Unit 3 Job Interview

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Unit 3 Job Interview

• Text A Get the Job You Want
• Text B A Mortal Flower

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Objectives

• Grasp the main idea and structure of the text
• Realize the importance of examples in
  illustrating ones points
• Master the key language points and grammatical
  structures in the text
• Conduct a series of reading, listening, speaking
  and writing activities related to the theme of
  the unit.

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Contents

• Part ? Pre-reading Activity
• Part ? Text A
• Background Information
• Text Analysis
• Language Points
• Part ? Text B
• Questions
• Translations
• Part ? Theme-related Task
• Part ? Assignments

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Part ? Pre-reading Activity

• Task One
• Preparations for a Job Interview
• 1. Discuss with your partner to see what
  preparations we should make before taking part in
  a job interview.

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• Tips
• 1. Know the exact place and time of the
  interview, the interviewer's full name, the
  correct pronunciation and his or her title.
• 2. Learn pertinent facts about the company such
  as annual sales revenue, principal lines of
  business and locations.
• 3. Find out why the hiring manager and/or client
  representative are/is interested in your
  qualifications.
• 4. Determine how the opportunity will impact your
  immediate and long-term career development.
• 5. An interview is a "two-way street." Know what
  questions to ask during the interview. Your
  questions allow the hiring manager to evaluate
  your professional and personal needs. Insightful
  questions help you determine if your relationship
  will be mutually rewarding. Lastly, the better
  you understand the opportunity, the more you will
  be able to communicate your interest in the
  position.
• 6. Put your best foot forward. Always wear proper
  attire and greet your interviewer with a firm
  handshake and an enthusiastic smile.

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2. Some Dos and DontsRead the following
items with your partner and fill them into the
chart.

• Item 1 Do plan to arrive on time or a few
  minutes early.
• Item 2 Do wait until you are offered a chair
  before sitting. Sit
• upright, look alert and interested at
  all times.
• Item 3 Talk as much as you can, so that the
  interviewer can
• understand you better.
• Item 4 You can inquire about salary, vacations,
  so that the
• interviewer will think you are really
  serious to get this job.
• Item 5 You can call the interviewer by his first
  name if you are
• sure of it.
• Item 6 When asked about your present or former
  employers,
• you can make some derogatory remarks.
• Item 7 You should try to get the interviewer to
  describe the
• position and the duties to you early
  in the interview so
• that you can apply your background,
  skills and
• accomplishments.
• Item 8 When the interviewer steers the
  conversation into
• politics or controversial issues, you
  should try to do
• more listening than speaking.

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Dos
Donts
Item 1
Item 3
Item 2
Item 4
Item 7
Item 5
Item 8
Item 6
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Task Two Writing

• Write a one-minute self-introduction.

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Part? Text A

• Get the Job You Want
• Background Information
• Text Analysis
• Part One Para 1-6
• Part Two Para 7-27
• Part Three Para 28-31
• Language Points

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Background Information

• Michael Jordan
• American professional basketball player,
  considered by many to be the greatest player in
  basketball history. The 6 ft 6 in (198 cm)
  shooting guard first became known as an explosive
  individual scorer, but as he matured as a player
  he adopted a more team-oriented approach to the
  game. Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six
  National Basketball Association (NBA)
  championships (1991-1993, 1996-1998). His
  widespread appeal to fans has helped keep
  basketball one of the worlds most popular
  spectator sports.

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John Michael Landy

• Australian athlete, and the second runner, after
  England's Sir Roger Bannister, to break the
  four-minute mile. He did so in 3 minutes 58
  seconds in 1954, two months after Bannister set
  his mark.

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Marathon

• Marathon race, long-distance foot race deriving
  its name from Marathon, Greece. According to
  legend, in 490 B.C., Pheidippides, a runner from
  Marathon, carried news of victory over the
  Persians to Athens. In the first modern Olympics
  of 1896, a commemorative event retraced his
  route. The race soon became an Olympic event, its
  distance standardized in 1908 at 26mi, 385yd
  (42.195 km). The popularity of running as part of
  a physical fitness boom in the 1970s
  engendered a proliferation of marathons, some
  of them televised. Races in Tokyo, New York City,
  and elsewhere joined the famed Boston Marathon
  (begun in 1897). Tens of thousands of runners
  entered these and less celebrated marathons
  seeking to achieve personal records and to test
  their endurance. One of the most influential male
  runners was Bill Rodgers, who won the Boston and
  New York City marathons four times each between
  1975 and 1980. Until the 1970s, women were
  largely ignored in (or excluded from, as at
  Boston) marathon racing, but in 1984, American
  Joan Benoit won the first Olympic race for women,
  and Grete Waitz won the New York City marathon
  nine times in 1978-1988.

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Text Analysis

• 1. True or False
• Scan Text A and decide whether the following
  statements are true or false.
• The writer is the owner of Mackay Envelope
  Corporation, a manufacturing company. ( )
• The answers the writer got from the college
  graduate who wanted a job were all positive. (
  )
• Todays graduates will most probably have the
  same job for the rest of their lives. ( )
• The 90-year-old tennis player insisted on playing
  the backhand court during the match because he
  wanted to work on his weaknesses. ( )
• Once it was decided that to cover a mile in four
  minutes was physically impossible for humans. (
  )
• Curt Carlson was so happy because they landed at
  the airport safely at last. ( )

T
F
F
T
T
F
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Text Analysis

• 2. How does the author introduce the topic in
  Text A? Why?
• It starts with a personal story, which could be
  very
• appealing to readers because personal experiences
• sound real. They can also narrow the distance
• between the author and the reader.
• There are several ways to introduce a theme.
• 1. Stating the topic directly.
• 2. Posing a question.
• 3. Quoting a famous saying.
• 4. Relating an anecdote or an incident.

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Text Analysis

• 3. The author offers four keys to getting hired.
  All are instructive yet each is begun in a way
  different from the rest stylistically. Please
  match these strategies with each suggestion.
• 1. Prepare to win.
• 2. Never stop learning.
• 3. Believe in yourself, even when no one else
  does.
• 4. Find a way to make a difference.

starts with a surprising fact
begins with a question
starts with a quotation
begins with a personal opinion
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Language Points

• prospective adj. expected probable intended
• e.g. The chief function of direct-mail
  advertising is to familiarize prospective buyers
  with a product.
• Translate
• ????????????200????????
• This university of world fame had applications
  from nearly 200 prospective students.

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as I see it in my opinion

• e.g. As I see it, this press conference is the
  most successful one we have ever had.
• Translate ????,???????????????
• As I see it, the money is sufficient for seeing
  him through a year abroad.
• Collocation
• see about ?? ????
• see out ???, ????
• see to ?? ??
• Its time for me to see about cooking dinner.
• Ill see you out.
• If I cook lunch, will you see to the children?

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apply v.

• 1) request something, esp. in writing
• e.g. Anyone who has a college degree can apply
  for the job.
• 2) bring or put into use
• e.g. Apply as much force as is necessary.
• 3) have an effect be directly related
• e.g. This regulation doesnt apply.

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employment n.

• 1) a persons trade or profession
• Translate??????????????
• The students, who are approaching the
  school-leaving age, endeavor to look for
  employment.
• 2) the condition of having paid work
• Translate?????????????????????
• People without higher education often face
  barriers in employment.

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do ones homework make preparations beforehand

• e.g. He had evidently done his homework and read
  his predecessors reports.
• Translate ?????,???????????
• He had done his homework before he delivered the
  speech.

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go after try hard to obtain chase

• e.g. He went after a prize in the English speech
  contest.
• Translate ?????????????
• Are you planning to go after a position in this
  company?
• Collocation
• go about ??
• go again ?????
• go ahead ??

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• incidentally by the way
• e.g. I really got to go now. Incidentally, dont
  forget to pay a visit to your mother tomorrow.
  She is expecting you.

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rank

• 1. n. a position in the hierarchy of the armed
  force or society
• e. g. He was at last promoted to the rank of
  Captain.
• Translate????????????????
• People of all ranks are very attentive to this
  case.

• 2. v. be or put (in a certain class)
• Translate??????????????????
• This town ranks high among New England beauty
  spots.

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(in)adequate adj.

• 1) enough for the purpose, and no more
• e.g. The citys water supply is no longer
  adequate.
• 2) having the necessary ability or qualities
• e.g. I hope he will be adequate to the job.

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blurt v. say (something which should not be
said) suddenly and without thinking

• e. g. As soon as the teacher put forward the
  question, he blurted the answer out.
• Translate ?????????????????
• He blurted out the news before he considered its
  effect.

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Expressions for Unemployment

• 1. I got fired.  ???????
• 2. I got the boot.  ??????
• 3. I got the ax. ??????
• 4. I got sacked./ I got the sack.??????
• 5. They kicked me out.  ????????/??????
• 6. My boss showed me the door yesterday. 
• ??????????
• 7. I was canceled.  ??????
• 8. I was laid off.  ?????
• 9. The boss told me that I dont have to come in t
  omorrow, or any other day.
• ??????,??????????????
• 10. My boss told me to find a better job.
• ?????????

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Part ? Text B

• A Mortal Flower
• Comprehension Questions
• Translation

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Comprehension Questions

• 1. Why were the authors parents not confident of
  her success when she wrote for the job?
• 2. Why did the author want to get the job?
• 3. What can we infer about the authors parents?
• 4. What did the author do to disguise her age?
• 5. How did the author feel at the interview?
• 6. What quality of the author impressed the
  Comptroller?

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Translation

• Neither Father nor Mother thought I would get in.
  You have to have pull. Its an American thing,
  Rockefeller Foundation. You must have pull.
• Of course, one who does not work must not eat
  unless one can get married, which is called
  being settled at last.
• She had the new style of hair, all upstanding
  curls, which I admired, a dress with a print
  round the hem she was very pregnant, so that her
  belly seemed to be coming at me first.
• I told Mr. Harned you were shy and upset, and
  thats why you couldnt take dictation. Hes all
  right, just takes getting used to, thats all.

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Part IV Theme-related Task

• 1. Role Play
• Carry on a dialogue with a partner based on the
  following situation

Imagine one of you is an employer and the other a
college graduate applying for a job. The employer
is now conducting an interview with the
applicant. The questions the employer asks are
mainly about the applicants academic training,
practical experience and other relevant details.
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Part IV Theme-related Task

• 2. Discussion
• 1. In your opinion, what should the college
  graduate have
• done before the interview?
• 2. What do you think of the writers four
  suggestions about job application? Can you add
  anything?
• 3. Think of as many occupations as possible and
  write them down on a piece of paper. Try to
  classify them into categories. Evaluate each job
  from different perspectives. After comparing,
  choose your favorite kind of job.

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Part ? Assignment

• Essay Writing
• Write a letter to Mr. Mackay to apply for a job
  in his company.
• Prepare for the next Unit
• 1) do the pre-reading task
• 2) preview Text A

• Read the writing strategy on page 105 before you
  write it and the checklist on page 106 after you
  finish your writing.

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• The End