Job-interview-esl-advanced-06022012.doc

Job Interview Advanced ESL Lesson Plan: Warm-up (Pair Work) 1) What was your first job? What is the worst job you have ever had? 2) Do humans need to work? If you were rich and didn’t work at all, could you be happy? 3) What questions are inappropriate for an interviewer to ask in an interview? 4) Brainstorm: Take two minutes to make a list of things you should and shouldn’t do before, in, and after an interview. When finished, share your list with the class.

Job Interviewing – Key Vocabulary in Context Due to the economic downturn, competition for jobs is stiff in many parts of the world. Companies are reducing overheads and employees are being made redundant left right and center. When the opportunity for an interview arises, it’s vital to perform well. Interviews, however, are still a source of anxiety for many people. According to workplace experts Joyce Lain Kennedy and Rebecca Corfield, many job seekers make the mistake of blabbing negative information about themselves without realizing it. Hasty answers to questions such as “Why are you out of work?” can highlight your own shortcomings. Kennedy also suggests minimizing criticism of former co-workers and bosses. Rather, she contends it’s better to say you get along with virtually everyone. Demonstrating interest in the position is also crucial. Job seekers can do this by showing they’ve done adequate research before the interview and by being inquisitive in the interview. Experts also recommend avoiding premature talk of remuneration and fringe benefits (unless the interviewer brings it up). It’s best to focus on what you can offer the employer, and not vice versa. While most companies claim to be equal opportunity employers, inappropriate questions are not uncommon in interviews. Legally, interviewers should only elicit the information required to judge a candidate’s competence. In the US, it is illegal to ask about nationality, religion, age, marital status, military background, health, union membership, and even place of residence. Of course, calling an interviewer out for asking a discriminatory question will - www.englishcurrent.com : current event lesson plan -

greatly reduce your prospect of getting hired. The key is to find a tactful way to redirect the question to safer ground. People go to great lengths to get hired. Many embellish their qualifications and CV. This behavior may be supported by the belief that getting a job is harder than actually carrying it out. (299 words)

[Sources:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2010/feb/27/job-interview-tips, http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_16240443006/seven-inappropriate-interview-questions/, http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2012/01/26/10-tricky-jobinterview-questions-to-watch-out-for/]

Job Interview ESL Lesson Plan: Follow-up Questions 1) According to the author, why is doing well in interviews now more important than ever? 2) Idiom: what does it mean if something is happening left right and

center? 3) What do the experts say you shouldn’t do in an interview? 4) Why do they say you should do? 5) What does the phrase equal opportunity employer mean (in your opinion)? 6) True or False: In the US, it’s illegal to ask, “Do you have a history of health problems?” 7) What should you do if you are asked a discriminatory question? 8) Idiom: what does it mean to go to great lengths to do something? Match the words with their meaning as used in the article. 1. overhead(s)

a. tell sb information that should be kept secret

2. redundant

b. almost or very nearly

3. blab (verb)

c. careful not to say anything that will upset

4. shortcoming

others

5. virtually

d. get information (or a reaction) from sb

6. remuneration

e. challenge sb to a fight

7. fringe benefit

f. unneeded because there is no more work

8. elicit (verb)

available

9. competence

g. a company’s operating costs

10.call sb out (phr. verb)

h. ability - www.englishcurrent.com -

11.tactful

i. an added benefit you get from an employer; a

12.embellish (verb)

perk j. a defect or fault in character k. make sth more interesting by adding false details l. pay; earnings

Master the language: Connect the below ideas to make a sentence. (good for homework) government / crush / uprising

e.g. The government plans to crush the uprising.

overhead / fringe benefits redundant / left right and center blab / shortcomings virtually impossible / employed remuneration / confidential elicit / laughter embellish / achievements call out / wife great lengths / tactful Job Interview ESL Lesson Plan: Difficult Interview Questions 1) What are some difficult interview questions?

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2) What is the best way to answer the below questions? -

How long would you stay in the

-

Describe a time when you failed.

position?

-

Why are you leaving your present

What is your weakness?

job?

Job Interview ESL Lesson Plan: Job Interview Role-play (Pair work) 1) You and your partner will take turns interviewing. First, decide who will be the first job seeker. Next, choose one of the below jobs to apply for. When you’ve chosen, read your role below. Project Manager, IBM

English Instructor, ABC

Head Chef, Antonio’s

Learning. Duties: Manage projects on

Duties: delivery of food

time and on budget.

Duties: Conducting group

services

Responsible for risk

& private classes in

Requirements: Certificate

management, project

businesses

III in Hospitality or similar,

tracking & contingency

Requirements: university

and exp. with food prep.

planning.

degree in related field,

and delivery.

fluency in English, and Required: Bachelors

teaching experience.

degree, experience in

Must be: able to work autonomously, well-

project mgmt, and

Must be: well-organized,

organized, &

expertise in MS Office.

energetic, professional,

knowledgeable about food

Must have excellent

and legally qualified to

safety. Pay commensurate

leadership & interpersonal

work. Pay commensurate

with experience.

skills.

with experience.

Student A (Interviewe e) Student B (Interviewe r)

You will be interviewed. This is a role-play so you may pretend to have the appropriate background for the position. Take a minute to prepare. Soon, the interview still start. Decide how you want to structure the interview and what questions to ask (optional: include an inappropriate question). Also, try to think of a scenario related to the job and ask the interviewee how he/she’d behave in that situation. Take a few - www.englishcurrent.com -

minutes to prepare. When ready, begin the interview. Optional Job Interview Writing Homework: Write a cover letter for one of the above positions. Job Interview ESL Lesson Plan: Discussion Questions 1) Do you have any interesting job interview stories? 2) Should interviewers be prohibited from asking about age, marital status, residency, etc? 3) Post-Graduation: How difficult is it to find a job after graduation in your country? 4) Idiom: What does it mean to think outside the box? Is this required for your job? 5) Verbs: How are the verbs “to fire, to lay off, to resign, to retire, to quit” different? -Job Interview Lesson plan copyright Matthew Barton of Englishcurrent.com

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