Practice Listening Business English Exercises for B1 – Job hunting

1   What are your strengths and weaknesses?

2   Are you working at the moment?

3   How long have you worked as a chemical engineer?

4   Do you have any experience in green technologies?

5   Why would you like to work for us?

6   What would you do on your first day at work?

7   Do you have your original certificates with you?

8   Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

1   Can you tell me what

2   Could you tell me about

3   Can you tell me about

4   I’d like to know if

5   Could you tell me how

6   I’d like to know if

7   I’d like to know who

Audioscript

1   You’ve told me about your strengths. Can you tell me what your greatest weakness is?

2   Could you tell me about your work experience?

3   You write in your CV that you have good leadership skills. Can you tell me about a time when you showed leadership skills?

4   Although you have the right qualifications, you don’t have much work experience in this sector. I’d like to know if you’ve ever done any voluntary work.

5   Could you tell me how you would add value to our company?

6   This job involves visiting waste-water facilities around the country. I’d like to know if you are prepared to travel for the job.

7   Right. Finally, I’d like to know who I should contact for a reference.

A

Suggested answers

1   Poor – he doesn’t know what to say and when he answers, it’s a cliché.

2   OK – he doesn’t have much work experience but he answers positively.

3   Good

4   Good

5   Good

6   Good

7   OK – he should perhaps mention the references in his CV, or in the interview.

B

1 e   I’m not sure, but my friends tell me …

2 d   I’m afraid I don’t have much experience, but I …

3 g   Sure. I was responsible for …

4 b   Let me think now …

5 f   Sorry, I didn’t catch that.; h That’s a difficult question.; a As I said before, …

6 i   Yes, of course.

7 c   I’ll need to check and get back to you.

Audioscript

I = interviewer   C = candidate

1

I:   You’ve told me about your strengths. Can you tell me what your greatest weakness is?

C:   I’m not sure, but my friends tell me I’m quite demanding.

I:   Are you a bit of a perfectionist?

C:   I don’t know. Sometimes perhaps.

I:   Anything else?

C:   Erm, err …

2

I:   Could you tell me about your work experience?

C:   I’m afraid I don’t have much experience, but I have a PhD in waste water management.

3

I:   You write in your CV that you have good leadership skills. Can you tell me about a time when you showed leadership skills?

C:   Sure. I was responsible for a large team of researchers while I was doing my PhD in the States. And in my last job I was the assistant project manager for a waste water facility. That was a temporary position because someone was on maternity leave.

4

I:   Although you have the right qualifications, you don’t have much experience in this sector. I’d like to know if you’ve ever done any voluntary work.

C:   Erm, let me think now … Well, when I was at university, I did voluntary work visiting schools. I was working on a project together with teachers and children, raising awareness about water consumption and waste water processes.

I:   I see.

5

I:   How would you add value to our company?

C:   Sorry, I didn’t catch that.

I:   Could you tell me how you would add value to our company?

C:   That’s a di­ cult question. As I said before, I think I’m highly qualified for the job, I’m a fast learner and I’m really passionate about green technologies. It isn’t just a job. It’s a lifestyle.

6

I:   This job involves visiting waste water facilities around the country. I’d like to know if you are prepared to travel for the job.

C:   Yes, of course. That will be very interesting.

7

I:   Right. Finally, I’d like to know who I should contact for a reference, in case we decide to offer you the job.

C:   References? Well, there are two or three contacts. I’ll need to check and get back to you. Is that all right?

I:   Fine. Do you have any questions for me?

A

Max

Positive: hard-working, flexible, good at working with both colleagues and customers, and has relevant experience and skills.

Negative: no regional sales experience, no driving licence. Not very organised.

John

Positive: hard-working, flexible, good at working with both colleagues and customers, has relevant experience and skills, good transferable skills, is aware of weaknesses and is working on them, taking driving test in two weeks.

Negative: no driving licence. Not very good at administrative work and paperwork.

B

1   Why do you think you are the right person for this job? (Open question)

2   Have you ever worked in a regional sales team? (Closed question)

3   Do you have a driving license? (Closed question)

4   Can you tell me about your weaknesses? (Open question)

C

The interviewer uses a mix of open and closed questions to get more or less detailed answers in each case.

Closed questions generally lead to answers such as Yes or No, or short ones like single words.

Open questions give the person more freedom and flexibility to give more or less detail.

Audioscript

1   S = Sue   M = Max

S:   Thanks for coming in today, Max. … So tell me, why do you think you’re the right person for this job?

M:   Well, I’m hard-working, … I’m flexible, … I’m good at working with colleagues and customers, and I have the relevant experience and skills.

S:   OK. That all sounds good. Have you ever worked in a regional sales team?

M:   No, I haven’t.

S:   Oh, OK … Do you have a driving licence?

M:   Not yet.

S:   I see. If you get this job, you will need to have a driving licence. So … You’ve told me about your strengths and experience. Can you tell me about your weaknesses?

M:   Hmm. Well, … I’m not very organised, like with paperwork and other things.

S:   I see.

M:   So, what are the next steps? When can I expect to hear from you?

2   S = Sue   J = John

S:   Thank you for coming in today, John. I invited you here because Anna has told me a lot about you and your abilities.

J:   That’s great. Thank you for your time today.

S:   Of course. So tell me, why do you think you’re the right person for this job?

J:   Well, I’m hard-working, I’m flexible, I’m good at working with both colleagues and customers, and I have the relevant experience and skills.

S:   OK. That all sounds good. Have you ever worked in a regional sales team?

J:   That’s a good question. I haven’t, but I do have many transferable skills. I’ve worked in different local offices of the same company, so I understand the balance between local and regional priorities. So, while my experience is local, I have a good awareness of the sales focus from regional perspectives too. I’ve also indirectly supported a regional project with local information.

S:   That’s good. Anna told me about the project you worked on. So, moving on … Do you have a driving licence?

J:   It’s good you asked that. I’m currently learning to drive, and I have my test in two weeks’ time.

S:   OK, that’s good. If you get this job, you will need to have a driving licence. Now, you’ve told me about your strengths and experience. Can you tell me about your weaknesses?

J:   Well, I’m very good at dealing with people, which as you know is essential in sales, but I sometimes struggle with the administrative work and paperwork. I am aware of this, though, and I’m working on it so that I can improve.

S:   OK, it’s good that you’re working on this. Do you have any questions for me?

J:   Yes, I do. Could you tell me what a normal day or week in this job would be like?

S:   Sure, it would start at about 8 o’clock and initially what you’ll be doing is …

Suggested answers

Amalia

Qualities/experience: highly-qualified with experience in marketing; hard-working, reliable, good communication skills especially writing; language skills

First impressions: seems a bit shy and nervous, but comes across as conscientious, reliable and friendly. She looks smart but is older than the other candidates. This could be an advantage or a disadvantage.

Birte

Qualities/experience: a degree in marketing and did an internship (in father’s company). She doesn’t have much experience but she is social, creative, loves sports and social media,

First impressions: is wearing sports clothes in the video which is very informal but it gets our attention. She comes across as very communicative, confident and very motivated which helps to compensate for her lack of experience.

Cindy

Qualities/experience: She doesn’t have a degree in marketing/communication, but she is currently working as a manager, so has experience of deadlines and working under pressure. She is studying marketing online, loves social media and writes a blog in her free time.

First impressions: comes across quite well in the video CV, although she does get distracted by her phone at one point. Cindy dresses smartly and comes across as confident.

Audioscript

Amalia

Is this webcam on? Oh, right! So, why should you hire me? Well, I have to say I think I’m hard-working, I’m reliable and, and … I’m highly qualified. I have a background in marketing and a lot of experience in different sectors. I also speak various languages, so that will be very useful for an international company like Media Solutions. I would like to work for you because I think I’m good at communicating, especially writing, and I could contribute to your Communications department with my ideas and improve the presence of your clients in social media. Err, … that’s all really. Thanks for listening. Oh, and please call me if you’d like me to come in for an interview.

Birte

Why should you hire me? Because I’m a ‘people person’: I’m not only sociable, but also really creative and if you hired me, I would give 110 percent and I would get on with all the team and the clients, too. Another thing you should know about me is I’m really into sports and martial arts, as you can see. You can check out some of my videos in social media on how to do sports training. I love social media and dedicate a lot of time to it. It’s the way everyone communicates nowadays.

What else? I’ve got a degree in marketing. I did an internship at my dad’s company and I learnt a lot. I’m a fast learner. I don’t have lots of experience but I think it’s more important to have the right attitude and just get out there and do it! So why should you hire me? Because I’m worth it! Call me for an interview and please give me the chance to tell you more.

Cindy

So, you’d like to know why you should hire me? That’s a good question. Looking at my CV you might think I don’t have any relevant experience but I do have experience in managing people.

I have to communicate in my job every day, where I’m responsible for a team of forty people, talking to different departments and dealing with difficult customers. I’m good at working under pressure, so you can depend on me to write those reports on time! Oh sorry, just a minute .… another consideration is that I’m a big fan of social media. I write a blog in my free time, although I don’t have that many followers yet. I’m also studying marketing online in the evenings. So, if you hire me, I will help you to find the best solutions for you and your clients and improve their online presence with the contributions of key opinion leaders and influencers.

Thank you for considering my application and I look forward to your call!

Students’ own answers; the candidates give interesting answers for different reasons, and all of the candidates refer to their proudest moment being related to social media. Although both Amalia’s and Birte’s achievements are not work-related, they are perhaps more inspiring and engaging than Cindy’s.

Audioscript

Amalia

My proudest achievement? Oh, err … that’s a di­fficult question. I think it was the time when I graduated from university … no, sorry, I think my proudest moment was when I organised a charity event for homeless people in my town. It was a lot of work, but the response from the public was tremendous and we raised over £4,000.

I was responsible for organising the social media campaign and talking to the press. I think I did a good job and my family told me they were very proud of me. It was a brilliant experience that made me want to work in social media.

Birte

My proudest achievement has to be when I started a social media campaign about young people with eating disorders. I started posting a video every day with tips for having a healthy diet but it was all about feeling good, not making life more di­fficult for yourself. There’s a lot of contradictory advice about health tips on the internet. You know, people say different things and that confuses people. Then I suddenly got thousands of followers on social media and I realised that my videos and advice on doing exercise and having a healthy diet were making a difference. To give you an example, I received one post from a young woman who was in hospital at the time and she wrote saying that I was an inspiration to her. And that made me feel really proud of what I was doing, my blog was really helping people, you know?

Cindy

That’s an interesting question. I’m not sure … I think it was when there was a problem while I was still working as an intern. There was a public transport strike and lots of people were phoning the department and complaining. There was a lack of information and we were getting very negative comments on social media and from the press and a lot of my colleagues didn’t seem very interested. Then we had a crisis meeting and the team decided to work hard until late at night to solve problems and to deal with all the emails and phone calls from the public. But I took the initiative to start writing replies to the negative posts on social media, so we improved our company image and my boss thanked me in front of the whole team. And because of me, the department started taking social media more seriously. I felt really proud. I was just the intern.

1 c   2 a   3 b   4 c   5 a

Audioscript

1   I had a few problems with my colleagues.

      A   So you get on with your co-workers then?

      B   Why did your colleagues have problems?

      C   Why don’t you tell me a bit more about that?

2   My boss is very difficult to work with.

      A   What do you mean by ‘very difficult’?

      B   Sorry, I don’t understand the problem.

      C   I’m not clear why he thinks you’re difficult.

3   But you said you wanted to leave the company.

      A   Okay, that’s useful to think about.

      B   Sorry, that’s not what I said.

      C   I’m not clear about what you want.

4   We’re going to miss the deadline, I’m afraid.

      A   I’m not clear about missing the deadline.

      B   Why did you miss the deadline?

      C   Thanks, that’s useful to know.

5   I don’t find my job challenging enough.

      A   So, it’s important for you to have a more demanding job.

      B   Why do you think it’s too challenging?

      C   So, your boss challenges you too much.

1 c   2 b   3 c   4 c   5 c   6 a   7 c   8 b

Audioscript

1   Which chart shows how many employees there are in each region?

As you can see from the pie chart here, although almost half our staff work in Europe, 30% are now working for our Asian companies. This region has grown considerably over the past year. We’ve just started working in North America, which now represents 10% of our total staff. With regards to Australia, 13% of our staff are employed there.

2   Which work experience has the man not gained?

A:   Can you tell us about your previous work experience?

B:   Well, I worked as a sales assistant in a big department store one summer. Then I applied for a job as a surfing instructor the following summer but I didn’t have the right certificates, so I’ll do that next summer. Oh, and one year ago I was a tour guide around London. I really loved meeting all the tourists.

3   Where is the interview going to take place?

A:   Hello, Miss Kapoor?

B:   Yes?

A:   Jeremy Blankett here from Hatle Electrics. I’ve just seen your CV and was wondering if you could come for an interview at 12.30 tomorrow?

B:   Yes, of course. Your offices are on Main Street, aren’t they?

A:   Yes, but we’ll have to meet at the factory as I’m at a conference tomorrow and it’s just next door. I’ll email the directions.

4   When are the interviews going to start?

A:   When are we going to interview people? I can’t do Tuesday afternoon or Thursday next week, and I’m away after that.

B:   I’d prefer Monday or Tuesday.

A:   Let’s make it Tuesday then providing we can start early at 8 o’clock.

B:   That’s too early.

A:   What about Wednesday? I could do 9 on Wednesday but not Tuesday. Is that OK?

B:   Yes, that’s perfect.

5   Why do they choose Callum for the job?

A:   Callum’s CV was very strong and he presented himself well at the interview.

B:   Unfortunately, he doesn’t have much experience, which is a concern, but he does seem motivated to learn.

A:   He’s also got excellent people skills and he’s very keen to get the job.

B:   I’m just hoping that he’ll be able to lead the team.

6   What advice does the woman give to the students?

Now, when you’re going for an interview make sure you have as much information as possible about the company. If you don’t understand or aren’t sure you’ve heard a question properly, don’t be frightened of asking the interviewer to repeat or clarify it. There’s nothing more embarrassing than answering completely the wrong question because you’ve misunderstood something.

7   What was wrong with the CV?

A:   What did you think of this CV? It looks quite professional, doesn’t it?

B:   Yes, but when you read it there are several spelling mistakes. That’s a sign of someone who doesn’t pay attention to detail.

A:   I agree, although she does have good leadership experience from what we can see.

B:   That’s true. And she doesn’t use clichés like some of the others.

8   Why did the woman leave her last job?

A:   Can you tell me why you left your last job?

B:   Well, I liked the job and I got on with my colleagues but my boss was difficult to work with.

A:   You didn’t get on with him?

B:   I liked him enough out of the work environment, but he wasn’t very good at his job and blamed everyone else for his failings.

1 b   2 b   3 c   4 a   5 c   6 c   7 b

Audioscript

Listen to a meeting between the HR director and the CEO of a company.

A:   We need to recruit the new management for our Singapore office which opens next year.

B:   Yes. Are we recruiting only local people?

A:   Except for the General Manager, who I hope’s going to come from our current staff.

B:   Have you got anyone in mind?

A:   Perhaps but let’s discuss that later.

B:   Okay, so the key posts are Office Manager, IT manager and Customer Services Manager. Let’s start with the Office Manager’s job.

A:   We need someone with excellent organisational and communication skills.

B:   Absolutely and, because they’ll also be responsible for local recruitment, they’ll need some HR experience too.

A:   Yes, I agree. What else do we want the Office Manager to do?

B:   They’ll be in charge of purchasing – everything that’s needed for those offices will have to go through the Office Manager.

A:   So they must be good at negotiating prices and balancing the budget – a bit like an accountant. I think we’ll say ‘good with figures’. We can’t expect them to be qualified accountants as well.

B:   I suppose your right. Now, the IT Manager’s job.

A:   We need someone to set up our systems, keep the website updated and deal with any system problems very quickly.

B:   And they’ll need a lot of experience.

A:   Well, actually, I think it’d be better to recruit someone straight from university. They’ll be more up-to-date with the new technologies and they’ll have a better …

B:   But surely they need experience working in an organisation and not just with technology? It is a managerial position after all.

A:   I know, but what about someone who did work placements during their course?

B:   I’m not happy about no management experience at all.

A:   Perhaps we could put that experience is preferable, but not absolutely necessary?

B:   Mm, perhaps but I think it’s risky.

A:   You might be surprised by the quality of the candidates in Singapore.

B:   Okay then. Let’s try it. What about the Customer Services Manager? They must have experience and be able to speak good English and Chinese.

A:   And hopefully other local languages. This job’s vital if we want to maintain our reputation as a customer-focused company who goes the extra mile to make sure customers are happy.

B:   I agree. So someone with five years’ relevant experience?

A:   At least. They must have a good track record.

B:   We should also provide training for the new management team.

A:   Agreed.

B:   Here in the UK or in Singapore?

A:   Actually, I’d like them to come here for a couple of weeks to see how we run things. They’ll get a better understanding or our style and ethos.

B:   I agree. We can put that in the ad. It could be a good incentive to attract the right sort of candidate.

A:   Let’s talk about the Regional Manager position now. I’ve been thinking about Simon Novak. He’s been an Assistant Regional Manager for two years and I know he’s going to look for another job if he doesn’t get promoted. What do you think? Is he right for the job?

B:   Does he want to work in Singapore for a year? Does he speak any Chinese?

A:   Well, we could give him language training. That’s not a problem. I’m seeing him later today. I’ll find out if he’s interested in the job then.

B:   There’s no doubt he’s a brilliant Assistant Manager and staff feedback shows he’s very popular, hard-working, fair and good at motivating people.

A:   Fingers crossed then.

B:   Great. And I’ll finish the adverts.