What do you say in an online job interview in English when the technology fails?
At the start, check the sound briefly with "Can you hear me okay?". When the connection drops, name the problem in one sentence, ask for a repeat with "Could you repeat the last part?" and then answer as normal. Close with "Thank you for your time today."
- Sequence: check the sound, name the glitch briefly, ask, carry on.
- Key lines: "You're breaking up", "I think you froze", "Could you repeat that?"
- German traps: "Handy", "Homeoffice" and "look forward to hear".
B1 · Job Interviews · 10 minThe video job interview in English, taught brick by brick.
A structured ten-slide lesson for B1 learners. Hear how to handle a connection glitch calmly, meet the lines for the opening, the glitch and the close with a tutor, then practise them in interactive drills before a final quiz. The whole arc takes about ten minutes and nothing requires a signup.
- CEFR levelB1 · Intermediate
- Time to completeAbout 10 minutes
- SkillsBusiness English, Listening, Writing, Speaking
- Bricks10 blocks
01 / 06
What changes in an online interview, and what does not
A video job interview covers similar topics to an office interview: you introduce yourself and talk about your experience, your strengths and your plans. What changes is the setting. Between you and the interviewer there is a camera, a microphone and an internet connection, and any of them can fail for a moment. That is normal and not a sign that you are unprofessional. What matters is how you react. If you keep talking through a glitch or guess what the question was, you lose the thread. If you name the problem briefly, ask for a repeat and then answer calmly, you sound confident. At B1 level you only need a handful of sentences for this, practised in advance. This lesson gives you exactly those sentences, in three groups: the opening with a short sound check, the repair when something goes wrong, and the polite close. You prepare the content of your answers as you would for any interview; this lesson takes care of the frame, so the technology does not throw you off.
02 / 06
The opening: a short sound check, then into the conversation
The first seconds of a video interview usually belong to the technology. One short sentence is enough: "Hello, nice to meet you. Can you hear me okay?" If the interviewer asks first, simply answer: "Yes, I can hear you clearly." If you cannot hear well yourself, say so directly: "Your sound is a little quiet. Could you speak up a bit?" Then move on to the first question or to a little small talk, without a long technical discussion. To "How are you today?", "Very well, thank you. And you?" works well — a short answer, and the interviewer takes over again. Prepare the technology before the appointment so you are not searching for buttons at the start: test the link, the camera and the microphone, close other programs and keep a phone number ready in case the connection drops completely. Then your start sounds calm, and you can put your attention where it belongs: on the questions and your answers.
03 / 06
When the connection drops: name it, ask, carry on
The most important skill in an online interview is the quick repair. It has three steps. First, name the problem: "Sorry, you broke up for a second." or "I think you froze." Second, ask for what you need: "Could you repeat the last part of the question?" Third, carry on as normal: "Thanks. So, in my last job…" Notice the tense. "You're breaking up" describes a problem that is happening right now; say "you broke up" when it is already over. For a frozen picture, "I think you froze" and "I think your screen has frozen" are both common. If the connection keeps getting worse, suggest a solution: "The connection seems unstable. Would it help if I turned off my camera?" or "If we get cut off, I'll rejoin straight away." Asking is not a mistake. A guessed answer to a question you did not fully hear does you more harm than a request to repeat it, which takes only a few seconds.
04 / 06
The phrase bank for sound, picture and microphone
A few short sentences cover almost every glitch. For the microphone: "Sorry, you're on mute." when the interviewer is muted, and "Sorry, I was on mute." when you forgot to switch your own microphone on. For the picture: "I think you froze for a moment." or "My camera has stopped working. Give me one moment, please." For the sound: "You're breaking up a little." and "There's a bit of an echo." For something you missed: "Sorry, I didn't catch the last part." and "Could you repeat that?" For noise in your room: "Sorry about the noise. Let me close the window." Each of these sentences is short, friendly and factual. You say "sorry" once, name the problem and move on. You do not need long explanations about your router or your software. Practise the sentences aloud until they come without thinking; under pressure, you are otherwise more likely to fall back on a translation from German.
05 / 06
German traps: "Handy", "Homeoffice" and friends
Some words that look English in German are used differently in English. In English, "handy" is an adjective that means "useful". For your phone, say "mobile" or "mobile phone", or "cell phone" in American English: "If we get cut off, I'll call you on my mobile." "Homeoffice" does not match one to one either. In English, "home office" usually means a room in your home where you work. For "Ich bin heute im Homeoffice", say "I'm working from home today." A third trap is the sound check. "Can you hear me okay?" is the usual question; "Do you hear me?" is grammatically possible but less usual as a sound check. For technical problems, "My camera makes problems" sounds translated; "My camera is causing problems" or "My camera isn't working properly" sounds more natural. And at the end of the conversation, the phrase is "I look forward to hearing from you" with the -ing form, not "to hear", because in English "look forward to" is followed by a noun or an -ing form.
06 / 06
The close: thank them, stay friendly, keep it short
The close of an online interview is short, but people remember it. First, say thank you: "Thank you for your time today." Then add one friendly sentence: "It was nice talking to you." or "I enjoyed our conversation." Finally: "I look forward to hearing from you." If the interviewer says something like "We'll be in touch next week" as a goodbye, "Great, thank you. Have a good afternoon." is enough. Say these sentences calmly and look into the camera, not at your own picture. Wait until the goodbyes are finished before you click "Leave". If you write a short thank-you email afterwards, you can use the same idea in full sentences: "Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. I enjoyed learning more about the role." That way the conversation ends as clearly and calmly as it began.