Neil is sitting at his desk in his office. Meera is sitting opposite him.

Neil is interviewing Meera for

a job.]
NEIL: So tell me about your current job. What does it involve?
MEERA: Well, I’m responsible for checking accounts reports from our stores.
NEIL: Right.
MEERA: And I make payments to suppliers. If there’s a problem or an error, I have to sort it out.
NEIL: OK. And do you enjoy your job?
MEERA: Yes, parts of it. I like sorting out problems. I get a lot of satisfaction from that.
NEIL: Right. And is there anything you don’t enjoy about it?
MEERA: Well, I work alone a lot of the time. It’s quite a solitary job. I often work for three or four
hours without talking to anyone.
NEIL: I see.
MEERA: And that’s not really me!
NEIL: No, I’m sure it isn’t.
MEERA: I mean, I do talk to other people sometimes. I call store managers when there’s a
problem with their accounts. And I take calls from suppliers, but I really don’t enjoy those calls.
NEIL: Why is that?
MEERA: Well, when a supplier calls, they usually want to complain.
NEIL: What sort of things do they complain about?
MEERA: Oh, the usual things. We’ve paid them the wrong amount. We’ve paid them late. Or
occasionally we haven’t paid them at all! Sometimes they’re really angry.
NEIL: I see. And how do you deal with those angry callers?
MEERA: Well, I try to stay calm. And I always give them time to say what they want to say. I
never try to interrupt them.
NEIL: Right.
MEERA: And I always tell them I’ll do my best to solve their problem.
NEIL: OK.
MEERA: I mean, it’s not enough to say, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll sort it out.’
NEIL: No.
MEERA: You have to say how you’re going to sort it out and when you’re going to sort it out.
NEIL: Yes, I see. Well, I’m very pleased to say that we almost never have angry clients calling us
at Barton & Craig.
MEERA: That’s good to hear!
NEIL: But we do have to sort out a lot of problems for clients. And we have to stay calm under
pressure. So those are both very useful skills. Now, let’s talk about the future. What do you see
yourself doing ...