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Файл:Английский язык устная речь. Практикум
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51
3.4. AN INTERVIEW
DIFFERENT TYPES OF INTERVIEW
A job interview is your chance to show an employer what
kind of employee he or she will get if you’re hired. That is why
it is essential to be well prepared for the job interview.
Preparing means knowing about the industry, the employer,
and yourself. It means paying attention to details like personal
appearance, punctuality, and demeanor.
Knowledge is always your best weapon and so you should
arm yourself with plenty of it. That starts with the very basic
bit of knowledge regarding job interviews. You should know
the different types of interviews you might face.
The Screening Interview
Your first interview with a particular employer will often
be the screening interview. This is usually an interview with
someone in human resources. It may take place in person or on
the telephone. He or she will have a copy of your resume in
hand and will try to verify the information on it. The human
resources representative will want to find out if you meet
the minimum qualifications for the job and, if you do, you will
be passed on to the next step.
The Selection Interview
The selection interview is the step in the process which makes
people the most anxious. The employer knows you are qualified
to do the job. While you may have the skills to perform the tasks
that are required by the job in question, the employer needs to
know if you have the personality necessary to ‘fit in’. Someone
who can’t interact well with management and co-workers may
disrupt the functioning of an entire department. This ultimately
can affect the company’s bottom line. Many experts feel that
this can be determined within the first several minutes of the
interview. However, more than one person being interviewed
for a single opening may appear to fit in. Often, job candidates
are invited back for several interviews with different people
before a final decision is made.
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The Group Interview
In the group interview, several job candidates are questioned
at once. Since any group naturally stratifies into leaders and
followers, the interviewer can easily find out into which
category each candidate falls. In addition to determining
whether you are a leader or a follower, the interviewer can also
learn whether you are a ‘team player’. You should do nothing
other than act naturally. Acting like a leader if you are not
one may get you a job that is inappropriate for you.
The Panel Interview
In a panel interview, the candidate is interviewed by several
people at once. Although it can be quite intimidating, you should
try to remain calm. Try to establish rapport with each member
of the panel. Make eye contact with each one as you answer his
or her question.
The Stress Interview
The stress interview is not a very nice way to be introduced
to the company that may end up being your future employer. It
is, however, a technique employers sometimes use to weed out
candidates who cannot handle adversity. The interviewer may
try to artificially introduce stress into the interview by asking
questions so quickly that the candidate doesn’t have time to
answer each one. Another interviewer trying to introduce stress
may respond to a candidate’s answers with silence. The
interviewer may also ask weird questions, not to determine what
the job candidate answers, but how he or she answers.
TYPICAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Interview Questions: Work History
Name of company, position title and descri ption, dates
of employment.
What were your expectations for the job and to what extent
were they met?
What were your starting and final levels of compensation?
What were your responsibilities?
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What major challenges and problems did you face? How did
you handle them?
What did you like or dislike about your previous job?
Which was most / least rewarding?
What was the biggest accomplishment / failure in this
position?
Questions about your supervisors and co-workers.
What was it like working for your supervisor?
What do you expect from a supervisor?
Who was your best boss and who was the worst?
Why are you leaving your job?
Why did you resign?
Why did you quit your job?
What have you been doing since your last job?
Why were you fired?
Job Interview Questions about You
What is your greatest weakness?
What is your greatest strength?
Describe a typical work week.
Do you take work home with you?
How many hours do you normally work?
How would you describe the pace at which you work?
How do you handle stress and pressure?
What motivates you?
What are your salary expectations?
What do you find are the most difficult decisions to make?
Tell me about yourself.
What has been the greatest disappointment in your life?
What are you passionate about?
What are your pet peeves?
What do people most often criticize about you?
When was the last time you were angry? What happened?
If you could relive the last 10 years of your life, what would
you do differently?
If the people who know you were asked why you should be
hired, what would they say?
Do you prefer to work independently or on a team?
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Give some examples of teamwork.
What type of work environment do you prefer?
How do you evaluate success?
If you know your boss is 100 % wrong about something
how would you handle it?
Describe a difficult work situation / project and how you
overcame it.
Describe a time when your workload was heavy and how
you handled it.
More job interview questions about your abilities.
More job interview questions about you.
Job Interview Questions about the New Job
and the Company
What interests you about this job?
Why do you want this job?
What applicable attributes / experience do you have?
Are you overqualified for this job?
What can you do for this company?
Why should we hire you?
Why are you the best person for the job?
What do you know about this company?
Why do you want to work here?
What challenges are you looking for in a position?
What can you contribute to this company?
Are you willing to travel?
What is good customer service?
Is there anything I haven’t told you about the job or company
that you would like to know?
Interview Questions: the Future
What are you looking for in your next job? What is
important to you?
What are your goals for the next five years / ten years?
How do you plan to achieve those goals?
What are your salary requirements — both short-term and
long-term?
Questions about your career goals.
What will you do if you don’t get this position?
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Task 1. Answer the questions.
1) What types of interviews have you learnt about? Describe
peculiarities of each type.
2) What are the most comfortable and the most stressful
types of interview?
3) What are typical (groups of) interview questions?
4) What are the most interesting/difficult/tricky questions?
How do you recommend to answer them?
Task 2. Choose three questions and answer them. Your groupmates
will analyse your answers.
Task 3. Make up a dialogue presenting an interview of an applicant
and an employer.
3.5. A CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT
SINGING A CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT
When an employee starts work for an organization (the
employer), it is desirable that the terms and conditions
of employment be negotiated and set down in a written
contract. This contract cannot of course determine how well
the employee can do the job or what his or her attitude will
be at work, but it does provide a framework in which both
employer and employee understand what each expects from
the ot h er in terms of pay, hours, holidays, sickness
arrangements, pension schemes and disci plinary procedures.
If either party fails to observe a part of the arrangement they
may be in ‘breach of contract’ — a matter which, in serious
cases, could be decided by a court or industrial tribunal
dependin g on interpretation of th e clause in question.
Contracts of Employment may be renegotiated at intervals —
often annually — though some firms prefer to issue a standard
booklet of rules, terms and conditions which apply to the jobs
of all employees. Further details showing what a Contract
of Employment should contain are found in this extract from
a Government leaflet.
56
The written statement must contain certain particulars
and an additional note on disciplinary and grievance procedures,
or it must say in what documents, which must be reasonably
accessible, this information may be examined.
The statement as to give the names of the employer and
employee; the date when the employment began; and say whether
any employment with a previous employer counts as part of the
employee’s continuous period of employment and, if so, the date
on which the period of continuous employment began.
The statement then has to give the following particulars
of the terms of employment as at a date, which must be specified,
not more th an a week before the statement is given to
the employee:
— the scale or rate of remuneration , or the method
of calculating remuneration (including, for example, any terms
on piece-rates, or overtime pay);
— the intervals at which remuneration is paid, that is
whether weekly or monthly or some other period;
— any terms and conditions relating to hours of work
(including normal working hours);
— any terms and conditions relating to: entitlement to
holidays, including public holidays (sufficient to enable
the employee’s entitlement, including any entitlement to accrued
holiday pay on the termination of employment, to be precisely
calculated);
— incapability for work due to sickness or injury, including
any provisions for sick pay; and pensions and pension schemes
(except when employees are covered by special statutory pension
schemes and their employers are already obliged by those
statutes to provide pensions information about them);
— the length of notice of termination which the employee
is obliged to give and entitled to receive, or if the contract is
for a fixed term, the date when the contract expires;
— the title of the job which the employee is employed to do.
Sometimes Contracts of Employment have no agreed terms
under one or more of these headings. For each item, when there
are no particulars to be given, the written statement must say
so.
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Task 1. Agree or disagree with the following statements. Prove your
opinion with the text.
1) A wr itten Contract of Employment is really very
important.
2) The contract can determine how well the employee can
do his/her job.
3) ‘Breech of contract’ is a serious matter.
4) Contracts of Employment are never renegotiated.
Task 2. Translate the introduction of the text.
Task 3. Denote the positions that should be fixed in the Contract.
Task 4. Make up a dialogue. One of you is going to apply for a job.
Try to persuade your friend not to forget about the Contract
of Employment.
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HOW TO WRITE A RESEARCH PAPER
Research is a systematic investigation of a topic outside
your own knowledge and experience. Doing research means,
however, more than just reading other people’s points of view.
When you undertake a research, you become involved in
a process that requires you to think critically (which means to
evaluate and interpret the ideas explored in the sources you
use and to formulate your own ideas). Your research will be
most efficient if you follow a systematic process such as the one
outlined below:
move from an assignment to a topic;
do exploratory research and formulate a research question;
assemble a working bibliography;
develop a tentative thesis;
do focused research;
take notes;
fine-tune your thesis;
outline your paper;
draft your paper;
revise your paper;
prepare your final draft.
Task 1. Try to explain the word ‘research’. Use dictionaries to find
synonyms of the words ‘a research’, ‘to research’. Explain
the difference between these words.
Section 4
WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER
59
Task 2. Answer the questions.
1) What components of research can we define?
2) Are all people able to make a research?
3) What traits of character are required to become a good
investigator?
4) Is it interesting to you to research/investigate/analyse?
5) What should a person do to make a good research? Name
the stages of a successful research.
Understanding Your Assignment
Every research paper begins with an assignment. Before
you can find a direction for your research, you must be sure
you understand the exact requirements of this assignment.
Here you can find questions which will help you to understand
your assignment better:
— Has your instructor provided a list of possible topics, or
are you expected to select a topic on your own?
— Is your purpose to explain, to persuade, or to do something
else?
— Is your audience your instructor? Your fellow students?
Both? Someone else?
— Can you assume your audience knows a lot (or just a little)
about your topic?
— When is the completed research paper due?
— About how long should it be?
— Will you be given a specific research schedule to follow,
or are you expected to set your own schedule?
— Are instructor-student conferences required? Are they
encouraged?
— Does your instructor require you to keep a research
notebook?
For example, you may be given the following assignment:
Write a ten-to fifteen-page research paper that takes
a position on any issue related to the Internet. Keep a research
notebook that traces your progress.
Task 3. Explain the word ‘assignment’. What helps you to understand
your assignment?
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Task 4. Answer the questions from this chapter about your
assignment.
Choosing a Topic
Once you understand the requirements and scope of your
assignment, you need to decide on a topic. In many cases, your
instructor will help you choose a topic, either by providing
a list of suitable topics or by suggesting a general subject area—
for example, a famous trial, an event that happened on the day
you were born, a problem on college campuses. Keep in mind,
though, that you may still need to narrow your topic to one you
can write about: one trial, one event, one problem.
If your instructor prefers that you select a topic on your
own, you should consider a number of possible topics and weigh
both their suitability for research and your interest in them.
You decide on a topic for your research paper in much the same
way you decide on a topic for a short essay: you read, brainstorm,
talk to people, and ask questions. Specifically, you talk to friends
and family, coworkers, and perhaps your instructor; read
magazines and newspapers; take stock of your interests;
consider possible topics suggested by your other courses
(historical events, scientific developments, and so on); and,
of course, browse the Internet.
Task 5. Answer the questions.
1) How is the process of choosing a topic described in this
paragraph?
2) Who/what can help you in choosing a topic?
3) What is the topic of your research?
Task 6. Describe a process of choosing the topic for your research.
Starting a Research Notebook
Keeping a research notebook, a combination journal of your
reactions and log of your progress, is an important part of the
research process. A research notebook maps out your direction
and keeps you on track; throughout the research process, it
helps y ou def i ne a nd redefine the boun d aries of your
assignment.
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