaborate and it will build your vocabulary as well.

You can kill two birds with one stone with this method :)