Employment Interviews

Vocabulary - Expressions - Phrasal Verbs - Idioms:

Resume - document listing your goals, education, past job experience, contact information and other relevant information. This is used when applying for a new job.

Applying for a job - the act of delivering your resume in person, through email, through a form online or other methods when trying to find a new job.

Interview - this is usually done one on one where a potential employee will meet with human resources, a potential manager and others at the company where they applied.

Past working experience - previous jobs that you will list out on your resume. Typically this is the most important part of your resume and is discussed during the interview.

Landed a job - when you are hired by a company you can use this expression. You can change out the word landed with got.

Human Resources (HR): Typically this is referred to as simply HR. It is the department responsible for scheduling interviews, maintaining current employee documents, and explaining the company’s job requirements and goals.

Make more money - this is usually the main reason why people look for new jobs. In the modern age the greatest factor for many people is money, but other compensations such as time off, mobility and working for a large company are reasons to find a new job.

Live Example:

John updated his resume since he is applying for a job with IBM. He hopes that he can get an interview so that he can discuss his past working experience with a potential manager. He has been contacted by the HR department to schedule an interview. Hopefully, he will land the job since he is looking forward to working for a big company. He does hate applying for jobs and attending many interviews, but he understands that it is part of the process if he wants to make more money.

Live Conversation Example:

Jen: Hey John, I heard that you are applying for a job. What companies are you looking at? Can I look over your resume?
John: I am applying for a job at IBM as a computer programmer. Yes, I will send you a copy of my resume.
Jen: Great! (After Jen has looked over resume, conversation resumes.)
Jen: Your resume looked great!  I appreciated how detailed you were when discussing your past working experience.
John: Thanks!  HR called me and set up an interview for Friday. I will let you know when I learn if I landed the job or not.

Practice:

Take a look at your resume. Do you have the current information needed to send to a potential employer?

Imagine that you are in an interview. Record yourself, playback the answers and listen to how you respond to the following questions: Tell me a little about yourself. Why do you want to work for us? What previous experience do you have that makes you a good fit? What are your major strengths and weaknesses? What are your long-term plans?