Job interviews
Practise your job interview in English, out loud, before the real one
The short answer
The quickest way to get better at interviews in English is to answer real questions out loud, find out exactly what to fix, and try again. Chappie runs a mock interview on your phone: it asks the questions, listens to your whole answer, and tells you what to change in your pronunciation, grammar, word choice and filler words, in Sinhala, Tamil or Hindi if that’s easier.
By the Chappie team · Published · Updated
How does a mock interview work in Chappie?
- 1
Pick “Job interview”, or describe yours
Tell Chappie the role and the kind of company, for example “junior accountant at a bank”, and it sets that interview up.
- 2
Answer out loud
Speak the way you would in the room. Chappie listens to the whole answer and doesn’t interrupt.
- 3
See exactly what to fix
Word-by-word notes on pronunciation, grammar, more natural word choices, and filler words like “um” and “actually”.
- 4
Say it again, better
Repeat the answer until it sounds like you. By the third or fourth go, the real interview feels like something you’ve done before.
What questions will they ask in a job interview in English?
These ten come up in almost every interview in Sri Lanka, at banks, hotels, BPOs and software companies alike. Full sample answers, for freshers and for people with experience, are in job interview questions and answers in Sri Lanka.
| Question | What they want to hear |
|---|---|
| QuestionTell me about yourself. | What they want to hearA 60 to 90 second summary: what you do now, one or two relevant things, why this role. Sample answers. |
| QuestionWhy do you want this job? | What they want to hearSomething specific about the role or the company, connected to what you want to do next. |
| QuestionWhy should we hire you? | What they want to hearTwo strengths that match the advert, each with a quick example. |
| QuestionWhat are your strengths? | What they want to hearOne or two, proven with a short story. A list of adjectives proves nothing. |
| QuestionWhat is your weakness? | What they want to hearA real one you’re working on, and what you’re doing about it. |
| QuestionTell me about a difficult situation at work or university. | What they want to hearThe situation, what you did, what happened. Keep the focus on what you did. |
| QuestionWhy are you leaving your current job? | What they want to hearSomething forward-looking: what you want to grow into. Never a complaint about your employer. |
| QuestionWhere do you see yourself in five years? | What they want to hearGrowing in this field, ideally in a direction this company can offer. |
| QuestionWhat are your salary expectations? | What they want to hearA researched range, said calmly. This one is worth practising out loud more than any other. |
| QuestionDo you have any questions for us? | What they want to hearAlways yes. Ask about the team, the first three months, or how they’ll measure success. |
Practise it
Practise all ten in Chappie, with the follow-up questions, before the day.
How should you answer out loud?
Keep most answers to a minute or two. Long answers lose their point, and the interviewer will ask for more if they want it. For “tell me about a time when…” questions, tell it as a short story: the situation, what you did, what happened. The middle part is what they’re listening for.
When you need a second, pause. Silence sounds calm; “um” and “actually” sound unsure. If you didn’t follow the question, “Sorry, could you repeat that?” is always better than guessing. And finish each answer on purpose: “…and that’s why I think I’d be a good fit” stops you trailing off.
If your mind goes blank even when you know the answer, why you understand English but can’t speak it explains what’s happening and how to get past it.
Which jobs in Sri Lanka need interview English?
| Job | What they listen for | Practise |
|---|---|---|
| JobBanks | What they listen forClear, polite English with customers, and confident answers about accuracy and targets | PractiseThe ten common questions, plus a customer conversation |
| JobCall centres and BPOs | What they listen forListening, clear pronunciation, and staying calm with an unhappy caller | PractiseEnglish phone call phrases |
| JobHotels and tourism | What they listen forWarm small talk with guests, and handling a complaint | PractiseSmall talk and complaint role-plays |
| JobIT and multinationals | What they listen forExplaining your work simply, and speaking up in meetings | PractiseEnglish phrases for meetings |
| JobJobs and study abroad | What they listen forShort, clear, honest answers to direct questions | PractiseVisa interview questions |
What does the feedback cover?
| Area | What you see |
|---|---|
| AreaPronunciation | What you seeThe exact word or syllable that came out unclear, and how to say it. |
| AreaGrammar | What you seeTense and sentence slips, with the corrected sentence. |
| AreaWord choice | What you seeA more natural way to say the same thing, at your level. No dictionary words you’d never use. |
| AreaFluency | What you seeFiller words, long pauses, and the places you speed up because you’re unsure. |
Who is interview practice in Chappie for?
Graduates going into their first interviews in English. People moving to a multinational, a BPO or a regional role where the interview is in English. Anyone interviewing for a job abroad over a video call. And anyone who knows the answer perfectly well in their head and loses it the moment someone is looking at them.
I have been practicing job interviews on chappie and it’s helped me a lot to practice
Quoted word for word from the Sri Lanka App Store.
Every written review, word for word, is on Chappie reviews.
An app doesn’t replace a mock interview with a real person before a big day. Use both: practise with Chappie every day in the week before, and ask a friend or a mentor to interview you once before the real thing.
Questions people ask
Can I practise for a specific job or company?
Yes. Describe the role and the company in Chappie and it builds the interview around them, so the questions match what you’re likely to be asked.
Does Chappie explain my mistakes in Sinhala or Tamil?
Yes. You speak in English, and Chappie can explain each correction in Sinhala, Tamil or Hindi, so you know why it was wrong.
Is Chappie free?
It’s free to download on iPhone and Android and starts with a free trial. After that it’s a subscription, and the price is shown in the app before you pay.
How many times should I practise before an interview?
Say the first three questions out loud every day in the week before. Around the third day, the opening answer stops being the scary one.