Shadowing Practice: Top 10 Interview Questions and QUICK Answers - Learn English Speaking with Video

Vanessa: Hi, I'm Vanessa from SpeakEnglishWithVanessa.com. Congratulations! You got the job. Let's talk about it.

"Congratulations! You got the job." What wonderful words to hear. But what comes before that? A job interview. When you hear those two words, how do you feel? Does your heart begin to beat? As you start to breathe heavily, do your palms get sweaty? Well, if you feel nervous about a job interview, don't worry. Millions of people around the world also feel the same way. In fact, if you didn't feel nervous for a job interview, it would be a little strange. But never fear, today I am here to help. The best way to ace the interview and get the job is to practice.

So today, my husband Dan and I have a fun role play interview for you. My husband, Dan, is the hiring manager at a graphic design firm and he is looking for a new graphic designer. Maybe that will be me. I will be answering these questions, giving you a sample answer and some tips for each question. Like always, to help you with this important lesson, I have created a free PDF worksheet with all of these top 10 interview questions, sample answers, and most importantly, there is space for you to write your own sample answer. I want you to write that out and practice it. Say it out loud three times so that you can prepare for your job interview and ace it and get the job. All right. Are you ready for the job interview to find the perfect candidate for the graphic design position? Let's see question number one.

Dan: Hi, Vanessa. Thank you for coming in today. Why don't you start by telling me a little bit about yourself?

Hi, Vanessa. Thank you for coming in today. Why don't you start by telling me a little bit about yourself? Vanessa: Certainly. First of all, I've always been labeled as artistic so it just made sense to study graphic design in college. Then when I graduated, I moved to Chicago and worked for a fast paced design team, making marketing brochures for a big insurance company. It was great, but now that I have the experience, I would love to work with a more local business where I can have more contact with the clients.

Tip: keep it brief and professional. They don't need to know that you go kayaking every weekend and that you visited 30 countries. But as they say, you never have a second chance to make a first impression. So make sure you sit up straight, smile, be pleasant, and make them think "I would be crazy not to hire you." Let's go to question number two.

Dan: I see. So why are you interested in this job?

I see. So why are you interested in this job? Vanessa: I want this job because I'm passionate about graphic design. I see myself working in this field long term because it involves hard work, creativity, and innovation. And from my research, it seems like your company also has these same values. I'm excited to work for a company that shares the same values I do. Tip: this answer shows your long term commitment to the job and to the company. Also, it shows that you did some research about the company in advance. This will put you a notch ahead of other candidates so make sure to do your research in advance. All right. Let's go to question number three.

Dan: That's great. How did you hear about this position? That's great. How did you hear about this position? Vanessa: I read about your company, and I've been interested in working here for several months. I hoped that a graphic design position would open up so I created an alert on LinkedIn to let me know if that happened, and I got an alert, and here I am.

Tip: this answer shows that you were proactive about finding a job, especially a job in this company. It shows that you care about them and it makes them feel good about themselves as well, which hopefully is all true. All right. Let's go to the next question.

Dan: So tell me, what are your biggest strengths?

So tell me, what are your biggest strengths? Vanessa: Some of my biggest strengths are my creativity and my ability to learn quickly. I'm also good at working with clients and I'm a good listener, so this means that I listen to exactly what my clients want and I make sure that the final designs reflect the heart of their business. Finally, I'm very punctual, so I always can meet the project deadlines.

Tip: be confident, but don't brag. In this situation, it is absolutely necessary to say what you are good at, what are your strengths. Do not downplay your strengths. Also, notice that in this answer, I gave some adjectives. I'm creative, I am a good listener, but I also said why they're important. "This means that," you can always add this phrase in your answers to give a good example. "This means that I will listen to your clients and I will have designs that reflect the heart of their business." Why are those traits important? They're just words. Well, you are going to show concretely how they will affect the company. Don't forget to include that phrase, "This means that your clients will always be satisfied because my designs will reflect the heart of their business." Beautiful answer. All right, let's go to the next question.

Dan: Okay. What are your biggest weaknesses?

Okay. What are your biggest weaknesses? Vanessa: My biggest weakness is that in my former role, I had a more specialized skill set, and I understand that for this job I will need a more generalized skill set. So I look forward to learning quickly and figuring out what all of those tasks are so that I can do my best.

Tip: this is the most difficult question in an interview, in my opinion, so you need to be very careful and prepared about how you're going to answer this. You could say, "Well, sometimes I'm late." Or, "Well, sometimes I just forget about what I'm supposed to do," You will not get the job. Instead, you need to choose a weakness that you can frame in a positive way. So notice in my answer I said, "Well, in my previous job I had a specialized skill set," and then I showed growth. I showed an understanding of how I can get better. "I understand for this job I will need a more generalized skill set, and I'm excited about learning new things." So this shows you understand how to get better. Let's take a look at a couple of other examples because I think this is a tricky one. If you say that you are shy talking in front of large groups, how could you frame this in a more positive way? You could say, "I'm not yet comfortable speaking in front of large groups, but to help myself with these public speaking skills, I'm going to weekly Toastmaster meetups. I have a weekly speaking coach that I meet with to help me with this skill." You're showing growth and you're showing how you understand that you can get better in the future. So make sure you answer this with that growth mindset. "Yes, I have this weakness, but I am working on making it better." Key. All right, let's go to the next question.

Dan: Thank you.

So where do you see yourself in five years? Thank you. So where do you see yourself in five years? Vanessa: In five years, I see myself continuing in the graphic design field, but with greater responsibility, like taking on a leadership role of training junior level designers who join the staff. Tip: when you answer this question, you need to show your commitment to the company. Even if you are not 100% sure that you will still be in this position and still working for this company, this is your chance to fake it till you make it and say that you are interested in staying in this position and potentially benefiting the company with your increased experience. So in my answer, I said that I'm interested in leadership and I would be interested in helping junior level designers come into the staff and be well trained. This might be something different for you, but make sure you do not say, "In five years, I'm interested in becoming the manager." Well, maybe that guy's, the manager.

You don't want to take his job. And you don't want to say something completely irrelevant. "Where do you see yourself in five years?" "Well, I've been thinking about taking a world tour. I'd love to visit Japan and Poland and Brazil." They're not interested in your personal goals. Instead, you need to talk about your professional goals in five years, ideally with that company in a position that will benefit the company. All right. Let's go to the next question.

Dan: Okay. What experience do you have in this role?

Okay. What experience do you have in this role? Vanessa: I mentioned that when I lived in Chicago, I worked for a fast-paced design company making marketing brochures for a big insurance company, so I'm experienced making high level design pieces on a tight deadline. I also interned for a small company right after college, making their websites and setting up several graphic design elements for their social media channels.

Tip: for this question, have specific details in mind. Notice how I said I worked for a fast paced design company, we had a tight deadline, I also interned. I gave specific examples of my experience. I didn't say, "Well, I've been doing graphic design for a while. And yeah, I have a lot of experience." You will not get the job if you say this. You need specific examples in mind, and that will help you to ace the interview. Let's go to the next question.

Dan: Tell me, why did you leave your most recent job?

Tell me, why did you leave your most recent job? Vanessa: I'm looking for a fresh opportunity that's more client-based. One of the advantages of working in Chicago is that I got to work alongside other graphic design professionals, but I didn't get to work directly with clients, and that's the part that's the most rewarding to me. I enjoy helping local businesses transform their vision into a graphic design that truly represents their brand.

Tip: this is another tricky question because they're looking to see if you will say something negative about your past job, your past coworkers, your past boss. This can really make it or break it for you in the interview so make sure that you say something that states a skill that you learned in your past job and how it can be applied to your current job. I especially use the phrase "That's really rewarding to me." That means that I am personally fulfilled. And a company wants you to be... Well, a good company, wants you to be personally fulfilled because you will stay in that job and do a good job and have good rapport with your coworkers when you are rewarded, when you feel like this is a satisfying job. So when you say, "Hey, I see working in this company as something very rewarding to me because I love working with clients. That's what I missed in my previous job so I'm excited to work with clients." Notice I didn't say anything bad about my boss. "Oh, my boss. You should have heard about him. Oh my goodness." Nope. There's no bashing, There's no negative talk about my past job. Just a skill or part of the job that I would like to do differently in this company. Great. Let's go to the next question.

Dan: So why should we hire you?

So why should we hire you? Vanessa: You should hire me because I can take on a lot of responsibility without much supervision. I'm also innovative. I can come up with creative, fun ways to meet your client's needs while upholding the positive reputation of this company.

Tip: for this question, for each thing that you state, you need to give a why. Why is that important? "I'm a fast learner." Well, who cares? "I can do it without much supervision." That is the why. Most managers do not want to be over your shoulder asking you, "Why didn't you do the deadline? Come on, it's coming soon. What do you..." No, they want to be able to step back and just let you do what you need to do. So you're telling them, "Don't worry. I got it.

You won't need to supervise me much because I can take responsibility and it'll be great." For the next thing, I said, "I'm innovative." Well, why does innovation matter? Why do you care that I'm innovative? I need to give a reason. And I said, "Oh, your clients will be satisfied with my creative fun designs that will uphold the company's reputation." I'm not just thinking about myself. I don't want them to say, "Oh, you're just the best designer. You're so great." No, I want the reputation of the company to be the thing that stands out here. So the key is, for each of your answers, you need to give "That means that you won't need to manage me much because I can take responsibility. That means that your clients will be satisfied and the reputation of this company will be upheld." You need to give a why for each of these answers.

All right. Let's go to our final question. Dan: Thank you so much for your time. Before we go, do you have any questions for me?

Thank you so much for your time. Before we go, do you have any questions for me?

Vanessa: Yes. Well, we covered a lot in this interview, but I was wondering what would you like me to focus on during the first month on the job?

Tip: this question is a bit controversial. Some people say you should always have a question prepared. Some people say you shouldn't ask a question. And the answer is, it's not black or white, it's just your choice. But let's talk about two more questions you could ask. You could ask, "What's a typical day look like in this role?" Or you could ask, "How is success measured in this company?" It's a little bit more of a heavy question, but it shows that you care about being successful. Or you could simply say, "I think we covered everything, but if anything comes up, I'll let you know." Great. Well, what should you never, ever, ever ask in a job interview? You should never ask something that is easily found on the company's website. If there's anything publicly shown like who their clients are, these types of things, do not ask this because it shows that you didn't do your research and the interviewer will think, "I'm just wasting my time." So make sure that you do not ask something that is easily found online.

Dan: Congratulations, you're hired. I'll see you Monday! Congratulations, you're hired. I'll see you Monday! Vanessa: Thank you so much. I'm really excited to start in this role. I'll see you on Monday.

Congratulations! You got the job. I hope that this interview lesson was useful to you. And you can now download the free PDF worksheet and practice these questions yourself. All of the questions, sample answers, and a section for you to write your answers to this question is on the worksheet. You can click on the link in the description to download that today. I hope it will be useful to you so that you ace the interview and get your dream job.

Well, thank you so much for learning English with me, and I'll see you again next Friday for a new lesson here on my YouTube channel. Bye. The next step is to download the free PDF worksheet for this lesson. With this free pdf, you will master today's lesson and never forget what you have learned. You can be a confident English speaker. Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for a free English lesson every Friday. Bye.

📺 Same Channel

✨ Recommend Video

523 sentences

English Job Interview Dos & Dont's! | English Conversation Practice

Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students

9 sentences

5 Career-Defining Questions: Unlock Your Dream Job! #shorts

Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students

50 sentences

10 Project Manager Interview Questions & Answers That’ll Land You the Job!

Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students

151 sentences

HOTEL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS & ANSWERS! (How to PREPARE for a HOTEL JOB INTERVIEW!)

Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students

119 sentences

Improve English Speaking Skills Every Day (Job Interview) English Conversation Practice

Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students

77 sentences

Tell Me About Yourself (The BEST Way to Answer this Interview Question)

Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students

137 sentences

6 THINGS TO DO BEFORE THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT INTERVIEW - how to prepare for any question (+ printable)

Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students

40 sentences

10 Powerful Phrasal Verbs for Job Interviews in English

Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students

23 sentences

Job Interview in English | Shadow and Learn #learnenglish #english #speakenglish

Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students

209 sentences

Tell Me About Yourself | Common Job Interview Questions & Best Answers ✅

Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students

109 sentences

Doing This (Almost) GUARANTEES You Get Hired In A Job Interview!

Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Top 10 Interview Questions and QUICK Answers”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: design, answer, Vanessa, interview, Dan. This video has 36 sentences and 2765 words to shadow. The speech runs for 15:26. The speaker talks at a natural 179 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 34 of its 36 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.

Key vocabulary in this video

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
graphic adjective	/ˈɡɹæfɪk/	Drawn, pictorial.
weakness noun	/ˈwik.nɪs/	The condition of being weak.
worksheet noun		A sheet of paper or computerized document on which problems are worked out or solved and the answers are recorded.
satisfy verb	/ˈsætɪsfaɪ/	To be enough (for)
deadline noun	/ˈdɛdˌlaɪn/	A time limit in the form of a date on or before which something must be completed.
reward noun	/ɹɪˈwɔɹd/	Something of value given in return for an act.
uphold verb	/ˌʌpˈhəʊld/	To hold up; to lift on high; to elevate.
innovative adjective	/ˈɪn.əˌveɪtɪv/	Characterized by the creation of new ideas or inventions.
phrase noun	/ˈfɹeɪ̯z/	A short written or spoken expression.
brochure noun	/bɹoʊˈʃʊɚ/	A booklet of printed informational matter, like a pamphlet, often for promotional purposes.
generalize verb	/ˈd͡ʒɛn.(ə.)ɹə.laɪz/	To speak in generalities, or in vague terms.
specialize verb	/ˈspɛʃəˌlaɪz/	To narrow in scope.
listener noun	/ˈlɪs(ə)nɚ/	Someone who listens, especially to a speech or a broadcast.
intern noun	/ˈɪntɝn/	A student or recent graduate who works in order to gain experience in their chosen field.
fulfill verb	/fʊlˈfɪl/	To satisfy, carry out, bring to completion (an obligation, a requirement, etc.).

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
come up verb		To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly.
come up with verb		To manage to produce, deliver, or present (something) by inventing, creating, thinking of, or obtaining it.
figure out verb		To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce.
look forward to verb		To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to.
open up verb		To open.
set up verb	/ˌsɛt ˈʌp/	To make ready for use.
sit up verb		To assume a sitting position from a position lying down.
stand out verb		To jut out, protrude (from a surface etc.).

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

Does your heart begin to beat?
Why don't you start by telling me a little bit about yourself?
Why don't you start by telling me a little bit about yourself?
How did you hear about this position?
Why do you care that I'm innovative?

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on	I've been thinking · I've been doing
Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result	if anything comes up, I'll let
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	have created · I've always been labeled · I've been
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	been labeled · can be applied · is easily found

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 67 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: brochure /bɹoʊˈʃʊɚ/, specialize /ˈspɛʃəˌlaɪz/, supervision /ˌs(j)uːpəˈvɪʒən/, innovation /ˌɪn.əˈveɪ.ʃən/, bash /bæʃ/
Long words — get the stress right: innovative /ˈɪn.əˌveɪtɪv/, generalize /ˈd͡ʒɛn.(ə.)ɹə.laɪz/, supervision /ˌs(j)uːpəˈvɪʒən/, creativity /kri.eɪˈtɪv.ᵻ.ti/, innovation /ˌɪn.əˈveɪ.ʃən/

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 graphic, weakness, worksheet.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: Top 10 Interview Questions and QUICK Answers - Learn English Speaking with Video

"What time is it?": A Simple Answer #Shorts

How to Talk About Movies and TV Shows in English

50 Important English TRAVEL Phrases

Speak With Me: English Speaking Practice

Listen and Repeat: SPEAK with me in English

English Conversation Lesson: Learn 3 advanced expressions

Make the Bed With Me in English

Speak With Me: Real Life English Conversation

You know the words but you can't SPEAK

England VS America: Ten Items That Have Different Names

English SPEAKING Practice: 10 Conversations for Daily Life

How to Give Directions in English: Advanced English Lesson

3 Essential ADVANCED English Verbs that you don't know

Top 15 Tongue Twisters in English: Advanced Pronunciation Lesson

I use these words every day: Daily English Vocabulary

5 Secrets to Having an American English Accent: Advanced Pronunciation Lesson

Talk about HOBBIES Fluently in English

Understand FAST English: Advanced Listening Practice

Speak With Me: English Speaking Practice

2 Tips For Improving Your *Listening* Skills

English Job Interview Dos & Dont's! | English Conversation Practice

5 Career-Defining Questions: Unlock Your Dream Job! #shorts

10 Project Manager Interview Questions & Answers That’ll Land You the Job!

HOTEL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS & ANSWERS! (How to PREPARE for a HOTEL JOB INTERVIEW!)

Improve English Speaking Skills Every Day (Job Interview) English Conversation Practice

Tell Me About Yourself (The BEST Way to Answer this Interview Question)

6 THINGS TO DO BEFORE THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT INTERVIEW - how to prepare for any question (+ printable)

10 Powerful Phrasal Verbs for Job Interviews in English

Job Interview in English | Shadow and Learn #learnenglish #english #speakenglish

Tell Me About Yourself | Common Job Interview Questions & Best Answers ✅

Doing This (Almost) GUARANTEES You Get Hired In A Job Interview!

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?

2 Tips For Improving Your Listening Skills