Job Interview

English at Work – Episode #2

Job Interview
Pre-Reading
A. Warm-Up Questions

1. Have you ever been on a job interview? 4. Is there anything you should
not say during an interview?
2. What kind of questions do you think are common?
5. What should you wear to a job interview?
3. What are good answers to common questions?

B. Vocabulary Preview

Match the words on the left with the correct meanings on the right.

1. coursework a) responsibility or assignment at work

2. promote b) natural talent
3. manager c) an emotion toward something, an outlook
4. task d) work and assignments that are part of an educational course
5. require e) a boss, a company
6. aptitude f) to offer employment to a person
7. attitude g) a person who directs others at a company
8. hire h) a worker
9. employer i) to be responsible for, to need
10. employee j) to advance to a better job at a company

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 Job Interview
English at Work – Episode #2

Reading
Practice reading the dialogue out loud with a partner.
Underline any words or phrases you don’t understand. Lee Mr. Michaels

Good afternoon, Lee. Thank you for coming to the office.

Good afternoon, Mr. Michaels. I’m happy to be here.

First, tell me a little about your coursework.

I studied business classes at the University of Bonnville.

I took accounting, marketing, and management classes.

Good. We need people who we can promote to be managers.

I’m willing to learn. I would like to be a manager.

Your resume says you work for a book company. What do you do there?

I am a gopher, so I do a lot of things!

What kind of tasks do you perform?

I am required to file documents and help customers.

I have to study the books a lot so I can answer various questions.

Do you like having a book company as an employer?

I really do. I have an aptitude for business.

I enjoy reading, so being an employee at a book company was great.

My company is an educational publisher. Do you think you can sell college textbooks?

Yes, sir, I do. I have been studying from college

textbooks for four years, and I know what students like.
I like your attitude. I still have three more interviews.
I’ll call you in a few days to let you know if you are hired.

Thank you for your time. I hope I’ll have the chance to work for you.

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 Job Interview
English at Work – Episode #2

Comprehension
1. Where does Mr. Michaels meet Lee for an interview?

2. What classes did Lee take at university?

3. What type of people does Mr. Michaels need?

4. What does Lee do at his current book company?

Vocabulary Review
Complete the passage using vocabulary from page 1.
You may need to change the word forms.

When I was doing my at the university, I thought I

1.
would work for a company. I wanted to be a and direct
2.
other people at the company. I wanted to be the , not
3.
the . I learned fast! You can’t be the boss before you are
4.
the worker! I did get at a company, but my first job was
5.
being a gopher so I did a lot of little for a lot
6.
of people. I had a good because I wanted to learn more.
7.
I learned I had an for sales because I helped so many people.
8.
My boss was to do bigger and more important things.
9.
I was after working for a year. Now I work in the
10.
sales department!

Speaking
Write your own dialogue. Work with a partner and write your own
conversation using at least four words or phrases from today’s lesson.
Practice the dialogue, and then present it in front of the class.

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 Job Interview
English at Work – Episode #2

Writing
It is a good idea to write a thank you letter after an interview.
Read the letter that Lee wrote to Mr. Michaels below.
In your notebook, write your own thank you letter
based on your interview from the Speaking task on page 3.

Mr. Lee Timson

225 Fox Drive
Bonnville, NY 12345

Mr. William Michaels

River Education Books
1530 Fordshackle Street
Bonnville, NY 12345

July 2, 2015

Dear Mr. Michaels,

Thank you for the time you gave me during my interview.

I enjoyed discussing the book business and talking about the
sales representative position. After meeting with you, I am
sure that I would enjoy the job.

In addition to my educational background, I am a hard worker

with an aptitude for business. My experience helping customers
will make me a good employee at River Education Books. I will
perform all of my tasks and use my good attitude to sell books
for your company.

I look forward to hearing from you and I hope that I will be

the person you hire. Thank you again for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Lee Timson

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 Job Interview
English at Work – Episode #2

Listening
Fill in the blanks as you listen to the recording. Lee Mr. Michaels

Good afternoon, Lee. Thank you for coming to the office.

Good afternoon, Mr. Michaels. I’m happy to be here.

First, tell me a little about your .

I studied business classes at the University of Bonnville.

I took accounting, marketing, and management classes.

Good. We need people who we can to be .

I’m willing to learn. I would like to be a manager.

Your resume says you work for a book company. What do you do there?

I am a gopher, so I do a lot of things!

What kind of do you perform?

I am to file documents and help customers.

I have to study the books a lot so I can answer various questions.

Do you like having a book company as an ?

I really do. I have an for business.

I enjoy reading, so being an at a book company was great.

My company is an educational publisher. Do you think you can sell college textbooks?

Yes, sir, I do. I have been studying from college

textbooks for four years, and I know what students like.
I like your . I still have three more interviews.
I’ll call you in a few days to let you know if you are .

Thank you for your time. I hope I’ll have the chance to work for you.

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 Job Interview
English at Work – Episode #2

Answer Key
LESSON DESCRIPTION: LEVEL: Intermediate–Advanced

In this lesson, Lee has a job interview. He later writes TIME:
a follow-up thank you letter. Students learn related
TAGS:
vocabulary and practice writing a follow-up letter.
2 hours
business, English at work, job, work, interview,
job interview, follow-up letter, business, letter

Pre-Reading Vocabulary Review

A. WARM-UP QUESTIONS 1. coursework 5. hired 9. required

2. manager 6. tasks 10. promoted
Discuss as a class, in groups, or in pairs.
3. employer 7. attitude
4. employee 8. aptitude
B. VOCABULARY PREVIEW

1. d 3. g 5. i 7. c 9. e Speaking
2. j 4. a 6. b 8. f 10. h

Answers will vary.

Reading
Writing
Have students practice reading the dialogue with a partner. Monitor
their pronunciation. Go over any difficult vocabulary and useful Answers will vary.
phrases as a class. You may also choose to play the audio as your
students read along a second time. A gap-fill version of the reading
Listening
is available on page 5. See Listening for more information.

Note: There are two recordings in this episode. You can

Comprehension play the mp3 from the site, or you can download the audio:
https://esllibrary.com/courses/85/lessons/1698.
1. They meet in Mr. Michaels’s office. The second recording ask begins at 01:25.
2. Lee took business, accounting,
marketing, and management classes. 1. coursework 5. required 9. attitude
3. Mr. Michaels needs people who 2. promote 6. employer 10. hired
would like to become managers. 3. managers 7. aptitude
4. Lee calls himself a “gopher.” He helps out in a lot of 4. tasks 8. employee
different ways, including customer service and paperwork.

(continued on the next page...)

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 Job Interview
English at Work – Episode #2

Answer Key cont.

Dialogue Building

This optional task is included at the end of the lesson. Students

should cut up the strips and rearrange them into the correct order.

1. c 5. a 9. m 13. b
2. e 6. h 10. l 14. g
3. k 7. j 11. p 15. d
4. f 8. n 12. i 16. o

SPELLING NOTES:

This lesson shows the American spelling of the words Toward

and Practice. Most other English-speaking countries spell
these words this way: Towards and Practise (when used as
a verb; Practice when used as a noun). Make it a challenge
for your students to find these words in the lesson and
see if they know the alternate spellings.

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 Job Interview
English at Work – Episode #2

Dialogue Building
The dialogue below is not in the right order. Cut up the
strips, and then work alone or with a partner to rearrange
them into the correct order. Then read the dialogue out loud.

Good. We need people who we I really do. I have an aptitude for

a
can promote to be managers. business. I enjoy reading, so being
i
an employee at a book company
My company is an educational was great.
b publisher. Do you think you
can sell college textbooks? Your resume says you work
j for a book company. What
Good afternoon, Lee. do you do there?
c
Thank you for coming to the office.
First, tell me a little
k
about your coursework.
I like your attitude. I still have three
d more interviews. I’ll call you in a few
days to let you know if you are hired. I am required to file documents
and help customers. I have to study
l
Good afternoon, Mr. Michaels. the books a lot so I can answer
e various questions.
I’m happy to be here.

I studied business classes m What kind of tasks do you perform?

at the University of Bonnville.
f
I took accounting, marketing,
and management classes.
n I am a gopher, so I do a lot of things!

Yes, sir, I do. I have been studying

g from college textbooks for four years, Thank you for your time. I hope
o
and I know what students like. I’ll have the chance to work for you.

I’m willing to learn. Do you like having a book

h p
I would like to be a manager. company as an employer?

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