Job interview: Self introduction

💬 The 了 at the end means "up to now" and asks how long something has lasted until today. Without it, 多久 just asks "how long" in general.

💬 您 (nín) is the polite form of "you". Interviewers use it with candidates, and you should use it back to them too.

💬 Use 兩 (liǎng), not 二, when counting an amount like years or people. Write 兩年 "two years", not 二年.

💬 To say how long something has been going on, put the length of time after the action and end with 了. Swap in other times: 我學中文三個月了 "I've been learning Chinese for three months."

💬 Question words like 什麼 go in the same spot the answer would go, so the word order doesn't flip. Answer it by just replacing 什麼工作: 我做行銷工作 "I do marketing work."

💬 Chinese verbs don't change for the past. Words like 以前 are what tell you the question is about earlier jobs.

🇹🇼 Teaching English is the most common job foreigners in Taiwan have held. Interviewers will often ask how those skills carry over to the new role.

💬 Its opposite is 缺點 (quē diǎn) "weakness". Expect the two to be asked as a pair.

🇹🇼 Taiwanese interviewers value modesty, so answer with concrete qualities like diligence or teamwork rather than bold self-praise.

🇹🇼 認真 is high praise in Taiwanese workplaces, meaning hardworking and reliable. It's one of the safest strengths to claim in an interview.

💬 很 here doesn't really mean "very". It's needed to complete the sentence before an adjective, and for real emphasis you'd use 非常 (fēi cháng).

💬 No 是 is needed before an adjective; 很認真 alone completes the sentence. Swap in another quality the same way: 我做事很細心 "I'm careful in how I work."

💬 跟 (gēn) "with" comes before the action, not after it like in English. Another example: 跟同事開會 "have a meeting with colleagues".

💬 下 means "next" and 上 means "last" for weeks and months. So 上週 is "last week" and 下個月 is "next month".

💬 Putting 會 (huì) before an action marks something that will happen. Here it works like "will".

💬 Time words like 下週 go before the action, never at the end of the sentence the way English often does it.

💬 The second 謝 is said lightly with no tone: (xiè xie).

🇹🇼 This is a polite way to close an interview, usually said with a slight bow or nod as you stand up.

💬 慢走 (màn zǒu) literally means "walk slowly", but it's a set farewell meaning "take care going home".

🇹🇼 Only the host says this to someone who is leaving, so the interviewer may say it to you as you go. Don't say it back; reply with 謝謝 or 再見 (zài jiàn) "goodbye".