Language functions:

Topic/Vocabulary area:

discussing issues; reading comprehension

job interviews; recruitment

JOB INTERVIEWS
LEVEL:

TEACHER WORKSHEET

recruitment vocabulary quiz

ACTIVITY 1 PAIRS > CHECK WITH WHOLE GROUP

Read the definitions and guess the words.

1.

a small group selected out of a bigger group of

candidates for the job

shortlist

2.

a person who answers questions in an interview

interviewee

3.

a person whose job is to find people suitable for a

particular job and persuade them to join a new
company

headhunter

4.

a person who asks questions in an interview

interviewer

5.

a written request for the job usually sent with a CV

application

6.

a job that is available

vacancy

7.

the department in the company that deals with

employing new staff

human resources

8.

a letter to a potential new employer, written by

someone who knows you in order to recommend
you

reference

focus on discussion
ACTIVITY 2 PAIRS

Ask and answer these questions in 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?

Do you remember any interviews which went completely wrong? Why?

What advice would you give to anyone going for a job interview?

Have you heard about any unusual, strange techniques used during job
interviews?

www.english-4U.com: JULY 2006

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

If you survive the interview, you get the job

by Mark Franchetti, Moscow
source: www.timesonlie.co.uk, 2 July 2006

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

Discuss the following questions.

How would you react if a recruiter threw water at

you during a job interview or suggested a
complete makeover? Would you accept the job
offer if you passed the test?

Do you agree that the methods shown in the article might assess candidates
more accurately?

Would such unconventional interview techniques be possible in your country?

Do you find calling employees with a bogus job offer unethical?

What advice would you give to anyone going for a job interview?

www.english-4U.com: JULY 2006

focus on vocabulary
ACTIVITY 5 PAIRS > CHECK WITH WHOLE GROUP

Find these words in the text.

not complicated

straightforward

to shout offensive remarks

to yell abuse

unfriendly behaviour

hostility

to leave the place extremely angry

to storm out

feel ashamed or stupid

humiliated

giving you new interesting information

revealing

someone who does whatever someone else

asks them to do

submissive

be dangerous to

to pose a threat

false

bogus

to dismiss somebody from a job

to sack

to not let somebody do something or

something happen

not stand for something

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?

www.english-4U.com: JULY 2006