22 CRUCIAL Speaking Phrases for Job Interviews in English + Free PDF | Business English Lesson

Hi there, this is Harry and welcome back to  advanced English lessons with Harry, where  

I try to help you to get a better understanding  of the English language. If you're preparing for  

proficiency exams, or indeed, if you're preparing  for an all-important job interview, or if you just  

want to simply improve your spoken English  conversation English business English, well,  

then you've come to the right place, we're here to  help you. So we will help you with your grammar,  

your pronunciation, general use of English, how  to use phrasal verbs when to use them, and also  

give you various expressions that will help you to  improve the quality of the English that you use.

And in the advanced English lesson today, we're  going to look at expressions for job interview.  

So I've split them into different sections, I'll  go through them one by one. So this is an advanced  

English lesson. And it's useful speaking  phrases for job interviews. Okay, so let's  

get started. As I said, we're going to look at it  in different sections. So five different sections,  

how to agree with somebody, so expressions  to use when you're agreeing with somebody,  

how to disagree with somebody. So expressions  you'll use when disagreeing with somebody  

asking for clarification, or you  want somebody to repeat something,  

if you want to buy yourself some time. And then  also to give yourself time to think, and then  

finally saying something in another way, okay,  so they're the different sections that we'll use,  

I'll give you a few expressions in each of those,  and then give you the ending and how you might  

complete it. Okay, so you'll, you'll get the hang  of it, you'll have to practice them, of course,  

but they are very useful. As I said, particularly  when you're going for a job interview,  

it can always be a nervous time, particularly if  English is not your first language. And therefore,  

if you've got some assistance, some expressions  that you can use. It'll make you feel a little bit  

more confident, a little less nervous when you're  sitting in front of the interviewer. Okay, now.

So the first section is when you want to agree  with somebody, so it's always nice to have  

good positive body language, okay, sort of nod  your head and make notes like that. Hmm I see,  

I see, these are nice ways to agree. But if you  want to use some expression, so here they are,  

I can't help thinking the same. So when you want  to agree with what somebody said, I can't help  

thinking the same Yes, I think it would be a  great idea to improve the marketing by doing  

this or this or something else. So I can't help  thinking the same means. Yeah, I agree with what  

you have said. Or just very simply true enough. So  when somebody says something, I believe that our  

target market are the people under the age of 30.  And all of those people spend most of their time  

on the internet. True enough. So you're agreeing  with somebody saying the statement is true,  

true enough. Or just simply Yeah, that's right.  That's what they do. They spend most of the time  

on the internet. So if we want to get at them,  then we have to advertise or we have to have a  

presence on the Internet, or we have to be aware  of how they spend the time. Yeah, that's right.

Or if you really want to emphasise that you agree  with the what the person has said. I couldn't  

agree more. So it means Yeah, that's absolutely  hit the nail on the head. I couldn't agree more.  

Or, yeah, that's just what I was thinking.  Yeah. So you're in agreement. That's just  

what I was thinking. So what do you  think about this idea? Do you think  

we should write or do you think we should  take a permanent position on the internet?  

Do you think we should invite people  to do this? Yeah, that's a good idea.  

That's just what I was thinking. Okay, so five  expressions, I can't help thinking the same.  

True enough. That's right. I couldn't agree more.  And finally, that's just what I was thinking. So  

or simple ways, quite formal, rather than the,  you know. Hmmm, Yeah, that's right. Yeah. So it's  

quite formal, and shows and demonstrates that  you're on the same page or the same wavelength,  

as we'd like to say, as the person interviewing  you or the person that you're talking to. Okay.

Now, if you want to disagree with somebody. Now,  this is very dangerous territory, as we say,  

you could be in a little bit of thin ice in an  interview if you disagree in a hard way. So you  

have to really make sure that it's polite way to  disagree, and also a pleasant way to disagree.  

So you can use expressions like this. I'm not  sure about that. So you might have your doubts,  

but I'm not sure about that. Perhaps any time  to think about it. I'm not sure about that. Hmm,  

I see things rather differently myself, but I  understand where you're coming from. So I see  

things rather differently. So we can both have  different opinions. You can have a different  

opinion on religion. You could have a different  opinion on geographical politics or geopolitics,  

as it's called, different views on finance,  whatever it might be. So it doesn't mean  

you're right and the other person is wrong, or  they're right, and you're wrong, but you can just  

have different opinions. So I see things rather  differently myself, well, you know, my upbringing  

or my background, would mean that I would look at  things a little bit differently than you do your  

I see things rather differently myself. So it's  polite. It's a nice polite way of showing that  

you disagree with somebody, or I don't entirely  agree with you. So it doesn't mean I think you're  

completely wrong. I don't entirely agree with  you. There are parts of what you've said, that  

are okay. Or that I could agree with. But I don't  entirely means not completely, not 100%. Or just  

simply Well, actually, in my opinion, actually. I  think, actually, what has happened recently, yeah,  

so actually, is a sort of a way of stopping  somebody saying, Well, I don't think that's,  

that's correct. Actually, I think we should do  it this way. Okay. So when we want to disagree  

with somebody, we need to do it politely, we need  to do it in a way that we respect their views,  

and we're not going to put them down completely.  And particularly in a job interview, you need to  

be really, really careful not to be seen to be  belligerent in any way, or difficult or stubborn.  

So use these expressions. I'm not sure about  that. I see things rather differently myself.  

I don't entirely agree with you and put the stress  on entirely. I don't entirely agree with you. Or,  

actu ally, yeah, actually. So this indicates  that you're about to disagree. Well, actually.

Now, at an interview, is, it's really important  to listen, sometimes we don't always understand  

what the other person has asked us. And we might  need to get some clarification. Or we might ask  

somebody to repeat, as it can be a bit of a  nervous time. And we might be focusing on how  

we present ourselves, and we don't listen  as clearly as much as we should. So these  

are the ways in which you can ask somebody to  repeat or if you're looking for clarification,  

simply, Would you mind repeating that? So I  didn't really understand it fully. Would you  

mind repeating that? Or simply pardon? Yeah. What  was that? Pardon? Particularly if you're doing  

the interview by over the internet, or you're  doing it via Zoom or in some other platform.  

You might not hear it clearly. Or there may be  some interruption on the line. So you could say,  

Would you mind repeating that, please? Or pardon?  I'm afraid I didn't catch that, I didn't quite  

catch that means I didn't understand it. So  with those three expressions, it does buy you  

a little bit of time, because it gives you time  to think okay, so would you mind repeating that?  

Pardon? I'm afraid I didn't quite catch it. Or  I'm afraid I didn't catch that. And then finally,  

if you want to just clarify something that  somebody has said, so perhaps they're going  

to outline the job position to you or some terms  about the job. So if you want to make sure that  

you understood it, then you can say, Well, okay,  let me get this right. This is what you said,  

let me get this right, if I could clarify it.  And perhaps you could tell me if I'm right or  

wrong. So you repeat what the person has said. So  this job will be a manager's position, I will have  

responsible mobility for this office and a few  regional offices. I have 10 people to report in  

to me, my main line manager is going to be whoever  Yeah, so let me get this right. So you repeat it.  

Not verbatim word for word, but if you summarise  and then the other person, the interview will say  

yet yeah, that's it. Yeah, you've got it. That's  that's a clear understanding. So if you want to be  

clear, you want to clarify it, then that statement  is a really good way to do it. So let me get this  

right. Or let me just repeat that so that you  can tell me, am I right? Or am I wrong? Okay. So  

asking for clarification or repetition expressions  like would you mind repeating that, please?  

Pardon? I'm afraid I didn't quite catch  that. Let me get this right. Okay.

Now, if you want to say something in another  way, so perhaps somebody hasn't made a statement,  

the interviewer and you want to repeat it, or put  you want to use different words, and again, it's  

a way of getting clarification so you could use  these expressions. What I'm trying to say is this,  

or what I'd like to say is this. What I mean is  in other words, what you want me to do is this...  

How can I best say this? Perhaps I should make  that clear by saying, Okay, so there's expressions  

where you might want to say something in another  way. So let me give them to you again. What I'm  

trying to say is, I really liked the job. I really  liked the description, but I need to have some  

clarification in relation to my responsibilities.  Okay. What I mean is, well, what I mean is, could  

you just tell me exactly how many people will be  reporting to me, who my reporting line will be,  

etc. Okay. In other words, in other words,  I'd be responsible for all of those offices  

outside the the main office, or all of the  branches outside of the main office. Okay?  

How can I best say this. So you're, you want to  use this expression, when you want to be really,  

really clear. You don't want anybody to be to be  under any misunderstanding, but you also want to  

be polite. How can I best say this, what I would  actually like is a little bit of time to consider  

your offer a little bit of time to compare it  to what my objectives are, and then come back  

to you in a couple of days. So how can I best say  this. So you've set out exactly what you want to  

say you're not rejecting the offer, but you're  not accepting it, immediately you want time to  

consider. Or the final example how, or perhaps  I should make this clear by saying. So if you  

if somebody is a little bit of doubt about what  you're saying, or you can see some expression on  

the face that they're, they look a little bit  confused, then you might say something like,  

perhaps I should make that clear by saying,  yeah, and then you just make say it in very  

simple terms. Perhaps I should make that clear  by saying what I'm actually looking for is a job  

with a bit more responsibility, opportunities for  a good career path, but also the opportunity to  

take on some extra learning some courses, or  indeed, and MBA or masters or something like  

that. So I should make that clear by saying so  you're set out exactly what your objectives are,  

why you're considering leaving your current  position, why you wanted learn, join this new  

company. So you're really making it very, very  clear from the very beginning why. Okay, so  

saying something in another way, what I'm trying  to say is, what I mean is, in other words,  

how can I best say this, perhaps I should  make that clear by saying. All right.

And then the final section is giving  yourself time to think and this is really,  

really critical in an interview situation,  because sometimes you're prepared,  

but sometimes you're not as prepared as you might  be, or indeed, they might throw you a curveball,  

as I say, by asking you a question completely out  of the blue, you know, because there's a standard  

set of questions that interviewers usually ask,  but occasionally, particularly in the IT sector,  

they might ask something a little bit left  field, something that will catch you off guard,  

so you want a few minutes, or seconds to gather  your thoughts. So it's a nice way to be able to  

buy yourself some time. So give yourself some  time to think so these expressions are handy.  

May I think about that for a moment before I  answer. Or before I answer, just let me gather  

my thoughts. So you're actually asking for a few  minutes to consider it. Let me see. Okay, let me  

see. So you think about it, and then you gather  your thoughts quickly, and then you reply. Or  

how can I put this? Then you give yourself a few  seconds to think then you get into your response.  

Or something like I guess so, I believe, it is my  understanding. Yeah, the way I see it. So lots of  

different ways in which you can give yourself time  to think and those few seconds, they're only a few  

seconds, 10 seconds. 15 seconds are really, really  important. They may not sound like a lot of time,  

but it should be enough time for you to gather  your thoughts if you're well prepared. Okay,  

so giving yourself time to think use  these expressions. May I think about  

that for a moment? Or would you mind if I  just thought about that for a few seconds?  

Let me see. So that's usually we use that in  response to a question. Let me see how will I  

put it? How can I put this? I guess, where...  I think, I believe and it is my understanding,  

the way I see it. So lots of other ways in which  you can just buy those vital few seconds to give  

yourself have time to breathe and time to think  because in interviews, it's can be a little bit  

of a panic situation, particularly if a question  comes to you that you hadn't expected. You know,  

somebody asks you, how many basketballs  would you fit into a British telephone box?  

Well, that's not something you can prepare for,  unless you've been standing outside a telephone  

box. So it's something to just catch you off guard  to see how you react. Would you need time to think  

about that? Or how many Smarty sweets can you  get into a tube of Smarties? Again, you know,  

it's something that you could never prepare for.  But they want to see how you react to questions  

like that. So you need to buy yourself some  time. So they ask you, how many basketballs  

can you fit into the average  telephone box, you might say:  

Well, I guess you'd have to consider the size of  the basketballs. I guess you'd have to work out  

the average size of the telephone box, the space  between the basketballs, so you're buying yourself  

a little bit of time, and then you can give your  answer in a more cohesive or structured way.

Okay, so there are the different expressions that  will be helpful advanced English expressions used  

in a job interviews, and they're really really  important and helpful in your preparation. And  

as always, you know the drill by now if you need  some extra help, some extra suggestions, then just  

drop me a line www.englishlessonviaskype.com  Very happy to help you out. As always,  

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thank you for listening. Thank you for watching.  As always, join me for the next lesson.