Episode 04

Daniel's interview doesn't go too well. What mistakes does he make?

Do the preparation task first. Then watch the video and do the exercises. You can also read the transcript.

Preparation

Transcript

Daniel: Hi there!

Marcia: Good morning, Daniel!

Daniel: Oh, Dan, please.

Marcia: I'm Marcia Boardman – we spoke on the phone – and this is Philip Hart, our CEO.

Philip: Hello!

Daniel: Nice to meet you both.

Philip: So, it says here on your CV that you’re interested in rock climbing.

Daniel: Yeah, I love it!

Philip: Great, so do I! When did you last go climbing?

Daniel: Er, well, it was a while ago, now.

Philip: Anywhere interesting?

Daniel: Yeah, I walked up the hill behind my house. Took me about 30 minutes!

Philip: Oh.

Marcia: OK, erm, Daniel, can you tell us a little bit about your current position?

Daniel: Certainly. As it says in the CV, I'm part of the European sales team at Networld. We're the world's leading supplier of IT hardware.

Philip: Why do you want to move on?

Daniel: Well, they're too small for me!

Marcia: Networld are too small for you?

Daniel: Yeah, I'm looking for something much bigger.

Philip: Well, we're not a big company by any means, but we are looking to grow! Er, what first attracted you to WebWare in particular?

Daniel: Well, I see WebWare as kind of like a stepping stone ...

Marcia: Sorry?

Daniel: Yeah, start here, gain the necessary experience, then move on to something bigger.

Philip: OK ... well, I do admire your ambition!

Daniel: Thanks. I've got lots of it!

Marcia: Let's move on to managing people. Can you give an example of a time when you had to deal with a particularly difficult managee?

Daniel: Sure, well, I think that's one of my strong points, actually. Er, a couple of years ago, I was working with a guy, he wasn't pulling his weight, basically being lazy – so I told him to get out.

Marcia: Oh, you didn't give him a performance review or a warning or perhaps try to develop his motivation?

Daniel: No, no, no, no. None of that rubbish. If someone's not working hard enough, then they're out! That's the way I work. I'm a hard man.

Marcia: I see.

Philip: Erm, how would you handle a rapidly changing market?

Daniel: Basically not change anything at all! Just continue on as normal, regardless.

Marcia: Erm, according to your CV you are fluent in Mandarin ...

Daniel: Well, I wouldn't say 'fluent', exactly, but I like Chinese food a lot so I can read the menu.

Philip: So you can't actually speak the language?

Daniel: Er, no.

Marcia: Can you tell us about a time you had to close a particularly challenging deal?

Daniel: I haven't had one. They're all easy for me. I close deals all the time.

Marcia: OK, well, do you have any questions for us?

Daniel: No.

Philip: Oh. OK. Erm, thanks.

Marcia: Let's move on to the presentation ...

Task 1

Task 2

Discussion

Download
Worksheet89.38 KB
Average: 4 (17 votes)
Do you need to speak better English at work?
Learn to speak, read, write and understand English in a variety of work situations. Join thousands of learners from around the world who are making great progress with their English level with our online courses.

Hello Vinicius Librandi,

It can be difficult to cope with fast speech, especially when there are people of different nationalities with different accents speaking together. The first thing I would suggest is that you develop one or two very polite ways to ask the other speaker to repeat what they said if you did not understand it. For example, you might say:

Could you say that once again, please, a little more slowly. The connection is not the best and I didn't quite understand.

Do you mind saying that again please? I didn't quite follow.

 

Another technique is to check that you understood what the person said or wants. For example, you could say:

So if I understand correctly you need to... / your problem is... / what you are saying is that...

 

As far as developing listening skills goes, the key is practice. Using the transcripts which we provide with our listening texts is a good idea so that you can read and listen at the same time. This will help you to get used to the rhythms of natural speech and to see how words change and are linked when they are spoken in fluent connected speech. Try also reading the transcript along with the recording after you have listened and done the various comprehension tasks. This will help both your speaking and your listening.

 

The more you practise, the more you will improve. Remember that we don't always see or feel progress. It is incremental and so hard to see, but if you practise you will get better.

 

Best wishes,

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by To Ja 1987 on Thu, 01/02/2018 - 08:20

Permalink
Please can someone help me with an answers for episode 4? Please

Hello To Ja 1987,

We're happy to help you with any specific questions you have. Please tell us which question number and ask us a specific question about it.

All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by Diona on Sun, 28/01/2018 - 22:48

Permalink
Hi Peter M, What's the meaning of "steping stone " please , Thank you Diona

Hello Diona,

A stepping stone is a stone in the river which we can stand on when we want to get across. We use the phrase also in a metaphorical sense to describe something which is a step alone the way to our goal. For example, if my ambition is to become a political journalist then starting a political blog might be a stepping stone on the way to fulfilling that ambition.

 

Best wishes,

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by CINZIA VALENTI on Mon, 08/01/2018 - 13:40

Permalink
I think Daniel is quite conceited! He wrote he spoke Mandarin in his CV but it isn't true. I'd never give him that job. Bye

Submitted by Anwr on Sat, 06/01/2018 - 12:17

Permalink
what is the meaning of "out-right lying never pays"?

Hello Anwr,

When we say something doesn't pay we mean that there is no benefit or profit from it, or that it is not good for the person doing it.

The adjective outright means obvious or undisguised (you can see a definition here).

 

Best wishes,

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team