How to Answer “Tell Me About Your Experience” — Dialogue Practice / 旅行中に英語で道を聞く方法
Practice talking about your work experience in English. 5 stages with vocabulary, real dialogue, word scramble, roleplay, and free conversation practice.
Section 1: Introduction / はじめに
When someone asks "Tell me about your experience," they want a short, clear summary of your work history. Learning to answer this question well is important. A clear, confident answer makes a strong first impression. It shows you can communicate in English and that you understand what the job requires.
この質問は日本語で言えば「これまでの経験を教えてください」という意味です。面接や職場での自己紹介など、さまざまな場面で使われます。この質問にスムーズに答えられると、相手に良い第一印象を与えることができます。英語力だけでなく、自分の仕事への理解も伝わるので、とても大切な表現です。
When will you use this? / いつ使う場面があるの？
- A job interview: 最も多い場面です。面接官はあなたの経歴を手早く知りたがっています。
- A networking event: 新しいビジネスの知り合いに、プロフェッショナルに自己紹介したいとき。
- A casual conversation with a new colleague: 新しい会社の初日に、これまで何をしていたか聞かれることがあります。
- A team meeting with a new client: プロジェクトを始める前に、簡単に自分の経歴を説明する必要があるとき。
- A university or training program interview: 入学審査の担当者が、仕事や学業の経験についてよく尋ねます。
- A phone or video call interview: リモート面接では、まさにこの質問から始まることがよくあります。
2. Core Language Pattern / 基本の言い方
A strong answer uses this 4-part structure:
I have [number] years of experience in [field].
I've worked as a [job title].
I was mainly responsible for [task].
This helped me develop [strength/skill].
この4つのパートを順番に話すだけで、まとまりのある答えになります。「何年」「どんな仕事」「何を担当していたか」「何を学んだか」の4点を意識しましょう。 「何年」の部分は経験の長さと分野を伝え、「役職名」の部分はレベルを伝えます。「担当業務」は毎日の実際の仕事内容、「学んだこと」は過去の経験と今回の仕事をつなげる、最も大切な部分です。
3. Vocabulary Bank / 単語リスト
Here are 35 essential words and phrases extracted directly from the study guide:
4. Useful Phrases by Function / 場面ごとの便利なフレーズ
① Starting Your Answer / 話し始める表現
② Describing Your Job History / 職歴を説明する表現
③ Describing Your Responsibilities / 担当業務を説明する表現
④ Talking About Results and Skills / 成果とスキルを伝える表現
⑤ Connecting Past Experience to the New Job / 今回の仕事につなげる表現
5. Three Example Conversations / 会話例3パターン
Conversation 1: Office Job Interview — Customer Support Role
Setting: A formal interview at an office. The interviewer is Sarah, an HR manager.
Conversation 2: Networking Event — New Professional Contact
Setting: A business networking event. You are chatting with Kenji, a product manager at a tech company. The atmosphere is casual and friendly.
Conversation 3: First Day at a New Company — Meeting a New Colleague
Setting: The break room on your first day at a new job. Your new colleague, Emma, comes to say hello.
6. Naturalness Tips / 自然な答え方のコツ
- Tip 1: Short answers sound weak. Longer answers sound confident. / 短すぎる答えは自信がなさそうに聞こえる
❌ Unnatural (too short): "I worked in sales for two years."
✅ Natural (adds role, responsibility, and result): "I have two years of experience in sales. I worked at a retail company, where I mainly focused on helping customers find the right products. Over time, I became much more comfortable talking to different kinds of people." - Tip 2: Use connectors to link your ideas naturally / つなぎの言葉を使う
Also → adds another point 例："I also helped with training new staff."
In addition → adds a more formal extra point 例："In addition, I supported our team leader with reporting."
This meant that → explains a result 例："This meant that customers were happier with the service."
Over time → shows progress 例："Over time, I became better at handling difficult situations." - Tip 3: Turn a boring list into a story. / 箇条書きではなく、自然な会話のように話す
❌ Unnatural (sounds like reading a resume): "I managed email. I answered phone calls. I updated the database."
✅ Natural (sounds like a person talking): "My main job was handling customer inquiries — usually by email or phone. When I had some extra time, I also helped keep our customer database up to date."
7. What to Avoid / 避けること
❌ "I was born in Osaka. I studied at university. Then I worked at a convenience store part-time. After that I tried working in IT but I didn't like it. Then I moved to Tokyo..."
✅ "I have three years of experience in customer support, most recently at a software company."
❌ "I have experience in many different areas. I've worked in a few companies. I did various kinds of work."
✅ "I have four years of experience in accounting. I worked at a mid-sized manufacturing company, where I handled accounts payable and monthly reporting."
❌ "I worked in customer service. I answered phones and emails every day."
✅ "I worked in customer service. I answered phones and emails, and over time I developed strong communication skills. I also learned how to stay calm when customers were upset."
❌ "I was tasked with orchestrating cross-functional synergies to maximize stakeholder value delivery."
✅ "I worked with different teams to help the project run smoothly."
8. Practice Template / 練習テンプレート
I have [number] years of experience in [field].
I've worked as a [job title] at [type of company].
I was mainly responsible for [main task].
I also helped with [extra task or responsibility].
This experience helped me develop [skill or strength].
Worked Case Scenarios
Worked Example 1 — Nurse (Medical field):
"I have five years of experience in nursing. I've worked as a registered nurse at a general hospital. I was mainly responsible for patient care on a general ward. I also helped with medication management and supporting new nursing staff. This experience helped me develop both my clinical skills and my ability to stay calm under pressure."
Worked Example 2 — Office Administrator (Admin field):
"I have two years of experience in office administration. I've worked as an administrative assistant at a mid-sized company. I was mainly responsible for scheduling, document management, and internal communication. I also helped organize company events and supported the HR team. This experience helped me become much more organized and detail-oriented."
Worked Example 3 — Software Developer (IT field):
"I have four years of experience in software development. I've worked as a junior developer at a web agency. I was mainly responsible for front-end development and bug fixing. I also supported our team with code reviews and documentation. This experience helped me improve my problem-solving skills and learn how to work well with different types of teams."