Responding Clearly to Common Interview Questions.

This lesson focuses on the core questions that appear in almost every interview, so you are never surprised by them again. You look at typical questions about strengths and weaknesses, reasons for leaving, motivation for the job and future plans. Using short model answers, you notice how successful candidates keep their answers structured, honest and positive. You learn simple frameworks such as Point → Reason → Example and useful signposting language to stop your answers becoming too long or too short. Special attention is given to answering questions about weaknesses or leaving jobs in a diplomatic, constructive way. You practise adapting your answers for different roles and interviewers, and you test yourself in short role plays. By the end, you can respond to common questions with clearer structure, more confident language and specific examples, rather than only short or vague sentences.

1. Hearing common questions in a real interview.

Let us start by stepping into a real interview moment together. Imagine you are sitting in your first interview for a new role. The interviewer smiles, looks at your CV and then starts to ask some very typical questions. They are not difficult grammatically, but they are important, and they come quickly, one after another. In this part, I want you to focus on recognising what each question is really about, not on answering yet. Are they asking about your strengths, your weaknesses, your motivation, or your future plans? You will hear an interviewer, Ms Chen, speaking to a candidate called Alex who is applying for a project coordinator position. Listen carefully to each question. After the audio, you will write a short label for each one, such as “strengths” or “reason for leaving”. This will help you to notice patterns, so that in real interviews you can think, I know this type of question, and I have a structure ready.

Step into the interview room.

In this part of the lesson, you are listening in on a short section of a real-style job interview. The interviewer, Ms Chen, is speaking to Alex, who is applying for a Project Coordinator role in an international company.

She asks several very common interview questions. You probably know these questions already, but sometimes they appear in different forms. Your first job is simply to recognise the type of question.

Typical question themes.

Almost every interview includes questions in these areas:

• Strengths – what you are good at, your positive qualities.
• Weaknesses / development areas – what you want to improve.
• Motivation – why you want this job or this company.
• Reasons for leaving – why you want to change role.
• Future plans – your career goals.

Here are some example questions for each theme:

Strengths

• What are your main strengths?
• How would your manager describe you?

Weaknesses / development areas

• What is one area you would like to develop?
• Tell me about a skill you are currently improving.

Motivation

• Why are you interested in this role?
• What attracted you to our company?

Reasons for leaving

• Why do you want to leave your current job?
• What made you start looking for a new opportunity?

Future plans

• Where do you see yourself in three to five years?
• What are your long-term career goals?

In the audio you are about to hear, Ms Chen will ask five questions. Your task is to listen and decide which theme each question belongs to. Don’t worry about the exact words yet. Just think: What is she really asking about?

Practice & Feedback

Listen to Ms Chen asking her five questions to Alex. As you listen, do not try to answer the questions. Instead, focus only on the type of each question.

After listening once or twice, write your answers in one list like this:

1. strengths / weaknesses / motivation / reason for leaving / future plans
2. ...
3. ...
4. ...
5. ...

Use one or two words for each question, choosing from the themes above. If you are not sure about one, make your best guess and explain briefly why you chose that theme.

Write in full sentences if you like, for example: 1. Strengths – she asks about his key strengths at work. This helps you think more deeply about the meaning.

2. Noticing clear structure in strong answers.

Now that you can recognise the main types of common interview questions, let us look at how successful candidates actually answer them. Many people in interviews either speak for too long in a messy way, or they give very short answers with almost no detail. A simple structure can help you avoid both problems. In this part, we will focus on the Point, Reason, Example pattern. First you give a clear point, then you explain your reason, and finally you support it with a short, specific example. You will read two model answers from Alex in his interview with Ms Chen. One answer is about his strengths, and the other is about his motivation for the job. Your task is to notice how he organises his ideas and which phrases he uses to signpost the different parts. After reading, you will briefly describe the structure in your own words.

From vague to clear answers.

When interviewers ask about your strengths or motivation, they usually want more than one short sentence. At the same time, they do not want a long, unstructured story. A simple structure helps you sound clear, confident and professional.

A very useful pattern for B1–B2 level is:

Point → Reason → Example

• Point: a direct answer to the question.
• Reason: a short explanation or comment.
• Example: one concrete example from your experience.

Signposting phrases can show this structure clearly.

Model answer 1 – Strengths.

> Question: One of my key strengths is... Could you tell me about one of your key strengths at work?

> Alex: One of my key strengths is organisation. In my current role, I coordinate several small projects at the same time, so I need to plan carefully. For example, I use a simple spreadsheet system to track deadlines and responsibilities for the whole team, which has helped us reduce late tasks by around 20% this year.

• Point: One of my key strengths is organisation.
• Reason: In my current role, I coordinate several small projects at the same time, so I need to plan carefully.
• Example: For example, I use a simple spreadsheet system...

Model answer 2 – Motivation.

> Question: Why are you particularly interested in this position with our company?

> Alex: I am particularly interested in this role because it combines coordination and communication, which are areas I really enjoy. The main reason is that I like working closely with different teams to solve practical problems. To give you an example, in my current job I led a small project to improve communication between sales and logistics, which reduced delivery mistakes and made customers happier.

Again, notice the pattern:

• Point: I am particularly interested in this role because...
• Reason: The main reason is that...
• Example: To give you an example...

These phrases make it easy for the interviewer to follow your answer.

Practice & Feedback

Read the two model answers from Alex again. Your goal is not to copy his exact words, but to see the structure behind them.

In your answer box, write 3–5 sentences in which you:

1. Choose one of Alex’s answers (strengths or motivation) and briefly explain where you can see the Point, the Reason and the Example. Use your own words.
2. Copy one or two signposting phrases that you think are useful, such as The main reason is that... or To give you an example..., and say why you like them.

Try to be as clear as possible. Imagine you are explaining this structure to a friend who wants to improve their interview answers.

3. Talking about weaknesses positively.

Many candidates feel nervous when interviewers ask about weaknesses. Some people say, I am a perfectionist, and nothing else. Others start to complain a lot about themselves and sound very negative. In this part of the lesson, we will focus on a safer, more professional way to answer this question. The key idea is to show that you are self-aware and that you are improving. You do not need to share your biggest problem in life. Choose a real, but manageable, development area that is relevant for the job. Then, use positive language to show what you are doing about it now. We will look at a model and a short checklist. After that, you will write your own short answer about a weakness or development area, using phrases such as, a development area for me is, and, I am currently working on improving. This will prepare you for real interviews where this question almost always appears.

A difficult question that always appears.

Questions about weaknesses or development areas feel dangerous, but they are normal. Interviewers want to know if you can reflect on yourself and learn.

Bad answers are usually:

• Too fake: I am a perfectionist, I work too hard, and nothing more.
• Too negative: long stories about failure with no learning or improvement.

A better pattern is:

1. Name a real, but not extreme, development area.
2. Show what you are doing to improve it.
3. End with a short, positive result or plan.

Useful chunks from the course:

• A development area for me is...
• I am currently working on improving...
• Since then, I have improved by...
• In that situation, I realised that...

Model answer – Weakness / development area.

> Question: What is one area you would like to develop?

> Alex: A development area for me is public speaking in large groups. In the past, I sometimes felt nervous when I had to present to senior managers. I am currently working on improving this by preparing my slides earlier and practising my key sentences several times. I also joined a short presentation skills course. As a result, I already feel more confident, and my last manager said my presentations were much clearer.

Here Alex:

• Chooses a real, relevant topic (public speaking).
• Uses positive language: I am currently working on improving...
• Shows action and progress: As a result, I already feel more confident...

Your turn.

You will now prepare your own short answer to a weaknesses question, using similar phrases. Keep it honest, specific and focused on improvement.

Practice & Feedback

Now write your own short answer to this question:

> Question: A development area for me is... Could you tell me about one area you would like to improve?

Write 4–6 sentences. Follow the pattern from the model:

1. Start with a clear sentence naming your development area: A development area for me is...
2. Give a little background or an example of when this is a challenge.
3. Explain what you are currently doing to improve: courses, habits, tools, feedback.
4. Finish with a positive sentence about your progress or your plan.

You can use ideas from your real work, studies or volunteer experience. Try to sound honest but optimistic, not perfect and not too negative.

4. Explaining reasons for leaving calmly.

Another very common question is about why you are leaving your current job or why you left a previous role. This can feel uncomfortable, especially if you had real problems with a manager, low salary or a stressful environment. However, in an interview, it is important to sound calm, professional and future-focused. Complaining strongly about your current company usually creates a bad impression. In this part, we will listen to a short dialogue where the candidate gives a weak answer to this question. Your task is to notice what sounds negative or unclear. Then, you will rewrite the answer in a more diplomatic way, using phrases like, I decided to leave because, and, The main reason is that. Focus on positive reasons such as growth, development and new challenges, rather than only problems. This skill will help you stay polite and constructive, even in difficult situations.

A sensitive topic: reasons for leaving.

Interviewers almost always ask something like:

• Why do you want to leave your current role?
• What made you decide to look for a new opportunity?

They want to understand your motivation and check if there are any serious problems.

Risky answers.

Here are some examples of risky language:

• My manager is terrible and the company is a mess.
• I hate the culture and the salary is awful.
• Long stories full of anger and blame.

This kind of answer makes interviewers worry that you will also complain about them in the future.

Better patterns.

Instead, it is safer to:

1. Give one or two main professional reasons.
2. Use calm, neutral language.
3. Focus on what you want to move towards, not just what you want to escape.

Useful chunks:

• I decided to leave my current role because...
• The main reason is that I would like to...
• I am looking for an opportunity where I can...
• I have learned a lot in my current position, but now...

What you will do.

You will listen to a short interview where the candidate answers the question badly. Then you will rewrite the candidate’s answer to make it more professional and positive, using the ideas above. Try to keep some of the facts, but change the tone and focus.

Practice & Feedback

Listen carefully to the short dialogue. Focus especially on the candidate’s answer to the question about leaving.

Then, in the answer box, write a new version of the candidate’s answer in 3–5 sentences. Keep the basic situation the same, but:

• Remove strong emotional language and direct complaints.
• Add 1–2 positive, forward-looking reasons, such as development, new challenges or company fit.
• Use at least one of these phrases: I decided to leave my current role because... / The main reason is that... / I am looking for an opportunity where I can....

Imagine you are speaking to a real interviewer. Your goal is to sound honest but constructive, not angry.

5. Mini chat-style interview with common questions.

You have now seen how to answer questions about strengths, weaknesses and reasons for leaving in a clear and positive way. In real life, these questions can appear in different formats, not only in a formal face-to-face interview. Some companies start with a short chat, for example on a messaging platform or inside an online application system. In this part, you will simulate a short written chat with an interviewer. They will send you three very common questions: one about a strength, one about a weakness or development area, and one about your motivation for the role. Your task is to reply with short but complete answers using the Point, Reason, Example structure where possible, and the polite chunks you have been practising, such as, One of my key strengths is, A development area for me is, and, I am particularly interested in this role because. Imagine you are typing to a real person: be professional, but keep the tone friendly and natural.

From speaking to writing: chat-style interviews.

Modern recruitment sometimes uses chat messages before or instead of a phone call. The questions are often the same, but your answers are written.

You still need to:

• Answer the question type clearly.
• Use positive, professional language.
• Give a short reason and, if possible, a mini example.

Your imaginary chat with the interviewer.

Imagine you are chatting with Sophie, a recruiter for an international company. She sends you three messages:

1. Hi, thanks for your interest in the role. To start, what is one of your key strengths at work?
2. Thank you. And what is one development area for you at the moment?
3. Finally, why are you particularly interested in this role with our company?

You will now write three short replies, as if you are answering in a chat window. Each reply should be 3–5 sentences:

• For Question 1, use a structure like: One of my key strengths is... The main reason is that... To give you an example...
• For Question 2, you can reuse your ideas from earlier: A development area for me is... I am currently working on improving this by... As a result...
• For Question 3, focus on the company and role: I am particularly interested in this role because... The main reason is that... To give you an example from my experience...

Try to use clear signposting so Sophie can follow your thinking easily.

Practice & Feedback

Reply to Sophie’s three chat questions in one message, but clearly separate your answers like this:

A. Strength – your answer in 3–5 sentences.

B. Development area – your answer in 3–5 sentences.

C. Motivation – your answer in 3–5 sentences.

Use the language from this lesson where possible:

• One of my key strengths is...
• A development area for me is...
• I am currently working on improving...
• I am particularly interested in this role because...
• The main reason is that...
• To give you an example...

Imagine it is a real chat with a recruiter. Be polite, specific and positive, but keep your sentences simple and clear.

6. Putting your common answers together.

You have now practised recognising common interview questions, using a clear Point, Reason, Example structure, talking about weaknesses positively, and explaining reasons for leaving in a calm way. In this final part, you will bring everything together in a short "mini interview" in writing. Imagine you are in a first interview for a role you really want. The interviewer asks four classic questions: about your strengths, your development area, your motivation for the job, and your future plans. Your task is to prepare four complete answers that you could also use in a real interview. Use the chunks from this lesson, such as, One of my key strengths is, A development area for me is, I am particularly interested in this role because, and, In the longer term, my goal is. Aim for clear structure, honest but positive content, and simple, professional language. Afterwards, you will receive feedback on your answers and ideas for improvement.

Your mini set of common answers.

In a real interview, these four questions often come together:

1. What are your main strengths?
2. What is one area you would like to improve?
3. Why are you interested in this role / this company?
4. Where do you see yourself in three to five years?

You are now going to write a full set of answers, as if you are in a real interview for a role you want.

Helpful structures and chunks.

Strengths

• One of my key strengths is...
• I would describe myself as...
• To give you an example...

Development area

• A development area for me is...
• I am currently working on improving...
• As a result, I already...

Motivation for the role/company

• I am particularly interested in this role because...
• The main reason is that...
• From the job description, I understand that...
• This experience would help me to...

Future plans

• In the short term, I would like to...
• In the longer term, my goal is...
• Overall, I believe...

Remember the Point → Reason → Example pattern. For future plans, your "example" can be a brief description of what you hope to be doing, not a past story.

Aim for balance.

For each answer:

• Write 5–7 sentences.
• Be honest, but choose information that supports your application.
• Keep your language simple and natural; you do not need very complex grammar.

This set of answers can become part of your personal interview toolkit.

Practice & Feedback

Imagine you are in a real interview for a job you would genuinely like to get. Choose a role you know fairly well (for example, your current job, a promotion, or a similar role in another company).

Write four answers in the box, clearly separated like this:

1. Strengths – 5–7 sentences.

2. Development area – 5–7 sentences.

3. Motivation for the role/company – 5–7 sentences.

4. Future plans – 5–7 sentences.

Use the structures and chunks from the screen, such as One of my key strengths is..., A development area for me is..., I am particularly interested in this role because..., In the longer term, my goal is....

Do not worry about being perfect. Focus on clear structure, relevant content and a positive, professional tone.