Australian English for Living and Working in Australia. Lesson 9.
This lesson prepares you for moments when you need to talk about yourself without sounding like you are showing off. You move between two key situations: a casual industry networking event and a structured job interview. You listen to short introductions and answers to behavioural questions such as "Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult stakeholder", noticing how Australians mix confidence with modesty and concrete examples. You build a short, flexible self-introduction you can use at meetups, and practise framing your achievements with phrases like "I’ve had a fair bit of experience with healthcare projects" or "One thing I bring to the team is clear communication". You also learn questions you can ask other people to keep conversations going. By the end, you can present your skills and experience in a way that feels authentic to you and fits Australian expectations.
1. Meeting people at a Sydney networking event.
Imagine it is a Thursday evening in Sydney. You have just arrived at a casual fintech networking event in a co-working space near the CBD. People are standing around with drinks, chatting in small groups. Someone turns to you, smiles and says, “So, what do you do?” In this first part of the lesson, we are going to focus on those first thirty seconds of conversation. You will hear how Australians talk about their work in a way that sounds confident but not like they are bragging. I want you to notice how they mix a clear job title with one or two concrete details, and a relaxed, modest tone. After you listen, you will write a short summary of one person’s introduction, so you can start to feel the rhythm of these answers. Do not worry about every single word; focus on the key information and the general style. Ready? First you will listen to a short networking moment, then we will unpack it together on the screen.
Scene: Your first tech meetup in Sydney.
You are at a casual industry meetup in Sydney. Someone in the group starts the introductions, and it is your turn next. Before you speak, you listen to how the others introduce themselves.
At the top of this block, and again in the activity below, you will hear a short extract from that meetup. Listen out for three things:
Job and area – how they answer “So, what do you do?”.
Experience – how they lightly mention their background.
Reason for being there – how they say what they are interested in without overselling.
Here is the kind of language you will hear.
Example 1: Mia.
> “Hey, I’m Mia. I work in data analysis for a fintech in Sydney. I’ve had a fair bit of experience with healthcare projects, especially dashboards for hospitals. One thing I bring to the team is clear communication with non-technical stakeholders. I’m keen to meet people who are working on AI in health.”
Notice how Mia:
Gives a simple job description: “I work in data analysis for a fintech.”
Uses a modest phrase: “I’ve had a fair bit of experience…” instead of “I’m an expert in…”.
Mentions one strength: “One thing I bring to the team is clear communication…”.
Adds a reason for being there: “I’m keen to meet people who are working on…”.
Example 2: Jorge.
> “I’m Jorge, I look after product for a small payments startup. Before that I was in banking back home. At the moment I’m particularly interested in roles that connect product and data.”
Again, Jorge sounds confident but relaxed. He does not list everything he has ever done. He just gives one clear story.
In this lesson, we will help you build your own version of this kind of introduction, and later we will move into more structured interview answers.
For now, focus on understanding and summarising what you hear. That is an important skill in interviews too, when you need to show you have listened carefully.
Practice & Feedback
First, listen to the short networking extract in the audio below as many times as you need. Focus on Mia’s introduction. Do not worry if you miss a word; pay attention to her job, her experience and what she is interested in.
Then, in the answer box, write 2–4 full sentences summarising Mia’s introduction in your own words. Imagine you are telling a friend later, for example: “I met someone called Mia. She…”.
Try to include:
what she does now,
one detail about her past or experience,
why she is at the event or what she is keen to do next.
Use neutral, natural language. You do not need to copy her exact sentences. This task checks both your listening and your ability to describe someone’s professional background clearly.
2. Building your own modest networking introduction.
Now that you have listened to Mia and Jorge, let us turn the spotlight onto you. At an Australian networking event, people do not expect a long speech. They want a short, friendly snapshot of who you are, what you work on, and what you are interested in. In this block, we will build that snapshot together. We will look closely at some useful Australian-style phrases from the chunk bank, such as “I’ve had a fair bit of experience with…” and “One thing I bring to the team is…”. These help you sound confident without sounding arrogant. On the screen, you will see some models and a small table comparing neutral and overly strong language. Then, in the activity, you will write your own 3 to 5 sentence introduction that you could actually use at a meetup next month. Think about your real background and goals, not an imaginary CV. The more honest and concrete you are, the easier it will be to reuse this in real life.
From model to your story.
You have heard how Mia and Jorge introduced themselves. Now let us turn that into your own flexible introduction.
A good Australian-style networking intro usually has three parts:
Name and role
A bit of relevant experience or focus area
What you are interested in now or looking for
Useful chunks for a modest intro.
Here are some high-value phrases from this lesson’s chunk bank and lexical sets:
“I work in data analysis for a fintech.”
“I look after the finance side of things.”
“I’ve had a fair bit of experience with healthcare projects.”
“One thing I bring to the team is clear communication.”
“I’m particularly interested in this role because…”
“I’m keen to keep developing my leadership skills.”
“Here’s my LinkedIn, if that’s easier.”
“I’d love to stay in touch.”
Notice how many of these use softeners like “a fair bit of”, “one thing I bring”, “I’m keen to…”. They sound positive, but not like you are saying you are perfect.
Modest vs. too strong.
Modest, natural
Too strong or risky
I’ve had a fair bit of experience with data projects.
I’m the best data analyst in the team.
One thing I bring to the team is clear communication.
I’m amazing at everything I do.
I’m particularly interested in this role because it mixes product and data.
This role is perfect for me, I’m exactly what you need.
Australians often respond better to understatement and concrete examples than to big claims.
Plan your introduction.
Before you write, quickly note down:
Your job title or general area.
One or two types of projects or industries you have worked in.
One thing you genuinely bring to a team.
What you are keen to explore or meet people for.
You will then turn these notes into a short, friendly introduction you can pull out whenever someone asks, “So, what do you do?”.
Practice & Feedback
Imagine you are at a networking event in your industry in Australia. Someone turns to you and asks, “So, what do you do?”.
Write a short introduction you could use in that moment. Aim for 3–5 sentences. Try to:
start with your name and general role,
mention “a fair bit of experience with…” or another modest phrase,
include at least one strength using a pattern like “One thing I bring to the team is…”,
finish with what you are interested in right now (projects, roles, connections).
Keep the tone friendly and natural, not like a written CV. Imagine you are actually speaking out loud at a busy event. Use real details from your life, not just generic examples.
Model intro 1:
Hi, I’m Mia. I work in data analysis for a fintech here in Sydney. I’ve had a fair bit of experience with healthcare projects, especially building dashboards for hospitals. One thing I bring to the team is clear communication with non-technical stakeholders. At the moment I’m particularly interested in roles that connect data and healthcare.
Model intro 2:
I’m Jorge, I look after product for a small payments startup. Before that I spent a few years in banking back home. One thing I bring is a mix of technical understanding and customer focus. I’m keen to keep developing my leadership skills, so I’ve been coming to events like this to meet other product people.
3. Keeping the networking chat going.
An introduction is only the beginning of a networking conversation. In Australia, people often expect you to ask a few relaxed follow-up questions so the chat does not die after those first sentences. The good news is that you do not need anything very clever. Simple questions like “What are you working on at the moment?” or “How are you finding the team there?” are perfectly natural. In this block, we are going to practise being the person who **keeps the conversation going**. On the screen you will see examples of light questions, deeper questions about work, and questions that show interest in the role or organisation. Then, in the activity, you will write a short chat-style exchange where you ask someone about their work and plans. This will be our first mini simulation, a bit like texting or a LinkedIn chat. Focus on sounding curious and friendly, not like you are interviewing them for a job.
After “So, what do you do?” – what next?.
You have just given your introduction. The other person replies with theirs. Now you want to show interest and keep the chat flowing.
Australians generally like conversations that feel two-sided and low pressure. You can do this by asking a mix of light and slightly deeper questions.
Light questions to warm up.
These are easy, low-risk questions that almost always work:
“How are you finding the event?”
“Have you been to this meetup before?”
“What are you working on at the moment?”
Work-focused questions.
Use these to learn more about their role or projects:
“So, what do you do day to day?”
“How did you get into that area?”
“What kind of projects have you had a fair bit of experience with?”
“What do you enjoy most about the role?”
Showing interest in the organisation or team.
These are also very useful in interviews:
“Could you tell me a bit about the team culture?”
“What does success look like in your team?”
“Are there many opportunities to grow your skills there?”
Notice that many of these questions are open – they start with what, how, could you tell me…. They invite a longer answer, which gives you more information and more chances to connect.
Also notice the relaxed tone. No one says, “Please describe in detail your job responsibilities.” That would sound too formal in this setting.
In the activity, you will write a short chat-style exchange where you practise asking these kinds of questions.
Practice & Feedback
Imagine you are chatting with Sam at the same Sydney networking event. Sam has just said:
> “I work in cybersecurity for a mid-size bank. I’ve had a fair bit of experience with fraud prevention projects.”
Now it is your turn to keep the conversation going.
Write a short chat-style exchange of 4–6 lines. Use the format:
You: your question or comment
Sam: a short, imagined answer
Alternate like this so it feels like a real chat. Ask at least two open questions that show interest in Sam’s work or team, for example about projects, team culture or skills. You can reuse phrases like “What are you working on at the moment?” or “Could you tell me a bit about the team culture?”.
Focus on sounding friendly, curious and relaxed. Avoid very formal or interrogating questions.
Example chat:
You: Nice, how are you finding the team there?
Sam: Pretty good, actually. People are friendly but it’s busy.
You: What kind of projects have you had a fair bit of experience with?
Sam: Mostly card fraud and some identity theft projects.
You: Could you tell me a bit about the team culture?
Sam: It’s fairly collaborative, lots of pair work and code reviews.
4. Moving from networking to a formal interview.
Let’s move the story forward. Imagine that at the end of the event, someone from a company you like says, “I’d love to stay in touch. Here’s my LinkedIn, if that’s easier.” You connect, and a week later you are invited to a formal job interview. Now the tone shifts a little. It is still Australian and fairly relaxed, but the questions become more structured, especially the behavioural ones like, “Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult stakeholder,” or, “A time you handled a tough deadline was when…”. In this block, we will focus on how to shape your answer using a simple structure, sometimes called STAR: Situation, Task, Action, Result. You will listen to a sample answer and then plan your own story in notes. This way, when you speak in the real interview, your answer will feel clear and concrete, not like a vague story with no ending.
From casual chat to behavioural questions.
In an Australian job interview, you will often hear questions that start with:
“Tell me about a time you…”
“Give me an example of when you…”
For example:
“Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult stakeholder.”
“A time you handled a tough deadline was when…?”
These questions test how you behave in real situations, not just what you know in theory.
A simple way to answer clearly is to use STAR:
S – Situation: Where were you? What was going on?
T – Task: What was your responsibility or goal?
A – Action: What did you actually do?
R – Result: What happened in the end? What did you learn?
Australians usually like answers that are:
Concrete – with real details (numbers, timelines, people).
Modest – you explain your actions without pretending you did everything alone.
Reflective – you show what you learnt or how you would handle it now.
In the listening activity below, you will hear a candidate answering:
> “Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult stakeholder.”
Listen for the four STAR parts. After that, you will write your own notes for a real example from your work or study.
Do not worry about perfect sentences yet. Notes are fine, as long as you are clear on the situation, your task, your actions, and the result.
Practice & Feedback
First, listen to the sample interview answer in the audio below. As you listen, try to hear the four stages: Situation, Task, Action, Result.
Then think of a real example from your life where you had to manage a difficult stakeholder, client, manager, or colleague. It could be at work, university, or a volunteer project.
In the answer box, write your STAR notes using this format:
Situation: 1–2 sentences
Task: 1–2 sentences
Action: 2–3 sentences
Result: 1–2 sentences, including what you learned
Do not worry about sounding perfect yet; this is a planning step. However, try to be specific: include details like who, when, what the problem was, and how things ended. These notes will be the base for a full interview answer in the next block.
5. Turning your notes into a strong interview answer.
You now have your STAR notes for a difficult stakeholder situation. In a real Australian interview, you would turn those notes into a clear, confident answer of about one to two minutes. In this block, we will practise doing exactly that in writing. Writing the answer first helps you notice where your story is not clear yet, and it gives you good language you can recycle when you speak.
On the screen, I will show you a model answer and some typical Australian features to notice, such as how the speaker shares credit with the team and uses modest but positive language. Then, in the activity, you will write your own full answer to a related behavioural question. Aim for around 150 to 200 words. Do not worry if it is not perfect; the most important thing is that your story is easy to follow and shows how you handle tricky situations professionally.
From notes to a full behavioural answer.
You have planned your story using STAR. Now it is time to turn it into a smooth interview answer.
Here is a model answer to the question:
> “Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult stakeholder.”
> “In my last role I worked on a reporting project for a senior manager who kept changing his mind about the requirements, which made things pretty difficult for the team. My task was to deliver a dashboard the sales team could actually use, without letting the constant changes blow out the timeline.
>
> So what I did was set up a quick meeting just with him where I walked through a simple prototype and asked very specific questions about what he really needed. I summarised his answers back to him in an email, using bullet points, and asked him to confirm. I also explained, politely, that if we kept changing the scope, the launch date would have to move.
>
> In the end, he agreed to the priorities in the email, and we launched on time with a simpler first version that we could improve later. One thing I took from that was how important it is to communicate clearly and set boundaries early with senior stakeholders.”
What makes this sound Australian and natural?.
The tone is confident but modest: no big claims, just clear actions.
It includes concrete details (dashboard, sales team, scope, launch date).
It uses everyday phrases like “so what I did was…”, “in the end…”.
It finishes with a reflection: “One thing I took from that was…”.
In the activity, you will write your own answer. You can use:
softeners like “a fair bit of pressure”, “a bit of a challenge”,
reflective phrases like “one thing I learned was…”,
and clear sequencing: “First… Then… In the end…”.
This written version will be excellent practice for saying your answer out loud later.
Practice & Feedback
Choose one behavioural question to answer in full:
“Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult stakeholder.”
“A time you handled a tough deadline was when…?”
Using your STAR notes from the previous block (or new notes if you prefer another story), write a full interview answer of about 150–200 words.
Make sure you:
clearly explain the Situation and Task at the start,
describe 2–4 concrete Actions you took, using everyday verbs,
finish with the Result, including what changed and what you learned,
use a modest but confident tone (no need to say you are perfect).
Imagine you are speaking to a friendly Australian hiring manager. Write in a spoken style, using simple connectors like “so”, “then”, “in the end” rather than very formal linking words.
Useful phrases for your answer:
It was a bit of a challenge because…
I had a fair bit of pressure on the timeline.
So what I did was…
I set up a quick meeting with…
I made sure to communicate clearly by…
In the end, we managed to…
One thing I learned from that was…
Since then, I’ve tried to…
6. Putting it all together in a mini interview.
You have now practised both sides of this lesson: casual networking intros and more formal interview answers. In real life, these two often connect. You might meet someone at an event, have a good chat, and then later sit in front of them or their colleague in a structured interview.
In this final block, you will bring everything together in a short **mini interview script**. You will write three parts: first, how you would introduce yourself at the start of the interview; second, one question you would ask the interviewer about the role or team; and third, one polite sentence you could say at the end when they give you feedback or next steps.
On the screen you will see a simple checklist and a few model lines using chunks from this lesson, like “I’m particularly interested in this role because…” and “Thanks, that’s really helpful feedback.” Use these as a menu, not a script you must copy exactly. By the end of this task, you will have a short, realistic conversation you can adapt for your own real interviews in Australia.
Your mini Australian-style interview.
Imagine this situation:
You met a hiring manager at a networking event. You had a friendly chat, swapped LinkedIn details and they later invited you to interview. You arrive at their office or log into a video call.
The interviewer smiles and says, “Great to meet you properly. Let’s start with a quick introduction from you.”
Later, near the end, they ask, “Do you have any questions for us?” and finally they say, “We’ll be in touch next week with feedback.”
You want to handle all three moments in a way that feels natural in Australia.
1. Your interview self-introduction.
This is similar to your networking intro, but a little more focused on the role:
who you are and what you do,
a fair bit of relevant experience,
why you are particularly interested in this role or organisation.
Example:
> “Hi, I’m Lina. I work in data analysis for a fintech, and I’ve had a fair bit of experience with healthcare projects over the last five years. One thing I bring to the team is clear communication with non-technical stakeholders. I’m particularly interested in this role because it mixes data and healthcare in a really practical way.”
2. A question for the interviewer.
Good questions show interest in the team and culture. For example:
“Could you tell me a bit about the team culture?”
“What does success look like in this role over the first six months?”
3. Responding to feedback or next steps.
Even if the answer is not a clear “yes” yet, you can close politely:
“Thanks, that’s really helpful feedback.”
“I appreciate your time today. I’d love to stay in touch.”
In the activity, you will write all three parts as if they were lines in your interview.
Practice & Feedback
Write a short mini interview script for this situation.
Include three parts, clearly labelled:
Intro: 3–5 sentences introducing yourself at the start of the interview. Mention your role, a fair bit of relevant experience, one thing you bring to the team, and why you are particularly interested in this role or organisation.
Question: 1–2 sentences where you ask the interviewer something about the team, role or organisation. You can start with “Could you tell me a bit about…” or “I’m particularly interested in…”.
Closing: 1–2 sentences you could say at the very end, after they explain next steps or give you some feedback. For example, you might thank them and say you’d love to stay in touch.
Use a friendly, professional tone. You can reuse chunks like “I’ve had a fair bit of experience…”, “One thing I bring to the team is…”, “I’m keen to keep developing my…”, “Thanks, that’s really helpful feedback.”. Imagine you will speak these lines in a real Australian interview soon.
Checklist for your mini interview script:
Intro:
Name and current role or area
A fair bit of relevant experience (industry, project types)
One strength you bring to the team
A clear reason you’re interested in this role
Question:
Shows genuine curiosity about the team, culture or expectations
Uses an open form like “Could you tell me a bit about…?”
Closing:
Thanks the interviewer for their time or feedback
Keeps the door open, for example “I’d love to stay in touch.”
