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Topic/Vocabulary area:
JOB INTERVIEWS
LEVEL:
TEACHER WORKSHEET
shortlist
2.
interviewee
3.
headhunter
4.
interviewer
5.
application
6.
vacancy
7.
human resources
8.
reference
focus on discussion
ACTIVITY 2 PAIRS
How many job interviews have you had so far? Did you enjoy them?
What were the most difficult questions that you had to answer during job
interviews?
What advice would you give to anyone going for a job interview?
Have you heard about any unusual, strange techniques used during job
interviews?
focus on reading
ACTIVITY 3 INDIVIDUALLY > CHECK WITH WHOLE GROUP
Read the text to find out if the following statements are TRUE or FALSE.
1. Natasha Grishkinas interviewer was rude to her from the very beginning. FALSE
2. During the interview, Natasha lied about her qualifications. FALSE
3. Natasha Grishkina was offered the job. TRUE
4. When Natasha heard that the interviewers behaviour was a test she accepted the
job. FALSE
5. Stressful interviews are more and more common in Russia. TRUE
6. Elena Agoshina did not get the job because her future boss preferred Scandinavianlooking women. FALSE
7. According to recruiters, unconventional methods are useful in discovering the real
character of interviewees. TRUE
8. Aggressive reaction to humiliation is always viewed favourably by the interviewers.
FALSE
AT FIRST the job interview seemed to be going well for Natasha Grishkina.
The questions were straightforward and the female interviewer seemed friendly.
But suddenly the atmosphere changed.
The woman started shouting, accusing Grishkina of lying about her
qualifications. Yelling abuse, she ordered the 26-year-old applicant to leave,
throwing her CV after her.
The next day the same recruiter telephoned to offer her the job. Her hostility, she
explained, had been faked to test how Grishkina reacted to difficult situations. I
was so shocked I told her to get lost, said Grishkina, a public relations manager
in Moscow.
As Russian businesses grow more competitive, employers are increasingly using
the so-called stressovoye stressful interview to help them hire the best
staff. Interviewers shout at applicants, throw water over them, insult them and
ask intimate personal questions.
Elena Agoshina, a 32-yearold personal assistant, stormed out of a job interview
at a Moscow headhunting firm when the female recruiter first congratulated her
on her successful interview, then said there was one small formality: her future
boss liked Scandinavian-looking women and before you get the job well have
www.english-4U.com: JULY 2006
to colour your hair and improve your nose and lips with a bit of plastic surgery.
But dont worry well pay for everything.
At that point I was so angry and humiliated that I stormed out. Obviously I
didnt pass the test because they never called again, Agoshina said.
Recruiters claim unconventional methods help them to assess potential staff
more accurately. Throwing a glass of water in someones face is said to be
especially revealing: the interviewee is considered to have strength of character
and leadership qualities if they react aggressively.
If the humiliation fails to provoke a reaction, the candidate is seen as ideal for a
boss seeking a submissive deputy with little ambition who will pose no threat.
Its a very effective method because it really does reveal someones true
character, said Natalya Kondratyeva, of ABC Consulting.
Some firms call new employees with a bogus job offer from another company.
Those who express an interest are sacked for disloyalty.
However, many in Russia find such tactics unacceptable. Grigory Ganin, 32, a
Moscow telecommunications manager, said: No serious professional would
stand for such treatment. If a recruiter threw water at me I would definitely hit
him in the face.
Clearly he is a born leader.
focus on discussion
ACTIVITY 4 WHOLE GROUP
Do you agree that the methods shown in the article might assess candidates
more accurately?
What advice would you give to anyone going for a job interview?
focus on vocabulary
ACTIVITY 5 PAIRS > CHECK WITH WHOLE GROUP
not complicated
straightforward
to yell abuse
unfriendly behaviour
hostility
to storm out
humiliated
revealing
submissive
be dangerous to
to pose a threat
false
bogus
to sack
focus on talking
ACTIVITY 6 PAIRS
Imagine you want to employ an assistant. What questions would you ask
him/her? Write the questions and then interview another student for a job.
Would you employ him / her. Why yes/not?