A job interview

Listen to the job interview to practise and improve your listening skills.

Do the preparation task first. Then listen to the audio and do the exercises.

Preparation

Transcript

Interviewer: Hello, Maria. Thanks for coming in for the interview.

Maria: It's my pleasure. Thanks for inviting me.

Interviewer: Well, as you know, the company has been expanding and we have an opening in our HR department. We're creating a new role for someone to lead our training and development within the company.

Maria: Yes, I very much think that my skills and experience are a good fit for what you're looking for.

Interviewer: That sounds great. So, your CV looks strong, though it would be good if you could give us an overview, in your own words, of what you've been doing over the past four years or so.

Maria: Well, in my first job, four years ago, I was working for a small HR services provider which offered HR services, including L&D, to corporate clients.

Interviewer: OK, so it was only B2B?

Maria: Yes, we only offered services to other companies, not B2C.

Interviewer: Right, and it says here you then left that company about three years ago.

Maria: Yes, that's right. I was looking for a little more stability and also to be part of a larger organisation. So I joined a company with around one hundred staff and a small HR team. As there are only a few of us, we each deal with a range of HR topics. In addition to payroll, one of the areas I was responsible for was learning and development.

Interviewer: I see. And, so why do you want to change jobs now?

Maria: Well, I very much like the L&D side of my role and I've always had particularly good feedback for my work in this area. I believe I excel in that field. So, I'm looking to specialise, and as your company has around 2,000 people, right …?

Interviewer: Yes, that's right.

Maria: Well, an organisation of this size would give me the scope to specialise in L&D. I'm also a big follower of your brand and feel fully aligned with your image and values.

Interviewer: Well, that all sounds good. And I can see you have an L&D qualification.

Maria: Yes, I got a diploma two years ago. I am also currently working on a further diploma in psychology, with a specific focus on learning and performance management.

Interviewer: Very good. Well, it looks like you have the qualifications and experience we're looking for. What do you think will be the main challenges of coming to a much larger company?

Maria: I can see that it might be perceived as a weakness to not have experience in an organisation of this size, though I see that it could also be a benefit. I won't be bringing too many preconceived and possibly inflexible ideas with me to the role.

Interviewer: Yes, that would be a good thing.

Maria: Also, I'm used to taking a very personal approach to employee development. I realise that such an approach with 2,000 staff members will have to happen in a different way, but I bring many ideas with me that can be replicated on a larger scale.

Interviewer: I see what you mean. Right, so, do you have any questions for me?

Maria: Um, I think we've covered many of the areas I had wanted to address. I have two quick questions though.

Interviewer: Go on.

Maria: Who would I mostly work with on a daily basis?

Interviewer: Well, there's the HR manager who you would report to. And then the HR team, which currently has six people in it. There's usually an intern or two who you can get some support from also.

Maria: OK. Thanks. That's all really clear. And my other question is how performance in this role will be measured. What does success look like?

Interviewer: That's a good question. As you know, we have a performance management system in place, and from that we have identified some learning and development needs within the organisation. But we haven't devised a strategy. Your role would be to devise and then successfully implement this strategy.

Maria: Thank you. That sounds interesting.

Interviewer: Great. So, thanks again for coming in today. We'll be discussing all candidates next week and then I'll get back to you by the end of next week to let you know the outcome.

Maria: Thank you for your time. I'd welcome the opportunity to continue discussing this role with you.

Task 1

Exercise

Task 2

Exercise

Discussion

How do you prepare for an interview?

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Language level

C1 - Advanced

Topics

jobs and work

First thing I would do is look at the job offer in detail, skills, knowledge and titles that are mandatory for the candidate. Secondly I would go onto the company’s website to do a search of relevant information about their characteristics, achievements and philosophy. Finally I would read over and update my CV and Cover letter to be prepared for possible interview questions.

First, I wonder and solve any possible questions to be asked during the interview. I need to get dressed for success. Then, it is necessary to find out about the company I want to apply to. Then, it is a good idea to prepare suitable clothes, and keep the best attitude for the occasion. Finally, I must sleep well to wake up early and arrive on time.

Some people in the world think that to prepare an interview is one of the most important requires to employe but others disagree. In my estimation, preparing for an interview is very helpful to accept in every company. The first of all, after my graduation from university, I prepared my self for an interview in the water office. This situation gave me stress, so I decided to improve self- confidence. Before the interview, I found many qualifications to improve any aspects of myself.one of the most important aspects is that everyone should pay attention to styles. For instance, in my interview in the water office, the interviewer likes my diplomat suit; because he believes that engineers in any condition should keep their styles; additionally, he told me: first of all every man, in construction area, chooses your personality from your style and decides that what kind of meritorious manners is better for you. Thus, I could attract his positive ideas about my style. The second, I would like to illustrate is that Before the interview I found any questions from youtube such as; What's your idea about the job? , What's your experience? and How many skills in the computer area? etc. So, when I had free time, I only practiced these questions. they were very useful for me because I could answer correctly for the interviewer. For those aforementioned reasons, If anyone has an important interview, he should prepare himself for any questions and conditions. In my perspective, when everyone has an interview, appreciate any time to win before losing them.

For the interview I prepare the following , Good CV , good appearance , all my qualification certificates , all my training certificates and study the nature of the hiring company .

To be honest, I've never prepared for an interview, I'm always been improvising on my way, but after I listened to this audio and the way Maria take control over the interview, I have to say that it's crucial to be prepared before an interview, especially by answering key possible questions. One thing that you should consider is to response in a concise and clearly way.

I have completed the following lessons of A job interview, Introverts – redressing the balance, and Innovation in business. The level that I chose was Advance C1 Listening.

I always prepare for interviews. Firstly, I write any questions which I can ask about future job. Secondly, I choose suitable clothes for the interview because the first impression is very important.

Before one day of the interview ; firstly, I wirte all expected questions and prepare strong and convincing answers for them . Secondly, I wake up earlly to be ready and calm and choose suitable clothes for that .