9 Korean phrases for a job interview, in the formal register they expect
A Korean job interview (면접) is as much a test of register as of answers. The expected speech level is the formal 합니다 style, the one textbooks teach first and most learners then abandon for 요; an interview is where it comes back. Answers are structured, modesty is signalled grammatically, and the bow at the end is part of the exam.
Every line here is in that formal register. Several use -겠습니다, the ending for stated intent, which is the sound of a candidate who means it.
-
안녕하십니까. 잘 부탁드립니다.
annyeonghasimnikka. jal butakdeurimnida.
Hello. I look forward to working with you.
Literally: Hello. I ask well of you.
The formal greeting pair. 잘 부탁드립니다 has no English equivalent; it asks for the other side's goodwill and closes every self-introduction. Say it with a bow from the waist, not a nod.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
경영학을 전공했습니다.
gyeongyeonghageul jeongonghaetseumnida.
I majored in business administration.
Swap the subject: 컴퓨터공학 (computer science), 한국어교육 (Korean language education), 디자인 (design). 전공 is your major; the interviewer may follow with 전공을 살려서? (will you put it to use?).
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
이 회사에 지원한 이유는 세 가지입니다.
i hoesae jiwonhan iyuneun se gajiimnida.
There are three reasons I applied to this company.
Korean interview answers are numbered. 첫째, 둘째, 셋째 (first, second, third) is exactly how a prepared candidate sounds, and interviewers can count along.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
한국어로 업무 소통이 가능합니다.
hangugeoro eommu sotongi ganeunghamnida.
I can communicate in Korean for work.
가능합니다 (it is possible) is the formal way to claim an ability; 할 수 있어요 is fine in life and a touch soft in a 면접. Expect the next question to come faster, as a test.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
책임감이 강한 편입니다.
chaegimgami ganghan pyeonimnida.
I would say I have a strong sense of responsibility.
Literally: I lean toward strong responsibility.
-(으)ㄴ 편입니다 (I tend to be) is how Koreans state a strength without bragging. Flat 책임감이 강합니다 sounds boastful; the hedge is expected, and it is still a claim.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
다시 한번 말씀해 주시겠습니까?
dasi hanbeon malsseumhae jusigetseumnikka?
Could you say that once more?
말씀 is the honorific word for speech, for their words never your own, and -아/어 주시겠습니까 is the most formal way to ask. Asking to repeat costs nothing; answering the wrong question costs the interview.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
질문 하나 드려도 될까요?
jilmun hana deuryeodo doelkkayo?
May I ask one question?
Literally: Even if I give one question, would it be okay?
드리다 is the humble give, used toward the interviewer. This is for the end, when they ask 질문 있으십니까?, and a prepared question about the team reads as interest rather than challenge.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
입사하게 되면 열심히 하겠습니다.
ipsahage doemyeon yeolsimhi hagetseumnida.
If I join, I will work hard.
-겠습니다 is the formal statement of intent, the register of promises. 열심히 (diligently) is the word every candidate says and every interviewer still wants to hear; 입사 is joining a company.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
면접 기회를 주셔서 감사합니다.
myeonjeop gihoereul jusyeoseo gamsahamnida.
Thank you for the opportunity to interview.
-아/어 주셔서 감사합니다 (thank you for doing X for me) is the gratitude pattern of formal Korean. Say it standing, bow, and do not turn to the door until you have straightened up.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase →
Two things to notice across these. First, almost every verb ends in 습니다 or 겠습니다; if you catch yourself saying 요, the interviewer will too. Second, the hedges (편입니다, 드려도 될까요) are not weakness; in Korean they are what competence sounds like when it is being polite.