Find the synonyms to the following words and phrases.

Собеседование

Study the words and the word-combinations.

The perfect interview

So you chose a job ad, sent your resume to the company and they in­vited you to the interview. Are you nervous? Now try to imagine that you are a director of a company. What kind of a person would you employ? Tick the most essential features and give your reasons. Add your own variants.

positive minded

hard working

with a good sense of humor

intelligent sociable

competitive

self-motivated

dedicated

talkative

experienced

active

determined to succeed

enthusiastic

brave

Select 3 traits of character which you consider to be the most important and say if you possess them.

Read the story about Samantha Bailey's job interview and say why she got this position though there were a lot of other applicants.

My true story

Samantha Bailey, 22, from Maythome Close, Barnsley, South York­shire knew that her job interview would be tough but didn’t think so tough. This is her true story.

What I really wanted was to work in retail fashion — the glam side of the business. But, with no experience, it was difficult.

I spotted the advert for a fashion assistant at Etam in the job centre one lunchtime. I spent ages filling in the application form and made my boy­friend, Don, check it for mistakes. I crossed my fingers as I posted it.

The manageress, Gina Farrell, rang. They wanted to interview me. It was fate. I’d just bought a new, trendy black trouser suit.

Early the next Saturday, Gina led me up to her first-floor office. I hoped she couldn’t feel my hand trembling as she shook it.

She introduced me to her supervisor, Alison Attersley. Then it started.

Why do you want a job? What skills do you have?

Bog-standard questions. But my mind went blank. I stuttered and stam­mered.

“We’ll let you know,” Gina smiled, standing up. I’d blown it.

There must’ve been dozens of applicants. I bet they didn’t let nerves get to them.

Gina opened the door to show me out. Smoke billowed in. The corri­dor to the stairs was thick with it. There was no way through.

She slammed the door.

“There’s a window in the corridor,” Alison said.

We all took deep breaths, then opened the door again. Gina stood on a chair and pushed the window. It was stuck. My eyes were watering. We coughed and spluttered.

Smash! Gina’s hand went through the glass. We gulped fresh air.

Gina’s arm was bleeding, so I bandaged it with a tissue from my handbag.

“Help!” yelled Alison. “We’re stuck.”

The window was too high to see out of. But someone yelled back — help was coming. So was more smoke.

 “We need to stop it getting in,” I said.

It was coming across the landing, from the staff room.

Alison coughed. Gina looked worried. “She’s pregnant,” she whispered to me.

Then there was the sound of sirens — fire engines.

“We might get rescued by a hunky fireman,” I suggested.

People are always saying I’m laid back. But even I was surprised how calm I was. I’d been more nervous about the interview than I was about being stuck in a burning building.

I started singing. Silly — I have a terrible voice. But it meant I was con­centrating on the words, rather than our predicament.

“If you’re happy and you know it...” I started.

Gina and Alison laughed, somewhat nervously.

If the fireman didn’t hurry up, we could die. Die! I hadn’t thought about that until now.

I sang louder.

We’d been there at least half an hour when a fireman appeared at the window.

We tried to figure out how the fire had started. Had everyone else got out safely? We wanted to know more about what was happening outside.

 “Well, we do know one thing,” Gina said, “and that’s that the job’s yours.”

I giggled, in spite of everything. This wasn’t exactly how I’d imagined landing my dream job.

An ambulance took us to hospital. Gina needed stitches in her arm. And we all were given oxygen  to help us breathe.     

Apparently, the fire was confined to the staff room, but there was a lot of smoke damage to the rest of the building. The fire brigade thought it was started by an electrical fault in the fridge.

When the shop was reopened, a week later, I was there as a sales adviser. That was three months ago, now. And I love it — no two days are the same. But thankfully, none are quite as dramatic as the day of my inter­view.

                                                                                           Samantha Bailey,      22

    From Maythorne Close,

Barnsley, South Yorkshire

1. Read the story and choose the sentences which are true to it.

a) Samantha Bailey was eager to work in retail fashion.

b) She spotted a job ad in a newspaper.

c) She didn’t feel nervous during the interview.

d) After the interview Samantha noticed some smoke in the corridor.

e) Fire engines came very quickly. The women didn’t have to wait.

f) Nobody was hurt.

g) An ambulance took Samantha and other people to hospital.

h) The fire was started by an electric fault in the fridge.

i) Unfortunately Samantha couldn’t get a job in that company.

2. These sentences are written in the wrong order. Try to recollect their succession in the text.

1) Gina opened the door to show me out.

2) I spent ages filling in the application form.

3) We were all given oxygen to help us breathe.

4) The corridor to the stairs was thick with smoke.

5) I’d just bought a new, trendy black trouser suit.

6) Then there was the sound of sirens — fire engines.

7) When the shop was reopened, a week later, I was there as a sales advisor.

Find the synonyms to the following words and phrases.

1) A person with a positive attitude

2) Clever

3) Ready to compete

4) Devoted

5) To see

6) To spend a lot of time

7) A difficult situation

8) To realize

9) Electrical defect

4. Match the words to the definitions below.

1) to apply     

2) application form

3) unemployment   

4) interview

5) applicant    

6) job

7) vacancy

8) to recruit

9) to fire        

10) company

a. the work which you do regularly in order to earn money

b. a job that is available

c. to find new people to work for a company, organization

d. to make someone leave their job because they have done something wrong or because their job is not satisfactory

e. to formally ask to be considered for a job that has been advertised, especially by writing a letter or answering the questions on a form

f. someone who is being considered for a job

g. a formal meeting at which someone is asked questions in order to find out if they are suitable for a job

h. when people do not have jobs

i. a piece of paper on which you must answer questions about yourself when you apply for a job

j. any organization, either large or small, that produces goods or pro­vides services in order to make a profit

POTENTIAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS [2, с.44—49]

Technically, not every item is a question; some are statements; but all are intended to prompt you for a response.

Better questions are not those that can be answered with a “yes” or “no,” but are open-ended questions that invite thoughtful response. Even if you are asked a question that can be answered with a “yes” or “no,” (e.g. “Are you comfortable with the amount of travel this job involves?”), you can certainly add a word of explanation to back up your answer (e.g., “Yes. I actually look forward to the opportunity to travel and to work with the staff members in some of the other offices).

Best questions are those that ask you how you behaved in the past, because past behaviour is the best predictor of future behaviour.

 Not every interviewer will ask you every one of these questions. However, if you are prepared to address these questions, you will leave the impression that you were prepared for your job interview, even if additional questions take you by surprise. x What are your long-range goals and objectives for the next seven to ten years? x What are your short-range goals and objectives for the next one to three years? x How do you plan to achieve your career goals?

— What are the most important rewards you expect in your career?

— Why did you choose the career for which you are preparing?

— What are your strengths, weaknesses, and interests?

— How do you think a friend or professor who knows you well would describe you?

— Describe a situation in which you had to work with a difficult person (another student, co-worker, customer, supervisor, etc.) How did you handle the situation?

— How do you determine or evaluate success?

— In what ways do you think you can make a contribution to our organization?

— Describe a contribution you have made to a project on which you worked.

— What qualities should a successful lawyer possess?

— What two or three accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction? Why?

— Describe your most rewarding college experience.

— Why did you select your college or university?

— What led you to choose your major or field of study?

— What college subjects did you like best? Why?

— What college subjects did you like least? Why?

— Do you think your grades are a good indication of your academic achievement?

— What have you learned from participation in extracurricular activities?

— In what kind of work environment are you most comfortable?

— Describe a situation in which you worked as part of a team. What role did you take on?

— What went well and what didn’t? x In what part-time or summer jobs have you been most interested? Why?

— How would you describe the ideal job for you following graduation?

— Why did you decide to seek a position with our organization?

— What two or three things would be most important to you in your job?

— What criteria are you using to evaluate the organization for which you hope to work?

— Are you comfortable with the amount of travel this job requires?

— Are you willing to spend at least six months as a trainee?

 What the interviewer is looking for.

 Interviewer says: Tell me about yourself.

 Remember, this is a job interview, not a psychological or personal interview. The interviewer is interested in the information about you that relates to your qualifications for employment, such as education, work experiences and extracurricular activities.

 Interviewer says: What do you expect to be doing five years from now? Ten years from now?

The interviewer is looking for evidence of career goals and ambitions rather than minutely specific descriptions. The interviewer wants to see your thought process and the criteria that are important to you. The interviewer is not looking for information about your personal life.

Interviewer says: Why should I hire you?

 Stress what you have to offer the employer as relates to the position for which you are interviewing, not how nice it would be to work there or what you want from the employer. Remember that you are being compared to other candidates, and in fact more than one candidate might be a very good employee. Deliver to the employer reasons to see that you are a good fit (show you know yourself, know the field/industry, know the organization, and know the position).

Interviewer says: What are your ideas about salary?

Research salaries in your field before your interviews so that you know the current salary range for the type of position you are seeking.

Interviewer says: Why do you want to work for our company/organization?

 Not having an answer is a good way to get crossed off the candidate list, and is a common pet peeve of interviewers. Research the employer before your interview; attempt to find out about the organization’s products, locations, clients, philosophy, goals, previous growth record and growth plans, how they value employees and customers, etc.

 Unfortunately it’s very common for job-seekers to directly state, “I really want to work for your company/agency/organization/firm”, but then to be unable to answer the question “why?” Without the answer to “why?” the initial statement becomes meaningless.

Ролевая игра.

 Группа делится на подгруппы, состоящие из четырех человек. Один студент из подгруппы будет исполнять роль «Работодателя», трое других — «Соискателей на должность юрисконсульта компании». Работодатель должен выбрать самого достойного на эту должность, для этого он должен заранее продумать, какие вопросы он задаст каждому из соискателей, как будет оценивать их в соответствии с рекомендациями, данными выше. Соискатели тоже должны хорошо подготовиться к собеседованию, прийти с написанными заранее заявлениями (анкетами), просмотреть вопросы, которые обычно задают на собеседовании, и подготовить свои ответы на них (Potential Interview Questions).

 Работодатель начинает:

(Opening) Good morning Mr. (Ms) (X, Y, Z). I have got your application form and I would like to ask you a few questions about yourself.

 (Closing) Thank you very much, Mr. (Ms) (X, Y, and Z). I’ll make my decision and contact you in the near future. Goodbye.

После того как соискатели пройдут собеседование, работодатель должен оценить каждого из претендентов по предложенной ниже шкале оценок, написать краткую характеристику каждого из соискателей и огласить свое решение о том, кто из них и почему будет принят на работу.

 MR (MS) X                                                    GRADES

 QUALIFICATIONS                                1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

 LEGAL SKILLS                                      1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

 APPROPRIATE EXPERIENCE             1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

 PERSONALITY                                      1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

OVERALL GRADE                                 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

 Note: 1 = not at all suitable; 10 = very suitable

GLOSSARY