WHO IS WHO IN THE JOB INTERVIEW?

WRITE THE WORDS IN THE PICTURE

interviewer candidate interviewee recruiter

HOMEWORK prospective employer prospective employee

READING AND SPEAKING

4 people are telling stories from their job interviews.
Read the stories and decide who the author is - the interviewer or the interviewee.
Then tell the other student what happened and whether you think this person got the job or not /
should have got the job or not.

STORY NO 1

“I had a video interview with a tech company. So I only put a shirt and a tie on, comfortably sitting in my
boxer briefs in my living room. In the middle of the interview, they gave me some tasks to do, so I had to
go and get a piece of paper and a pen. I got up, slowly walked all the way to the other side of my room,
came back, and sat down at the computer. Then I realised they’d seen everything.” I was so embarrassed…
– Mike R.

STORY NO 2

We were doing panel interviews for a refinery operator position. One young man came in and while he did
well on the interview questions, he seemed very nervous and often looked at his watch. At the end of the
interview, we told him he needed to go to the medical department for a drug test. He seemed very
stressed at this news, looked at his watch again and asked if it would take a long time. I was already
annoyed at this point, so I asked him if there was a problem and if he was in a hurry somewhere. We were
all shocked by his response. He said, "No, it's just that my wife is having a baby. I had dropped her off at
the hospital on the way to the interview." When we asked why he hadn’t called to reschedule the
interview, he said, "Because I really need this job." He was hired, of course.

– Rob W.
STORY NO 3

I remember it was on a Wednesday morning. I got to my job interview 15 minutes late due to traffic
problems but I still hoped I could get to the interview, I thought perhaps some other candidate who had
come earlier could go in first, and I could go in after them.

So I ran up the stairs, apologizing a lot, explaining what had delayed me, only to get a cold look from the
receptionist. She said the boss was unavailable. I was really disappointed that he couldn’t even wait 15
minutes for me. I mean, things happen.

As it later turned out, I had mistaken the days. My interview had been scheduled for a Thursday, not a
Wednesday. So technically, I was too early, not too late ;)

However, I did not get the job. The recruiter said that I had showed terrible organization and time
management skills.

– Dave W.

STORY NO 4

Once I was interviewing a candidate for a mortgage sales position. She was dressed very professionally and
had about a year and a half of experience, but the interview was a disaster for one simple reason.... In the
middle of our conversation suddenly her cell phone started ringing. Instead of switching it off, she
answered it! And she began to talking (to her boyfriend, I think) for approximately one minute. I was
shocked and told her that the interview was over. She didn't understand why I had canceled the interview.

– Ann K.
 HOMEWORK
Exercise - Match synonyms

1. a candidate a) a man’s underpants

2. a recruiter b) an answer

3. conduct an interview c) change the time of an appointment

4. be in labour d) more or less

5. briefs e) employ

6. a response f) do an interview

7. approximately g) give birth

8. hire h) an interviewee

9. reschedule i) understand, remember something suddenly

10. a mortgage j) irritated

11. annoyed k) a loan you take to buy eg a house

12. realize l) an interviewer