NAME:

THEY’VE JUST OFFERED ME THE JOB

A) SPEAKING

DISCUSS THE QUESTIONS.

1 Have you ever had a job interview?

2 Was it a good experience? Why / Why not?

B) Read Not the best interview I've ever had!

● Who got the job?

● Who didn't get the job?

NOT THE BEST INTERVIEW I'VE EVER HAD!

Most people feel nervous when they go for a job interview, but some interviews are worse than others.
Fortunately, they don't all end in disaster!

LAURA DAN

a) They wanted to test how fast I could type. My c) I've had lots of good interviews, but this one was a
fingers were over the keyboard, ready to type. The disaster. I had put on my CV that I could speak some
interviewer said "Right click to open the file', but all I French. I learnt some French at school, but I've never
heard was 'Write click' so I typed 'click' on a window really used it and my listening skills are really bad.
that was already open. I felt so embarrassed when I The three interviewers began the interview by
realised my mistake, but we both laughed and I got speaking to me in French, and I didn't understand a
the job. I've worked there for eight months now." word. No. I didn't get the job, and yes, I've changed
my CV!

ANDY ELLIE

b) I've never forgotten to switch my phone off in the d) I had a job interview with two people last week.
cinema, but for some reason I forgot when I went for One of them was leaning back on his chair when
my first job interview. My friend phoned me to wish suddenly it fell right back and it was soon clear that
me good luck - right in the middle of the interview. he couldn't get up again. I didn't know if I should try
Oops! I didn't get the job." to help or not and I was worried I was going to start
 laughing. Fortunately, the other interviewer asked
me to wait outside the room for a minute, and then
the interview carried on as if nothing had happened.
Guess what? They've just offered me the job!"

C) Read the stories again. Match a-d with headings 1-4.

1 Wrong word!

2 Better to tell the truth

3 The interviewer probably felt worse than me!

4 An unlucky call

d) Tell your classmates which story you liked best. Have you had any embarrassing experiences like the
ones in the stories?

I’ve received a phone call at a bad moment.

Really? What happened?

VOCABULARY WORK

a) Look at photos a-f below and match them with sentences 1-6.

1 Hundreds of people applied for the job but only six candidates were invited for an interview.

2 It's hard to balance family life and a career

3 I'm proud of my practical skills and medical knowledge.

4 There are 200 employees in this organisation, but I'm only in charge of a small team.

5 I've got good grades but I haven't got much experience to put on my CV

6 I've got a lot of business contacts who work for employers in different countries.
b) Match the words in bold in 2a with these meanings.

1) the jobs you do during your working life _______

2) people you know who might be able to help your

career _______

3) contacted a company asking for a job_______

4) people who work for a company_______

5) the results of your exams at school or

university_______

6) the things you know from experience or study_______

7) people who are trying to get a job_______

8) responsible for something or someone_______

9) the people that you work for_______

10) a document which describes your education and the

jobs you have done_______

C) What do managers look for when they employ someone new? Choose the four qualities that you think
are most important.

creative thinking good problem-solving skills

good grades a friendly personality

work experience the ability to work in a team

self-confidence a positive attitude to work

practical skills

GRAMMAR
a) Present perfect simple and past simple

b) Underline the correct words to complete the rules.

1) We use the past simple/ present perfect to talk about recent past events that have an effect on the
present.

2) We use the past simple / present perfect to talk about our experiences.

3) We use the past simple / present perfect when we give details (eg. when, where, etc.) or talk about
specific past events.

C) Audio 1.24 Pronunciation Listen and choose the sentence you hear, a or b.

1) a I worked there for eight months

b I've worked there for eight months

2) a 1 had lots of good interviews

b I've had lots of good interviews

d) Audio 1.25 Listen and practise saying the sentences.

e) Complete the sentences with the present perfect or past simple form of the verbs in brackets.
1 I______________(never/have) a really terrible job interview

2 Once, I____________ (forget) to switch off my phone when I was at the cinema

3 I don't have very much work experience, but I ____________________ (be) in charge of a small team. I
____________________ (be) the leader on a project at school.

4 I____________________ (get) some useful work experience last year

5 I ____________________ (study) hard this year, so I hope I can pass my exams.

6 I ____________________ (always/bel able to express myself clearly since I was a child

7 I ____________________ already/work) for more than three organisations.

8 I ____________________ (know) what career I wanted when I was a child.

F) Tell your classmates which sentences are true for you and give more information.

4 LISTENING

A) Think of five reasons why an employer might not offer a candidate a job. Compare your ideas with a
partner.

B) Audio 1.29 Listen to the beginning of a radio interview. Answer the questions.

1) Are any of your ideas in 4a mentioned in the report?

2) What one quality does Nancy believe all employers are looking for at a job interview?

C) Audio 1.29 Listen again and complete each sentence with one or two words.

1) People with likeability can ____________ with other people.

2) Nancy believes likeability is more important than other abilities in the first ____________ of a new job.

3) She advises job hunters to spend time with ____________

4) Nancy encourages people to apply for jobs even if they don't have the right ____________

5) During an interview, it's important to ____________ the interviewers by showing that you're friendly,
positive and can communicate well.

D) Audio 1.30 Listen to five speakers. Do they agree that being likeable is more important than other
skills? Write A (agree) or D (disagree).

Speaker 1 Speaker 3
Speaker 5
Speaker 2 Speaker 4

E) Audio 1.30 Listen again and answer the questions.

1) According to Speaker 1, why don't people know that likeability is important?

2) According to Speaker 2, what's the advantage of developing your 'soft skills'?

3) How does Speaker 3 behave towards his patients?

4) What problem does Speaker 4 have with 'soft skills'?

5) According to Speaker 5, what are the most important things you can offer an organisation?

F) Discuss the questions.

1) Which do you think is more important when getting a new job - likeability or good qualifications? Why?
Think of different kinds of jobs.

2) Do you think schools and colleges should help students develop 'soft skills'? How could they do this?

SPEAKING

You are going to talk about your experiences. Choose three things you have done. Then make notes about
your experience
B) Take turns to talk about your work and training experiences. Ask questions to find out more
information.

These are common questions that interviewers ask in a job interview.

1. Why do you want this job?

2. Why did you leave your last job?
3. What are your best points?
4. What are your week points?
5. What did you do in your last job?
6. Have you ever made a mistake at work? How did you sort it out?
7. Can you describe a challenging situation at work and how you dealt with it?
8. Why should we hire you?
9. How do you handle stress and pressure?
10. Do you prefer working alone or in a team
11. Have you ever done something wrong because you didn’t understand an
instruction correctly?
12. Have you ever phoned someone at a bad time?
13. Have you ever sent a message or email to the wrong person?
14. Have you ever said that you could do something, but actually you couldn’t?