1 Read some real questions asked at job interviews. In pairs or small groups, discuss what you would say if you were asked these questions.
1 - If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be, and why?
2 - You’ve been given an elephant. You can’t give it away or sell it. What would you do with it?
3 - If you had a choice between two superpowers, being invisible or flying, which would you choose, and why?
2 In pairs, discuss the questions.
1 - Why do you think companies might ask the kinds of questions in Exercise 1?
2 - What different things might you be interviewed for in the future?
3 Look at some more typical job interview questions and decide on what would be a good answer to each one. What should you not say?
1 - What work experience do you have? What did you learn from it?
2 - What’s your biggest achievement so far?
3 - Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
4 5.13 Listen to two interviews and answer the questions.
1 - How well does each interviewee do in your opinion? Say why.
2 - What does each interviewee do when they are given a difficult question?
5 5.13 Study the Speaking box. Then listen to the interviews again and tick the phrases that you hear.
SPEAKING | Buying time
In any interview situation you may be asked a tricky question and find that you just can’t think of what to say. You can use these phrases to buy yourself time to think.
( ) I’m sorry, I’m really nervous and my mind has gone blank. Let me think about it for a minute.
( ) I’m not certain I follow you. Could you explain a bit more about what you mean?
( ) Well, I’m glad you asked that question …
( ) So, let me see …
( ) That’s quite a tough question. Let me have a minute to think about it.
( ) Well, to be honest, that requires a bit of thought …
( ) Actually, I don’t really have strong feelings either way …
( ) Could you just explain what you mean by …?
( ) Wow, that really needs a moment’s thought …
( ) I suppose it depends on what you mean by …
6 5.14 PRONUNCIATION Listen to three of the phrases from the Speaking box.
What function does the first word have in each case?
7 5.14 PRONUNCIATION Listen again and repeat.
8 Work in pairs. Imagine you are being interviewed for a place on a sports team.In turns, interview each other using the questions on page 73 (Student A) and
74 (Student B). If you can’t answer a question immediately, use the phrases from the Speaking box to buy yourself time.
□ I can use phrases to buy myself time to think.
