Opening an English Job Interview Professionally.

In this first lesson you step into the very beginning of a real English job interview. You explore the main types of interview you might face – phone screening, video call, panel or face-to-face – and see how they are usually structured. Through a short recorded dialogue, you notice how interviewers greet candidates, introduce themselves and move from small talk into the formal questions. You learn and practise polite greetings, checking names and roles, and simple small talk about the journey, connection or weather. You also learn phrases for checking the time and format, especially in online interviews. A short self-diagnostic activity helps you notice what already feels easy and what feels difficult in English. By the end, you can start an interview calmly, sound professional in the first minutes and feel clearer about what to expect in the rest of the process.

1. Stepping into the start of an interview.

Let us begin right at the moment your interview starts. Imagine you are at home, a few minutes before a video call interview. You have checked your camera, your sound and your background. Your heart is beating a little faster, but you are ready. Suddenly, the meeting window opens and you see two people from the company smiling at you. What do you say in those first seconds? In this block, we will explore that exact situation. First, I will quickly remind you of the main interview types you might face: a short phone screening, an online video call, a panel interview with two or more people, or a traditional face-to-face meeting in an office. The opening moments are very similar in all of them. You say hello, hear the names and roles of the interviewers, say thank you for the opportunity and maybe answer a simple question or two. You will listen to a short example of a real opening on a video call. Your job is not to understand every single word. Instead, focus on the big picture. Who is speaking? How many interviewers are there? What are they doing at this stage of the interview? After you listen, you will write a few short sentences to show what you understood.

The very first minute of an interview.

Before you can show your skills, you have to enter the interview. These first seconds are important, because they create a first impression and set the tone.

In most modern interviews, especially international ones, the opening usually follows a simple pattern:

1. Greeting and welcome – interviewer says hello and thanks you for joining.
2. Quick sound or connection check – especially on phone or video.
3. Names and roles – who is in the interview and what they do.
4. Basic information – what role this interview is for and how long it will take.
5. First simple question – often about you or your current role.

Even when the interview is face to face, the structure is similar. The details change, but the purpose stays the same: make sure everyone is comfortable, connected and clear about what will happen next.

Here are some key words and phrases for this stage:

• recruitment stages: first-round interview, second interview, final interview
• interview types: phone screening, video call, panel interview, face-to-face
• people: interviewer, candidate, HR manager, hiring manager

Notice how the candidate often uses polite, friendly language:

> "Good morning, thank you for inviting me today. It is great to meet you."

> "Yes, I can hear you clearly, thank you."

> "I am looking forward to our conversation."

In a moment, you will listen to a short dialogue at the start of a video interview. Try to connect what you hear with this structure: greeting, checking connection, names and roles, explanation of the interview. Do not worry about long sentences. Focus on who, how many and what is happening in the interview.

Practice & Feedback

Listen carefully to the short dialogue of a video interview opening. You can listen two or three times if you like. While you listen, think about these three questions:

1. What type of interview is this (phone, video, panel, face to face)?
2. How many interviewers are speaking, and who are they?
3. In one or two sentences, describe what stage of the interview this is (for example, greeting, small talk, main questions, closing).

After listening, write your answers to all three questions together in one text box. Use full sentences, for example: "It is a first-round video interview. There are two interviewers...". This will help you practise clear, simple written English about interview situations, which also supports your speaking.

2. Using professional greetings and thanks.

Now that you have heard a complete opening, let us zoom in on your first words. Many candidates worry about complex answers to difficult questions, but interviewers also notice the simple things. Do you sound polite? Do you sound interested? Do you sound professional, not too casual and not too stiff? In this block, we will focus on short greeting and thanking phrases that work very well at the start of English job interviews. You already know how to say hello, but in interviews we often add a little extra. Instead of only saying "Hi" or "Hello", we usually combine a greeting with thanks and a positive comment. Listen in your head to the difference between "Hi" and "Good morning, thank you for giving me this opportunity." The second version sounds more professional and shows that you respect the interviewers' time. You will see some useful examples on the screen and then you will create your own first two or three sentences for an interview. Try to imagine a real company and role you are interested in, so the language feels real for you.

Greeting like a professional, not a tourist.

In a job interview, you want to sound friendly and professional. Your greeting is usually short, but it sends a strong signal about your attitude.

Compare these examples:

Notice how the right-hand column sounds a little more formal and respectful, but still warm.

Here are some excellent phrases you can use almost every time:

• "Good morning. Thank you for inviting me today."
• "Good afternoon. Thank you for giving me this opportunity."
• "It is great to meet you."
• "Thanks for taking the time to speak with me."
• "I am really pleased to be here."

You can mix and match them:

> "Good afternoon. It is great to meet you, and thank you for taking the time to speak with me."

> "Good morning. I am really pleased to be here. Thank you for giving me this opportunity."

Mini structure for your first sentences.

A simple and effective pattern is:

1. Greeting + time of day – Good morning / Good afternoon.
2. Thanks – Thank you for inviting me today. / Thanks for taking the time to speak with me.
3. Positive comment – I am really pleased to be here. / I am looking forward to our conversation.

You do not need long complex sentences. Short, clear sentences with a calm voice are perfect.

In the activity below, you will read a very short interviewer greeting. Then you will write what you would say next, using this 3-part structure. Try to use at least one of the bold phrases from this section.

Practice & Feedback

Read the short interviewer greeting in the box. Imagine this is the very start of your own interview for a job you really want. Your task is to write 2–3 sentences as your first response.

Follow this structure:

1. Start with a polite greeting (Good morning / Good afternoon).
2. Add a thank-you sentence using one of the phrases from the lesson (for example: "Thank you for inviting me today" or "Thanks for taking the time to speak with me").
3. Finish with a short positive comment (for example: "I am really pleased to be here" or "I am looking forward to our conversation").

Write your response as if you are speaking in the interview. You can mention a real company or role if you wish, but keep the focus on your greeting and thanks.

3. Making simple small talk at the start.

Once you have said hello and thank you, many interviewers move into a few seconds of light small talk. This is not a test. It is simply a human moment to help everyone relax. However, if you feel nervous, even a simple question like "How was your journey?" can feel difficult in English. In this block we will practise exactly those short exchanges. Typical topics are safe and neutral: your journey, the connection, the weather, or whether you can hear each other well. The good news is that you can prepare your answers in advance. You do not need to tell a long story about traffic or train delays. One clear, positive sentence is enough, even if your journey was terrible. It is usually better to keep the energy calm and optimistic. You will see some model questions and answers on the screen. Then you will read a mini-dialogue and write three short answers that you could use in a real interview. Try to keep them short, friendly and polite.

Why small talk matters.

Interviewers often use small talk to make the situation feel less formal and to check that you are comfortable. Your answers show your tone and attitude. You want to sound calm, positive and easy to speak with.

Typical interviewer questions at this stage include:

• "How are you today?"
• "How was your journey here?" (face-to-face)
• "Can you hear me clearly?" (phone or video)
• "How is the connection on your side?"
• "How is the weather where you are?" (international video)

Here are some good answers you can reuse:

• "I am very well, thank you. How are you today?"
• "My journey here was very smooth, thank you."
• "Actually there was a bit of traffic, but I arrived in good time, thank you."
• "Yes, I can hear you clearly."
• "The connection seems good from my side, thank you."
• "The weather is quite cold today, but it is bright and sunny."

Notice how these answers are:

• short – usually one sentence;
• polite – they include "thank you" or a friendly tone;
• slightly positive – even if something was not perfect, they focus on the good side.

You can also return a simple question when appropriate:

> "I am very well, thank you. How are you today?"

This shows that you are not only focused on yourself and are able to build rapport.

In the activity below, you will read a short dialogue where an interviewer asks three small talk questions. Your job is to write three natural answers that you could use. Try to use at least one of the model sentences or adapt it to your real situation.

Practice & Feedback

Read the mini-dialogue in the box. Imagine you are the candidate in this situation. After reading, write three short answers to the interviewer’s questions:

1. how you are today,
2. how your journey or connection is,
3. and a quick comment about the weather.

Write 1–2 sentences for each answer. You can follow the model answers above, or adapt them to your real life (for example, describe the weather where you live). Separate your answers clearly, for example by using numbers 1, 2 and 3.

Focus on being short, polite and slightly positive. Try to include at least one of these phrases: "My journey here was very smooth, thank you.", "Yes, I can hear you clearly.", or "How are you today?" as a return question.

4. Checking names, roles and connection politely.

Sometimes in interviews, especially online, you do not catch a name, a job title or a word because of sound or accent. Many candidates feel shy and simply say nothing. This is risky, because you may then use the wrong name or not understand who is speaking. Interviewers do **not** expect perfect listening. They do expect you to check politely when something is not clear. In this block, we will practise short, respectful questions to clarify names, roles and connection. These questions help you stay in control and show that you are professional. Instead of saying "What?" or "Who are you?", we can soften our questions. For example: "Sorry, could you repeat your name, please?" or "Could you spell that, please?". If there is a problem with the sound, you can say: "There seems to be a slight delay" or "Could you please speak a little more slowly?". In the activity, you will see a short chat-style script from the start of an online interview. Your job is to write what **you** would say in the missing lines, using polite questions to check names, roles and connection when needed. Imagine you are on a real call and you want to sound calm, confident and respectful.

When you do not catch something.

Not understanding everything is normal. What matters is how you react. Polite clarification shows confidence and good communication skills.

Here are some useful interview-friendly questions:

• "Could you repeat your name, please?"
• "Could you spell that, please?"
• "Sorry, I did not quite catch that. Could you say it again, please?"
• "Sorry, what is your role in the company?"
• "There seems to be a slight delay. Could you please speak a little more slowly?"

Compare these pairs:

These small changes make your language sound more polite and professional.

Example mini-dialogue.

> Interviewer: "Good morning, my name is Katarzyna Kowalski, I am the IT director here."

> Candidate: "Good morning. Sorry, could you repeat your surname, please?"

> Interviewer: "Of course, it is Kowalski, K-O-W-A-L-S-K-I."

> Candidate: "Thank you. It is great to meet you."

The candidate does not pretend to understand. They check politely, then continue.

In the activity below, you will complete a similar chat-style conversation. Use the phrases from this section, and remember that it is always better to clarify than to guess.

Practice & Feedback

Read the short chat-style script below. Imagine you are the candidate in an online video interview. Some of your lines are missing. Your task is to write what you would say in those places.

You should write 3–4 short messages:

• first, greet the interviewer and thank them,
• then politely ask them to repeat or spell their name,
• then respond when they mention another person on the call, checking their role if you are not sure,
• finally, if you want, you can also check the connection.

Use phrases from the lesson such as "Could you repeat your name, please?", "Could you spell that, please?", or "Sorry, what is your role in the company?". Write your messages one after another, as if you are speaking in the interview. You can mark them as "You:" if you wish.

5. Checking time and format, plus self-diagnosis.

At the start of an interview, you also need to understand the **practical details**: how long the interview will last, what kind of questions to expect, and whether there is any test or task. Normally the interviewer explains this, but sometimes they are in a hurry and forget. It is absolutely fine to ask one short, polite question to check the time or format. For example, you could say: "Before we start, could I just check how long the interview will take?" or "Is now still a good time for you?". This shows that you are organised and respectful. In this block we will look at a few candidate questions. You will decide which ones sound good at the **beginning** of an interview, and which ones are not appropriate so early, for example questions about salary. Then you will write your own polite checking question, and you will also do a quick self-diagnosis: what part of interview openings already feels comfortable for you, and what part do you want to improve during this course?

Polite questions about time and format.

You do not want to control the interview, but it is reasonable to know what will happen. Here are some questions that are usually acceptable at the beginning:

• "Before we start, could I just check how long the interview will take?"
• "Will we mainly discuss my experience today, or will there also be a short task?"
• "Is now still a good time for you?" (if they were late or the call was moved)

These questions are short, polite and focused on practical information.

Here are some questions that are usually not good at the start:

• "How much will the salary be?"
• "How many days of holiday will I get?"

These may be important later, but at the beginning they can sound too direct or focused only on benefits.

Quick self-diagnosis.

Think about the different parts of an interview opening that we have practised so far:

• greeting and thanking the interviewer;
• answering small talk about how you are, your journey or the connection;
• checking names, roles and sound politely;
• asking one question about time or format.

Which parts already feel easy for you in English? Which parts feel difficult or stressful? Being honest about this will help you focus during the rest of the course.

In the activity below, you will first choose which example questions are good at the start, then write:

1. one or two polite checking questions that you personally feel comfortable using; and
2. a short reflection about your own strengths and challenges in interview openings.

Practice & Feedback

Read the four example questions in the box carefully. First, think silently: which two questions are appropriate to ask at the very beginning of an interview, and which two are better later or maybe not at all?

Then, in the text box:

1. Write two sentences explaining which questions are good at the start and why.
2. Write one or two polite checking questions that you could ask in a real interview about time or format. Use phrases such as "Before we start, could I just check..." or "Is now still a good time for you?".
3. Finally, write 3–4 sentences to answer these self-diagnosis questions:

• What feels easiest for you at the start of an interview in English?
• What feels most difficult or stressful?
• What is one personal interview challenge you want to improve during this course?

Write your answers in clear paragraphs so I can see your ideas and language.

6. Putting your complete interview opening together.

You have now explored all the key ingredients of a strong interview opening: greeting and thanking the interviewer, making simple small talk, checking names and roles, and asking polite questions about time or format. In this final block of the lesson, you will bring everything together in one complete opening. Imagine your next real interview. Perhaps it is a phone screening, perhaps a video call, or maybe a face-to-face meeting. The interviewer says hello and thanks you for joining. You now want to respond with a short sequence of sentences that sounds calm, professional and genuinely pleased to be there. To help you, you will see a short script of an interviewer’s typical first lines. Your task is to write *your* side of that conversation: what you would actually say, from your first "Good morning" until the moment when the interviewer is ready to start the main questions. Do not worry about being perfect. Focus on using the tools from this lesson: a clear greeting, a thank-you phrase, perhaps one line of small talk, a quick confirmation of the connection, and maybe a question like "Shall we start?" or a positive comment such as "I am looking forward to our conversation". This will become a mini script you can practise before real interviews.

A simple checklist for your opening.

Before you write, use this checklist. Your opening should include most of these points:

1. Greeting – Good morning / Good afternoon.
2. Thanking – Thank you for inviting me today. / Thank you for giving me this opportunity.
3. Positive comment – I am really pleased to be here. / I am looking forward to our conversation.
4. Small talk reply – a short answer to "How are you today?" or a similar question.
5. Connection or sound check (if online) – Yes, I can hear you clearly.
6. Optional question about time/format – Before we start, could I just check how long the interview will take? or Is now still a good time for you?
7. Smooth transition – Shall we start? or simply wait for the interviewer to move on.

Example of a complete opening (candidate side).

> "Good morning, and thank you for inviting me today. It is great to meet you. I am very well, thank you, and I am really pleased to be here. Yes, I can hear you clearly. Before we start, could I just check how long the interview will take?"

This example is just one possible version. Your own opening should reflect you, your role and your style, but the structure will be similar.

In the activity below, you will see the interviewer’s first lines. Then you will write what you would say in response, as if you were in a real interview tomorrow. You can adapt the job title and company to your real situation if you like.

Practice & Feedback

Read the interviewer’s script in the box. Imagine this is the exact start of your next real interview. Your task is to write your full opening, that is, everything you would say from your first words until the interviewer begins the main questions.

Write 5–8 sentences. Try to:

• greet the interviewer,
• say thank you for the opportunity,
• show you are pleased to be there,
• answer any small talk question (for example, how you are),
• confirm the connection if it is online,
• optionally ask a polite question about time or format,
• and finish ready to move into the interview (you can end with a sentence like "I am looking forward to our conversation" or "Shall we start?").

Use as many lesson phrases as feel natural for you, but make the script personal to your own job or field. Write it as if you will read and practise it before a real interview.