英语面试对话.docx

PH: You what? What do you mean? Youve lost the DollarMart contract? Oh Brian, tell me youre joking! Thats our biggest contract! And youve lost it! Ok.ok.yes, I know youve had some personal problems recently.yes, sure.yes, I know our competitors have improved their offer.but, really Brian, these are just excuses. Oh Brian, come on you failed to meet agreed targets for the entire last quarter. We talked about this at your last performance review and I told you then it had to improve and to be quite honest it hasnt. Losing the DollarMart contract is the last straw. No, Im sorry Brian thats it, thats your last chance. Im going to have to let you go. Let you go. Yes. Thats what it means Brian. Youre fired. Hi Jess, can you put me through to Marcia in HR please? Hi Marcia. Its Philip here. Listen, Ive had to let Brian go. He lost us the DollarMart account. Yeah, but it had been going on for a while, he just wasnt pulling his weight anymore. Hed been warned his last performance review was really bad. He knew it was coming. So - well be looking for someone new and well need to decide on who that is. Who are we looking for? Good question.I was hoping you might be able to help me with that! Heres what Im thinking and let me know if you agree. Well, obviously, theyll need to have a first degree, doesnt matter what subject, and then a masters or an MBA, Id say. Experience? At least five years relevant experience, in an international company I want somebody with a proven track record. Oh they have to be a team player Brian never was so strong interpersonal skills. Oh and I want someone with vision.yes, “vision” I know its difficult to define, but what I mean is, someone who knows were in a rapidly changing market, and they can use it to our advantage. Experience with online sales, perhaps but yes, Id be interested in that. Oh, language skills I cant emphasise that enough not necessarily a native speaker, but they must be very good at English, and another language as well, Spanish, or Mandarin is best. Does that sound ok to you? Great! Ok can you get an ad out on the website as soon as possible, and the trade press, as well? Ok great thanks Marcia I want a new sales director by the end of the month! GlossaryIT peripherals - a computer device, such as a CD-ROM drive or printer that is attached to the main computer last quarter a quarter is equal to three months. The financial year is usually broken up into the four quarters of the year, for example January to the end of March, April to the end of June and so on. performance review - also known as an employee appraisal, is a method by which the job performance of an employee is evaluated the last straw - the final irritation that stretches your patience beyond the limit. This comes from an Arab proverb about the straw that broke the camels back. let someone go this is an informal expression to mean fire or sack somebody from their job. HR Human Resources - the personnel department of an organization, dealing with the recruitment, administration, management and training of employees; abbreviated as HR to pull ones weight - to do the work that one is obligated to. If you dont pull your weight you are not doing your share of the workload. adegree - an award conferred by a college, university, or other postsecondary educational institution as official recognition for the successful completion of a program of studies. amasters - An advanced degree, past your first degree, but before PhD MBA - a masters degree in business atrack record - someones past performances viewed as a whole ateam player someone who works well as part of a team interpersonal skills the ability to relate well to other people vision a term used to describe an image of the future. In business terms it is a clear, detailed picture of what can be achieved. trade press magazines and newspapers that are written for a particular sector of an industry Business NotesIn this episode WebWares CEO Philip Hart sacks his Sales Director for underperforming. Philip uses 2 expressions to do this. The first is Im going to have to let you go which is quite a gentle way of expressing the fact. The second is Youre fired, which is a little more direct. There are even more ways to express this in English. Dismiss and discharge are both quite formal: He was dismissed for turning up late on a regular basis. The director was discharged of his duties. Other less formal, but more colourful ways of saying the same thing are: give someone the axe give someone their cards give someone the boot 2PH: So, how many applications did we get, Marcia? MB: Well.overall weve got over two hundred. PH: That many!? MB: Yes, but.most of which we can discard right away.people who dont have the right experience, qualifications that kind of thing. PH: Of course. MB: .and then we get the people who submit ten-page long CVs, or CVs in comicbook font, or green ink, or they attach a photo of themselves disco dancing.you know the kind of thing! MB: So, I whittled down the serious candidates to a short-list of twelve people. PH: And well interview all of them? MB: I think we should but obviously Ill let you have a look first. PH: Great.so, who have we got then? MB: Well, I think weve got some pretty strong candidates, two in particular. PH: They have the right kind of profile? MB: Id certainly say so a strong educational background, experience in multinational sales, language skills. PH: Good, I look forward to meeting them. MB: So Id say we do for the standard interview format. PH: Sure. MB: A few general questions, then onto specifics. PH: Yes, exactly I want to hear specific details of when theyve solved problems. MB: Yes and then something about “vision”, as you put it. PH: Yes.what do you think about a brief presentation? MB: I think thats a good idea we could ask them to give a short presentation on where they see the company going and how they see themselves taking us there. PH: Great! You know something? Im really looking forward to this! GlossaryDiscard throw away CV - (Curriculum Vitae) a summary of somebodys educational and work experience, for the information of possible future employers, also known as a resume. comicbook font a typeface used in comics. This kind of typeface would be unsuitable for a CV. whittle down - to reduce or diminish something gradually by taking away a little of it at a time candidates - an applicant or suitable person for a job short-list - to put somebody or something on a final list of candidates for a job or award profile - a brief description that summarizes the characteristics of somebody or something Business NotesWhen applying for a job in the UK it is usual to have to submit a Curriculum Vitae or CV (also known as a resume in the USA). A CV is a personal history of ones education, professional history and job qualifications with a strong emphasis on specific skills relating to the position being applied for. When short-listing for suitable interview candidates employers will usually make this decision based on the CV and possibly a cover letter. A cover letter or covering letter is a letter of introduction attached to, or accompanying another document such as a curriculum vitae. Cover letters are generally one page at most in length, divided into a header, introduction, body, and closing. Header Cover letters use standard business letter style, with the senders address and other information, the recipients contact information, and the date sent after either the senders or the recipients address. The final part of the header is a salutation (e.g., Dear Hiring Managers). Introduction The introduction briefly states the specific position desired, and is designed to catch the employers immediate interest. Body The body highlights or amplifies on material in the resume or job application, and explains why the job seeker is interested in the job and would be of value to the employer. Also, matters discussed typically include skills, qualifications, and past experience. If there are any special things to note such as availability date, they may be included as well. Closing A closing sums up the letter, and indicates the next step the applicant expects to take. It may indicate that the applicant intends to contact the employer, although many favor the more indirect approach of simply saying that the applicant will look forward to hearing from or speaking with the employer. After the closing is a valediction (Sincerely), and then a signature line. 3MB: Hi, Im Marcia Boardman, Im calling from WebWare. DW: Oh hi Marcia. Great to hear from you. MB: Youll already have been told youve been shortlisted for interview. ST: Oh.yes.great.hello? Can you hear me? MB: Yes.Is it ok if I call you now? Would you like me to call you back later? ST: Erm, no, no, no, thats ok. MB: Good well were very excited about meeting you. Ok, I just want to talk you through the procedure for the day. Someone will meet you when you arrive, reimburse you for any travel expenses you may have, and then bring you up to meet myself and Philip Hart, the CEO. DW: Ok sounds good. So will you be the only members of the interview panel there then? MB: Yes, itll be just me and Philip who will talk to you. The interview will be in three parts first of all well ask you some general questions about yourself and your educational and professional background, then well move on to specifics. ST: Oh, er, Specifics? Well er, what kind of questions will you be asking? MB: Well, itll be very similar to the personal statement you submitted with your CV - well be expecting you to give actual examples of problems youve faced and solved, and of what you feel are the major successes in your career so far. DW: Ok well yeah, that sounds great cant wait! MB: Then therell be a chance for you to ask us any questions - about the job itself, or WebWare in general. ST: Oh, erm, ok.Ill think of something! MB: After that, wed like you to give a short presentation on how you see WebWare as a company progressing, and how you see yourself taking us there. DW: Ok so will I be expected to give like a formal style presentation? MB: It can be as formal or informal as you like. Therell be a flipchart and a data projector there available. If you need anything else, just let us know. ST: Oh, erm ok, a presentation! Ill think of something. I havent done one of those in a while. MB: Is that all clear? Great, so, Daniel, Ill see you at 11am, a week tomorrow. DW: Ok great I look forward to meeting you! Thanks, bye. MB: Ok, so, Sarah, well be seeing you at 1pm, a week tomorrow. Best of luck! ST: Oh, thanks.Ill need it. Glossaryreimburse - to pay somebody back money spent for an official or approved reason travel expenses - include meals, lodging and transportation expenses while away from home in the pursuit of a trade or business personal statement - is a brief and focused essay about ones career or research goals, and is frequently required for job applications flipchart - a visual aid consisting of a large pad of paper mounted on an easel, used to present information data projector a video projector which projects an image onto a screen, usually attached to a computer Business NotesIn the third episode, Marcia Boardman the HR manager at WebWare outlines to the 2 candidates the interview format. There are several possible interview formats: Structured Interview - Competencies The employer identifies the competencies (skills, abilities and experience) required for the role. They design the questions to test whether the candidate has these competencies. The questions are often phrased, tell us about a time when. Behavioural job interview (situational job interview) Behavioural interviews are trying to find out how you would act in certain situations. The interviewer wants to be able to predict how you would behave in the role, if they recruited you. So they ask hypothetical questions. These might be about a time in your past, or asking you to imagine yourself in a future situation. Panel Job Interview Sometimes employers want candidates to be seen by a number of managers or peer-workers. A panel interview simply means a candidate meets multiple interviewers at once. They may play the Good cop / Bad cop routine, where one of them is aggressive and another sympathetic, to see how you perform under stress. Technical Job Interview This usually refers to a hands-on interview. For example, an engineer might be expected to do some analysis of an engineering problem; a market researcher might be asked to analyse some data; a sales person might be expected to make a mock sales call. This type of interview is designed to predict how you would perform in the role. 4DW: Hi there. MB: Good morning Daniel! DW: Dan, please. MB: Im Marcia Boardman we spoke on the phone and this is Philip Hart, our CEO. PH: Hello! DW: Nice to meet you both. PH: So it says here on your CV that youre interested in rock climbing. DW: Yeah.love it! PH: Great so do I! When did you last go climbing? DW: Oh, er, well, it was a while ago now. PH: Anywhere interesting? DW: Yeah. I walked up the hill behind my house. Took me about thirty minutes! PH: Oh. MB: Ok, erm, Daniel, can you tell us a little bit about your current position? DW: Certainly as it says in the CV, Im part of the European Sales team at Networld. Were the worlds leading supplier of IT hardware. PH: Why do you want to move on? DW: Well, theyre too small for me. MB: Networld!? Networld are too small for you? DW: Oh yeah. Im looking for something much bigger. PH: Well, were not a big company by any means, but we are looking to grow! What first attracted you to WebWare in particular? DW: Well, I see WebWare as kind of like a stepping stone. MB: Sorry? DW: Yeah, start here gain the necessary experience, then move onto something bigger. PH: Ok.well, I do admire your ambition! DW: Thanks Ive got lots of it! MB: Lets move on to managing people. Can you give an example of a time when you had to deal with a particularly difficult managee? DW: Sure well I think thats one of my strong points actually. A couple of years ago, I was working with a guy, he wasnt pulling his weight, basically being lazy so I told him to get out. MB: Oh, you didnt give him a performance review, or a warning, or perhaps try to help develop his motivation? DW: No,no, no. None of that rubbish. If someones not working hard enough, then theyre out! Thats the way I work. Im a hard man. MB: I see. PH: How would you handle a rapidly changing market? DW: Basically not change anything at all! Just continue on as normal regardless! MB: According to your CV you are fluent in Mandarin. DW: Well, I wouldnt say fluent exactly.but, I like Chinese food a lot so I can read the menu! PH: So you cant actually speak the language? DW: Erm, no. MB: Can you tell us about a time you had to close a particularly challenging deal. DW: I havent had one. Theyre all easy for me. I close deals all the time! MB: Ok well do you have any questions for us? DW: No. PH: Oh. Ok. Erm. Thanks. MB: Lets move on to the presentation. Glossarystepping stone - a stage or step that helps achieve a goal ambition - a strong feeling of wanting to be successful in life and achieve great things managee - a person who is managed (the opposite of a manager) motivation - a feeling of enthusiasm, interest, or commitment that makes somebody want to do something a deal a business transaction Business NotesDaniel makes some classic mistakes in his interview. Here are a few mistakes to avoid: What to wear It can be difficult to choose the right job interview clothes. Most companies will give you information about their dress code, if you phone their reception. Even if they say they have a casual dress policy, its still a good idea to dress in slightly smarter attire to show youve made the effort. If in doubt, dress slightly smarter than you usually would for work. Daniel, dressed in jeans and an open-neck shirt, is probably too casually dressed when compared with his interviewers. Lying Although its tempting, out-right lying never pays. Daniel gave some inaccurate information in his job application and is found out in the interview. By all means gloss over unflattering or unimpressive details, but telling lies is a definite no-no. Appearing too confident If you appear too confident and relaxed in an interview format this may come across badly and you may be seen as being arrogant. Unlike Daniel, its better to be modest about your achievements. Not researching the company Researching the company shows youre serious about the job and if you can demonstrate this in the interview then this will be looked on favourably. Have a few questions ready for the end of the interview where you can show that you have thought about the job and the company. 5MB: Hi Sarah! Im Marcia Boardman we spoke on the phone. ST: Oh yes, I remember I was having a bad day! MB: .and this is Philip Hart, our CEO. PH: Hello! ST: Hello, its very nice to meet you both. PH: It says on your CV that you do voluntary work. ST: Well, when I have time, yes! I do work at a centre for children with difficulties, yes. PH: That must be very interesting. ST: Its rewarding and challenging. MB: Sarah, can you tell us a little bit about your current position? ST: Im assistant sales director for a chain of lang