Conduct Job Interviews in English: Questions, Follow-Ups and Closing

Prepare role-related questions

Use approved criteria and current local hiring requirements. A generic question list cannot establish fairness or legality across jurisdictions.

Explain the interview structure

Introduce roles and the planned sequence clearly. Tell the candidate how questions and their own enquiries will fit.

Ask for evidence neutrally

Follow up on the answer given. Avoid suggesting the preferred response or confusing confidence with evidence of the criterion.

Close accurately

Explain confirmed next steps without guaranteeing selection or a date you cannot control. Invite relevant candidate questions.

Work through an original example

Candidate: “I helped the team improve.” A weak follow-up is “So you led the whole project?”

A neutral alternative is “What was your own responsibility, and what did you do?”

Practise, check and try a changed task

Create a fictional role with two observable criteria. Run an interview in which the candidate first gives a broad answer.

Ask a neutral follow-up and record the evidence separately from your impression.

• Check the meaning against the original task, rather than rewarding impressive wording alone.
• Keep one concrete observation and one next action; avoid treating a single attempt as a complete assessment.

Continue with focused practice

Use the exercise to identify the kind of feedback you need. The HR English programme page describes the current learning format and practice. Compare its syllabus with your own task, starting level and available time before choosing training. Course participation alone does not establish professional competence or guarantee an outcome.

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