Describe a time when you had a problem with a piece of equipment
You should say:
- What equipment it was
- What problem you had
- When you had this problem
- And explain what you did about this problem.
Sample Answer:
Over the past few years, I have faced a number of technical problems with my technological devices. Most of them are some very minor mistakes which can be easily fixed. However, there was one time when my Iphone was so heavily damaged that I still remember to this day.
Talking about this iPhone, I had to save up money for about 4 months before I could finally lay my hands on it. Actually, this phone was just a second hand iPhone 5, but it meant a lot to me as it was the first item that I bought with my hard-earned money when working as a waiter. Despite the fact that it was a pre-owned phone, everything from the camera, the keyboard to the battery are still in perfect condition.
One day, when I was working in the coffee shop with a couple of friends, a female waiter inadvertently spilled a glass of water on my iPhone. Needless to say, I was very pissed off because the screen went blank right away. I immediately removed the sim card and tried to dry it with a soft towel borrowed from that waiter. One of my friends suggested that I bury it in a container of uncooked rice and then place it underneath a bright and warm lamp, explaining that the dry rice will absorb the moisture out of my phone and the heat will speed up the process. I rushed home and did exactly what he said but sadly, it didn’t work. Afterwards, I sent it to Cellphone S in hopes that they could get the phone back to normal. Unfortunately, the technical worker, after trying many times, said that my phone was beyond repair. I had no choice but to buy a new phone to keep in touch with friends and my family. As for the iPhone, I didn’t even bother selling it. It now belongs to my niece who uses it as a toy phone whenever she plays with her dolls.
Vocabulary highlights
- technical problem
- lay SO’s hands on ST: touch something
- hard-earned money
- pre-owned (adj)
- function (v)
- inadvertently (adv)
- Needless to say
- pissed off
- go blank
- absorb (v)
- moisture (n)
- in hopes that
- get ST back to normal
- Unfortunately (adv)
- beyond repair
