English Unlimited HTL 4/5, Schulbuch mit Audio-CD und CD-ROM

53 Work, work, work 04 LANGUAGE SKILLS EXPLORE EXTRAS Work alone. What transferable skills do you have that would be relevant to these jobs? a 22 It is not just skills and abilities that influence your chances of getting a job. What advice would you give to someone who’s attending their first job interview? Make a list of ‘dos and don’ts’. Compare your lists. Do you agree with all the advice? Read the introduction to the article. What do you imagine ‘unusual behaviour’ might include? Now read the rest of the article. Which stories 1–14 do you find difficult to believe? a REaDIng 23 b a 24 b The job interview: things not to say and do We’ve all been interviewed for jobs. And we’ve all spent most of those interviews thinking about what not to do. Don’t bite your nails. Don’t dget. Don’t interrupt. But some job applicants go a long way beyond this. We surveyed the top personnel executives of a hundred major corporations and asked for stories of unusual behaviour by job applicants. 1. An applicant said he was so well qualified that if he didn’t get the job, it would prove the management was incompetent. 2. She wore a Walkman, but told me she could listen to the music and me at the same time. 3. A balding candidate abruptly left the room and returned a few minutes later wearing a hairpiece. 4. He challenged me to an arm wrestle. 5. She asked to see my CV to check if I was qualified to judge her. 6. She complained that she hadn’t had lunch and proceeded to eat a hamburger and fries in my office. 7. He stopped the interview to phone his therapist, who advised him to ignore the question I’d just asked. 8. She refused to get out of the chair and threatened to stay in my office until I hired her. I had to call the police. 9. She pulled out a camera, snapped a picture of me and said she collected photos of everyone who interviewed her. 10. He asked me to put on a suit jacket to ensure that my job offer was for real. 11. An alarm clock went off in the candidate’s briefcase. He took it out, turned it off, apologised for the interruption and said he had to leave for another interview. 12. She came in wearing only one shoe. She said the other shoe had been stolen on the bus. 13. She came to the interview with a moped and left it in the reception area. She said she didn’t want it to get stolen and announced that she would require indoor parking for the moped. 14. A candidate thanked me for seeing him but admitted he didn’t want a job. He’d only come because the unemployment office needed proof that he was looking for one. Decide which job would be most suitable for you. In groups, explain your ideas from 22a. Who would be the best person for each job? Example: A: I could be a high-rise window cleaner. I’ve always been quite sporty, so I’ve got a good sense of balance . B: Really? I’d be terrified of falling … b   a high-rise window cleaner   a workshop mechanic   an architect   a software engineer   the mayor of a small town   a hotel manager Unusual behaviour at job interviews Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigen um des Verlags öbv