Das Vorstellungsgespräch
A German job interview follows a fairly predictable pattern of questions. Knowing the vocabulary and a few flexible answer starters removes most of the pressure.
| die Berufserfahrung | work experience |
| die Stärken / Schwächen | strengths / weaknesses |
| der Lebenslauf | CV |
| sich bewerben um | to apply for |
| das Gehalt | salary |
| die Kündigungsfrist | notice period (at your current job) |
1. "sich bewerben um" means what?
Warum möchten Sie bei uns arbeiten? (Why do you want to work here?)
Was sind Ihre Stärken? (What are your strengths?)
Erzählen Sie mir von Ihrer Berufserfahrung. (Tell me about your work experience.)
2. "Was sind Ihre Stärken?" asks about what?
Starting an answer with a soft, hedged phrase sounds more natural and professional than a blunt statement.
Ich würde sagen, dass meine größte Stärke Teamarbeit ist. (I would say that my biggest strength is teamwork.)
Ich würde gerne mehr Verantwortung übernehmen. (I would like to take on more responsibility.)
This reuses the Konjunktiv II pattern from earlier in the course - it is the standard way to sound polished in a formal answer.
3. What softens "I would say that..." grammatically?
4. What is a "Lebenslauf"?
5. "das Gehalt" means what?
Aligned with standard Goethe-Zertifikat B1 / telc B1 exam syllabus topics.
Want a mock interview? Ask your teaching agent to play the interviewer and ask you follow-up questions in German.