Shadowing Practice: How to Interview for a Job in American English, part 1/5 - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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You're hired!
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You're hired!
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Two words everybody loves to hear.
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But before we hear these words comes The interview.
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Today's video is part one in a series that's all about preparing for a job interview.
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This is part one of a five-part series on preparing for an interview.
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Interviewing for a new job can be a huge source of stress and anxiety.
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And if you're interviewing for a job in a non-native language, the stress can be even higher.
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In this video, you'll see me interview for a job.
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Throughout the interview, we'll discuss some of the most common interview questions and how to answer them.
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You'll also learn some basic information to get you started on creating your own answers to these questions.
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Let's begin.
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Hello, Ms.
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Smith.
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I'm Tom Kelly.
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Thanks so much for coming in.
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It's my pleasure.
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Thanks so much for meeting with me.
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Of course.
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Did you have any trouble finding the office?
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Small talk.
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Most interviews will start out with a handshake and some small talk.
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This may include questions about how you're doing, your travel to the interview, the weather, how your weekend went, and more.
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All you need to do is be polite and friendly.
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Keep your answers short.
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You can also feel free to turn the question back to the interviewer.
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For instance, if the interviewer asks you how your weekend was, you might respond, It was great!
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We celebrated my mom's birthday.
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How was your weekend?
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Small talk is used to build a more comfortable environment before the interview begins.
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It may seem silly, but you can practice small talk on your own by asking yourself simple, easy to answer, non-personal questions.
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You could also practice with a friend.
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Here's an example of small talk.
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How are you doing?
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I'm great, thank Thank you.
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And you?
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How are you doing?
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I'm doing really well.
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It's such a nice day out there.
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It is.
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It was perfect weather all weekend.
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It was.
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Did you do anything interesting over the weekend?
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Yes, I went to the park with my family for a picnic.
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That sounds nice.
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It was.
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And you?
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I worked this weekend, but I got a lot done, so that was good.
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It does feel good to get work done.
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You can see we haven't said much of importance, but the conversation is friendly and open, and can make two people feel more comfortable in each other's presence.
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Hello, Ms.
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Smith.
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I'm Tom Kelly.
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Thanks so much for coming in.
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It's my pleasure.
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Thanks so much for meeting with me.
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Of course.
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Did you have any trouble finding the office?
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Nope, the directions on the website were great.
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Good.
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Would you like some water or coffee before we begin?
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I'm okay, thank you.
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Alright.
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So, to get started, why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself?
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Sure.
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Common question.
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Tell me a little bit about yourself.
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It's very common for interviewers to simply ask you to tell them about yourself.
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That can feel overwhelming.
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But don't worry.
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What they really want you to focus on is your education and work history.
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You can also let them know what areas you have a lot of experience in, or what your interests are, when answering this question.
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Here are a few different ways to begin your answer.
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I studied at Harvard University and graduated in 2012 with a degree in business.
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I've been working at Smith Incorporated for 10 years as a manager.
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I have 12 years of experience in graphic design.
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Because of my time at Verizon, I have a lot of experience in providing customer service.
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If you're preparing for an interview, practice talking about yourself and your work history.
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Record yourself with a video camera if possible.
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Make sure it's not too long, maybe around a minute.
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Go back and listen or watch, and write down phrases that worked well to use again.
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If there was anything you stumbled over or left out, write down some possible phrases you could have used.
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The next day, do the same exercise.
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It's important that you don't just write a paragraph and memorize it, but simply practice free talking with some key phrases.
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The more you practice before the interview, the more comfortable you'll feel answering the questions during the interview.
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So, to get started, why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself?
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Sure!
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I studied at the University of Florida and graduated in 2010 with a master's degree in toy design.
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After graduation, I was hired at Happy Kids Creative.
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I've been there for the past five years and am currently the director of toy production.
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During that time, sales have grown steadily.
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It's been a great experience, but I've run out of room to grow with HKC, and I'm looking for new opportunities.
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I have a lot of experience leading teams in the creative process and finding new markets for the products that we create.
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That's great.
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To be continued.
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We'll pick it up from here in the next video in this series.
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In the next video, we'll go over three more common interview questions.
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How did you hear about this position?
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What attracted you to our company?
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And, what's your greatest strength?
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I hope this video on job interviews has been helpful.
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There's nothing better than walking out of an interview feeling that you were fully prepared.
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If you have interview-related questions or stories, please post them in the comments below.
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I'd love to hear them.
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Are you signed up for my mailing list?
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If so, you get free weekly emails in your inbox with English videos and lessons, as well as stories of American culture and my own life.
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Click here or in the description to sign up.
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That's it, and thanks so much for using Rachel's English.
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If you liked this video, be sure to subscribe.
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Either click here or in the description.
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But don't stop there.
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Keep learning with my American English in Real Life playlist, my Ben Franklin playlist, or my Word of the Week series.
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Click on me to check out my channel, where there are hundreds of great videos.
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Don't forget to visit my website, where you can learn about my Premium Membership and online courses.
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Why practice speaking with this video?

Preparing for a job interview can be daunting, especially when English isn't your first language. This video, part one of a five-part series on how to interview for a job in American English, is an excellent resource not just for understanding the interview process but also for enhancing your English speaking practice. By engaging with the content, you will learn how to navigate common interview questions and, more importantly, how to participate in small talk — a crucial component that can ease nerves and create a comfortable atmosphere for both the interviewer and interviewee.

Practicing with this video not only helps you hear real-life conversational English but also allows you to repeat and shadow the speaker, improving your intonation, rhythm, and fluency. Utilizing a shadow speak technique can drastically enhance your listening and speaking skills. With a tool like a shadowspeaks or other shadowing apps, you can repeat after the speaker, allowing you to mimic pronunciation and structure in an effective and engaging way. This process cultivates confidence, making you more comfortable during real interviews.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

The speaker employs several key structures that are invaluable for job interviews:

  • Polite small talk: The introduction of an interview often includes friendly exchanges. Phrases like "Thanks so much for meeting with me" and "Did you have any trouble finding the office?" are essential for setting a positive tone.
  • Transition phrases: The speaker transitions smoothly between questions and answers, showcasing statements such as "Of course" and "It was great!", which highlight active engagement while keeping responses concise.
  • Expressing feelings: By discussing personal experiences (e.g., "We celebrated my mom's birthday"), the speaker shares relatable content that connects with the interviewer. This technique can help you craft your own authentic responses.

Understanding and utilizing these phrases will not only prepare you for the interview itself but will enhance your overall conversational skills in English.

Common Pronunciation Traps

Pronunciation is crucial during interviews, and certain words and phrases can be challenging. Here are some traps to watch for:

  • The word "trouble" may be mispronounced as truh-bull rather than the correct truh-bul.
  • The phrase "small talk" should be spoken fluidly; the second word often gets rushed or slurred.
  • Words like "interesting" may sound different depending on your accent; focus on the syllables to pronounce it as in-tuh-res-ting rather than in-ter-est-ing.

Using a shadowing app, you can practice these tricky words by repeating them along with the video. This method not only improves your pronunciation but also reinforces vocabulary retention, allowing you to learn English with YouTube effectively.

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.

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