Shadowing Practice: How to Ace an Interview: 5 Tips from a Harvard Career Advisor - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
67 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
In order to prepare for an interview, it's important to research in three areas.
2
First area that you want to research is you.
3
You want to research yourself.
4
Basically a summary of your qualifications, your relevant qualifications.
5
You want to ask yourself how you can meet the employer's needs, what you bring to the table, and how you can add value.
6
Then you also want to make sure that you research the position the position.
7
You want to have a clear understanding of what an XYZ does.
8
Okay, again, meeting the needs of the position.
9
You also want to research the employer.
10
So they might say, why do you want to work for us?
11
What do you know about us?
12
So who's the CEO, history, products, services, competitors, etc. And then finally, I would say that you want to research the industry as well.
13
So you, the position, the organization, and the industry.
14
You want to make sure that you've prepared a series of short relevant stories about yourself.
15
It's something called the show and tell method.
16
So you don't just want to say, like, these are my skills.
17
You want to be able to demonstrate, to have short relevant stories that have a beginning, a middle, and an end.
18
I would recommend that you practice.
19
At the very least, lock yourself in a room with a mirror and practice responses to commonly asked questions.
20
You don't want to script it.
21
You're not an actress.
22
You want it to be conversational, but you want to hear yourself say these responses out loud.
23
And if possible, I would recommend that you set up a mock interview with a professional career counselor.
24
You want to make sure that you arrive on time.
25
I generally say arrive 30 minutes in the vicinity, but about 10 to 15 minutes to announce yourself in the reception area.
26
Then once you meet your interviewer, first impressions matter.
27
And studies say it takes about seven seconds.
28
A prospective employer is immediately sizing you up.
29
He or she is deciding, do they like you?
30
Are you intelligent?
31
Are you kind?
32
You want to have good eye contact.
33
You want to have a nice strong handshake.
34
And you basically want to be positive, confident, and upbeat.
35
So watch your energy level.
36
You want to be authentic and genuine, but most people need to turn up the volume slightly.
37
There are basically three types of interviews.
38
Some common interviews are now behavioral interviews.
39
They begin with questions like, tell me about a time when about a time
40
when you were in a team and things went really well or things didn't go so well.
41
You might have a technical interview.
42
This might be perhaps you're going for a software engineering position.
43
You might walk into the interview and they say, don't sit down, and they direct you to a whiteboard, give you a marker, and they want you to solve some algorithms.
44
Perhaps you will have a case interview if you're interviewing with consulting firms, so you want to be well prepared for those in terms of practicing case questions.
45
Telephone and Skype interviews are becoming more and more common, particularly for initial interviews.
46
With a telephone interview, if you can get a landline, that's best.
47
If not, make sure everything is charged up.
48
You also want to make sure that you're in a quiet environment and that no one is going to disturb you.
49
So the advantage is you don't have to worry about what you're wearing or what you look like.
50
And you can have lots of notes, but you want to be organized.
51
You want to make sure that you pace yourself, the tone, your articulation, that the energy comes forth within the telephone call.
52
With a Skype interview, again, you want to test your equipment, make sure everything is working properly.
53
You need to think about what you're wearing because you're going to be on camera, have something colorful, watch the whites,
54
the blacks, the patterns, etc. Watch the lighting in terms of like fluorescent lighting with a Skype interview.
55
And even though it might be your natural inclination to look at the screen, it's important to look at the camera.
56
That's how you'll be making eye contact.
57
And then finally with a Skype interview, I would watch your background, be very much aware of your background.
58
So at the end of the interview I would recommend that you establish next steps.
59
Some employers will tell you what the next steps are but
60
if they don't it's perfectly fine to ask what are the next steps.
61
I would also recommend
62
that you have a closing statement at the end of the interview to let the interviewer know
63
that you're very interested in the position and why you would be a great fit and match.
64
Then in terms of once the interview is over Of course you want to send some type of thank you.
65
It's probably going to be an email, but depending upon your audience, could be a short thank you note.
66
In your thank you, you want to make sure, of course, that you thank the interviewer for their time, but also it's an opportunity to reiterate your interest and your qualifications.
67
I recommend that you send the thank you within 24 to 48 hours.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
✨ Recommend Video
B24
23 sentences
Interviewing Part 1 - What You Need To Ask In Advance
Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
B21
199 sentences
The Essential UX Interview Questions (And How To Answer Them!)
Interview EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B26
102 sentences
How to Ace an Entry Level Interview | Mock Job Interviews | Indeed Career Tips
Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
B2131 sentences
Stand Out in a Job Interview | The Harvard Business Review Guide
Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
B22
119 sentences
Cracking the Behavioral Interview for Software Developers
Interview EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B27
191 sentences
AI (Artificial Intelligence) JOB INTERVIEW QUESTIONS & ANSWERS! (How to PASS an AI JOB INTERVIEW!)
Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
B22
353 sentences
English Job Interview for an Office Coordinator | Learn Business English Through a Interview (B1–B2)
Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
B22
109 sentences
Doing This (Almost) GUARANTEES You Get Hired In A Job Interview!
Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
B29
72 sentences
Why Are You a Good Fit for this Role - How to Answer
American AccentBusiness EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
B2125 sentences
How To Answer Data Analyst Interview Questions to Get a Job
Interview EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B25
140 sentences
Mock Interview Preparation: Common Questions with Feedback!
Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
B28
65 sentences
How To Introduce Yourself In An Interview! (The BEST ANSWER!)
Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 67 sentences and 886 words to shadow. The speech runs for 5:04. The speaker talks at a natural 175 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 87% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| telephone noun | /ˈtɛləˌfoʊn/ | A telecommunication device which converts data or sounds (usually speech) into electrical signals which are then transmitted to enable two or more people to… |
| employer noun | /ɪmˈplɔɪə/ | A person, firm or other entity which pays for or hires the services of another person. |
| qualification noun | /ˌkwɑlɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/ | The act or process of qualifying for a position, achievement etc. |
| interviewer noun | /ˈɪntɚvjuɚ/ | One who interviews. |
| arrive verb | /əˈɹaɪv/ | To reach; to get to a certain place. |
| tone noun | /ˈtəʊn/ | A specific pitch. |
| mirror noun | /ˈmiɹɚ/ | A smooth surface, usually made of glass with reflective material painted on the underside, that reflects light so as to give an image of what is in front of it. |
| establish verb | /ɪˈstæb.lɪʃ/ | To make stable or firm; to confirm. |
| actress noun | /ˈæk.tɹɪs/ | A female who performs on the stage or in films. |
| skill noun | /skɪl/ | A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate. |
| solve verb | /sɒlv/ | To find an answer or solution to a problem or question; to work out. |
| commonly adverb | /ˈkɑmənli/ | As a rule; frequently; usually. |
| pace noun | /peɪs/ | A step taken with the foot. |
| genuine adjective | /ˈd͡ʒɛn.juˌɪn/ | Belonging to, or proceeding from the original stock; native. |
| summary noun | /ˈsʌm.ə.ɹi/ | An abstract or a condensed presentation of the substance of a body of material. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| set up verb | /ˌsɛt ˈʌp/ | To make ready for use. |
| sit down verb | To assume a sitting position from a standing position. | |
| turn up verb | To show up; to appear suddenly or unexpectedly. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 16 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, don't, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: authentic /ɔˈθɛn.tɪk/, algorithm /ˈælɡəɹɪðm̩/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: qualification /ˌkwɑlɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/, establish /ɪˈstæb.lɪʃ/, impression /ɪmˈpɹɛʃn̩/, reception /ɹɪˈsɛp.ʃn̩/, articulation /ɑɹˌtɪk.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: qualification /ˌkwɑlɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/, intelligent /ɪnˈtɛlɪd͡ʒənt/, behavioral /bɪˈheɪvjəɹəl/, competitor /kəmˈpɛt.ɪ.tɚ/, vicinity /vəˈsɪnəti/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like telephone, employer, qualification.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.