What to do before the interview

JOB INTERVIEW

FUNS

Newspaper Editor: So you’d like a job on our paper?

Cub Reporter: Yes, sir.

Editor: Have you ever told a lie?

Reporter: No, but I’m willing to learn.

(Am.) cub – новичок

HR Manager to job candidate: «I see you’ve had no computer training. Although that qualifies you for upper management, it means you’re under-qualified for our entry level position.”

Several weeks after a young man had been hired, he was called into the personnel manager’s office.

“What is the meaning of this?” the manager asked. “When you applied for the job, you told us you had 5 years’ experience. Now we discover this is the first job you’ve ever had.”

“Well,” the young man said, “in your ad you said you wanted somebody with imagination.”

PART 1

Pre-reading discussion.

a) Speak about your best (worst) job interview. What went wrong? What was good?

b) Give your advice on what should be done before and during the interview.

c) Read the text and check your answers.

INTERVIEWING FOR A JOB

A job interview may last for thirty minutes, or it may take several hours; it may be conducted by one person or by several, either at one time or in a series of interviews. Since it is impossible to know exactly what to expect, it is important to be as well prepared as possible.

WHAT TO DO BEFORE THE INTERVIEW

Learn as much as you can about your potential employer before the interview. Consult with people whose judgement you respect. Use all available resources. Talk with people who are already working in this company. These questions can be:

What kind of business is it?

Does the business provide a service and, if so, what kind?

How large is the firm?

Is it a subsidiary of a larger operation?

Is it expanding?

Where will you fit in?

This kind of information can be obtained from current employees, from company publications, or from back issues of the local newspaper’s business section (available at the public library). You should try to learn about the company’s size, sales volume, products and new products, credit rating, and subsidiary companies from its annual reports, and from other business reference sources.

Such preparation will help you to speak knowledgeably about the firm or industry as well as to ask intelligent questions of the interviewer.

It is a good idea to try to anticipate the questions an interviewer might ask and to prepare your answers in advance. The following is a list of some typical questions posed in job interviews:

Why do you want to work for this company?

What was your previous position?

What are your short-term and long-term occupational goals?

What are your major strengths and weaknesses?

Do you work better alone or with others?

How do you spend your free time?

Дата добавления: 2015-08-03