A job interview

A job interview

Listen to the job interview to practise and improve your listening skills.

Do the preparation task first. Then listen to the audio and do the exercises.

Preparation

Transcript

Interviewer: Hello, Maria. Thanks for coming in for the interview.

Maria: It's my pleasure. Thanks for inviting me.

Interviewer: Well, as you know, the company has been expanding and we have an opening in our HR department. We're creating a new role for someone to lead our training and development within the company.

Maria: Yes, I very much think that my skills and experience are a good fit for what you're looking for.

Interviewer: That sounds great. So, your CV looks strong, though it would be good if you could give us an overview, in your own words, of what you've been doing over the past four years or so.

Maria: Well, in my first job, four years ago, I was working for a small HR services provider which offered HR services, including L&D, to corporate clients.

Interviewer: OK, so it was only B2B?

Maria: Yes, we only offered services to other companies, not B2C.

Interviewer: Right, and it says here you then left that company about three years ago.

Maria: Yes, that's right. I was looking for a little more stability and also to be part of a larger organisation. So I joined a company with around one hundred staff and a small HR team. As there are only a few of us, we each deal with a range of HR topics. In addition to payroll, one of the areas I was responsible for was learning and development.

Interviewer: I see. And, so why do you want to change jobs now?

Maria: Well, I very much like the L&D side of my role and I've always had particularly good feedback for my work in this area. I believe I excel in that field. So, I'm looking to specialise, and as your company has around 2,000 people, right …? 

Interviewer: Yes, that's right.

Maria: Well, an organisation of this size would give me the scope to specialise in L&D. I'm also a big follower of your brand and feel fully aligned with your image and values.

Interviewer: Well, that all sounds good. And I can see you have an L&D qualification.

Maria: Yes, I got a diploma two years ago. I am also currently working on a further diploma in psychology, with a specific focus on learning and performance management.

Interviewer: Very good. Well, it looks like you have the qualifications and experience we're looking for. What do you think will be the main challenges of coming to a much larger company?

Maria: I can see that it might be perceived as a weakness to not have experience in an organisation of this size, though I see that it could also be a benefit. I won't be bringing too many preconceived and possibly inflexible ideas with me to the role.  

Interviewer: Yes, that would be a good thing.

Maria: Also, I'm used to taking a very personal approach to employee development. I realise that such an approach with 2,000 staff members will have to happen in a different way, but I bring many ideas with me that can be replicated on a larger scale.

Interviewer: I see what you mean. Right, so, do you have any questions for me?

Maria: Um, I think we've covered many of the areas I had wanted to address. I have two quick questions though.

Interviewer: Go on.

Maria: Who would I mostly work with on a daily basis?

Interviewer: Well, there's the HR manager who you would report to. And then the HR team, which currently has six people in it. There's usually an intern or two who you can get some support from also.

Maria: OK. Thanks. That's all really clear. And my other question is how performance in this role will be measured. What does success look like?

Interviewer: That's a good question. As you know, we have a performance management system in place, and from that we have identified some learning and development needs within the organisation. But we haven't devised a strategy. Your role would be to devise and then successfully implement this strategy.

Maria: Thank you. That sounds interesting.  

Interviewer: Great. So, thanks again for coming in today. We'll be discussing all candidates next week and then I'll get back to you by the end of next week to let you know the outcome.

Maria: Thank you for your time. I'd welcome the opportunity to continue discussing this role with you.

Task 1

Task 2

Discussion

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Average: 4.2 (129 votes)
Profile picture for user adsadsadsad

Submitted by adsadsadsad on Fri, 11/10/2024 - 19:55

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bro im so cooked for my listening exam

Submitted by jipliku on Tue, 23/07/2024 - 18:11

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Great exercise, thank you!

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Submitted by GJuarezR on Mon, 01/07/2024 - 17:13

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  • First of all I prepare my CV to a specific vacancy, i.e., adjust synonyms to match their job description.
  • Then, establish my answers for common questions. Mainly to avoid long silences or overthinking my answers.
  • Once I sablished them, I practice them by looking at myself in the mirror until I feel comfortable.
  • In case I need to demonstrate technical skills, I also practice them to avoid silly mistakes or forgetting some common functions.
Profile picture for user RenéxGun

Submitted by RenéxGun on Tue, 18/06/2024 - 01:04

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  • Prepare your CV.
  • First of all, we have to look for information about the job we are interested in to understand the role we are going to play in the company.
  • Once we understand the role, we have to look for some possible questions that may come up during the job interview. You can find these on YouTube, or you can also ask ChatGPT for possible questions. Then, you have to prepare and practice your answers.
  • Try to be honest in your answers and find a job that fits with your profile.

Submitted by DarinkaDnK on Thu, 23/05/2024 - 08:46

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Actually, I'm not skilled in interview process very much. Surprisingly I've found almost all my jobs through the recommendations. So, I would say interview is my weak spot, and I should pay a lot of attention to prepare myself for a real, serious interview. 

Submitted by lizz95 on Thu, 08/02/2024 - 01:32

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It has passed a long time since my last interview. However, I can recall that for my current job, I had to look for more experienced people advises regarding the company and the role I was going to apply. I also remember that I took notes for possible answers of common questions and I also practised with a friend a role play interview.

Submitted by edgar Leyva on Wed, 17/01/2024 - 20:30

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I read what they are requiring and prepare my answers for give a better presentation I prepare my clothes and that's all

Submitted by mohinur on Wed, 15/11/2023 - 10:44

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i can find 4 correct answer without cheating in C1 listening and reading .So i wanted to know what is my level ?and I want to improve my english in one month from 6.5 to 8 is it possible.Can anyone suggest me some advice

Hello mohinur,

To correctly assess your level in such detail we would need to do a full analysis using IELTS materials (I guess you are referring to the IELTS scale here) so it's really not possible for us to give detailed advice on what you need to improve and how you could go about it. If possible, you should do a full assessment with a qualified teacher who will be able to give you this kind of help. The British Council does online IELTS preparation courses too. Here's the link for those:

https://englishonline.britishcouncil.org

I'll put some links below to pages where you can find IELTS materials (practice questions and practice tests) to do so you can see which parts of the exam you score better and worse on. That will give you a guide as to what to focus on to improve your score.

ielts.org

https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org

 

Good luck!

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team