Job Interview: Getting Your First Job
Students listen to a voicemail inviting Camila to an interview and note down the details, read her interview at a bookstore, where she has no experience to show, match typical questions with good answers, complete Camila's draft answer, compare it with a more professional version (with a vocabulary x-ray) and answer open questions.
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7 blocks, in class order
What's in this activity
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Listening audio Voicemail: an invitation to an interview
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Fill in the gaps Listen and complete the notes
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Reading text Camila's first job interview
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Match the halves Interview questions: match the answers
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Fill in the gaps Camila's first draft: complete her answer
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Level-adapted text A stronger answer: same ideas, better English
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Open-ended questions Think and write
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Voicemail: an invitation to an interview
Listen and complete the notes
Camila's first job interview
Karen Miller: Welcome to Riverside Books, Camila! Please have a seat. How are you today?
Camila: Thank you, Ms. Miller. I'm doing great, and I'm very excited to be here.
Karen Miller: Excellent. Let's talk about your background. Do you have any previous work experience?
Camila: Honestly, I don't have formal job experience yet, as I'm a 19-year-old English student. However, I worked as a volunteer at my local library for six months. I organized books and answered questions for visitors.
Karen Miller: That sounds helpful! Working with visitors is a great way to practice helping customers.
Camila: Yes! I really enjoyed assisting customers and recommending good novels.
Karen Miller: What would you say are your main strengths?
Camila: I am very responsible and organized. Also, I learn new tasks quickly and enjoy teamwork. I believe good teamwork makes any workplace happier and more productive.
Karen Miller: I agree completely. What about your schedule? When are you available to work?
Camila: Since I attend English classes in the afternoon, I am available every morning and all day on weekends.
Karen Miller: That flexible schedule fits our needs perfectly. Thank you for your honest answers, Camila. We will contact you by Friday!
Camila: Thank you so much for your time!
Interview questions: match the answers
Match each interview question with a good answer.
Left halves
Right halves
Camila's first draft: complete her answer
A stronger answer: same ideas, better English
My name is Camila, and I am 19 years old. I graduated from high school last year. Although I lack experience in a retail store, I volunteered at the local library near my house for six months. My duties included shelving books and helping children find stories. I am passionate about reading, and I usually read two books a month. I am a reliable person who always arrives on time and enjoys interacting with people. I am interested in this position because I want to gain new skills and need income to pay for my English course. I am available to work during the morning and on weekends.
Vocabulary X-Ray
| Source | Adapted | Note |
|---|---|---|
| finished high school | graduated from high school | Uses more precise terminology for completing secondary education. |
| don't have experience | lack experience | Replaces a basic negative structure with a more concise verb. |
| helped at the library | volunteered at the local library | Clarifies the nature of the unpaid work using standard workplace vocabulary. |
| put books on the shelves | shelving books | Uses the specific verb form commonly used in job descriptions. |
| like books a lot | am passionate about reading | Upgrades a generic phrase to express strong interest more naturally. |
| responsible | reliable | Provides a slightly higher-level synonym suited for professional contexts. |
| like to talk to people | enjoys interacting with people | Replaces basic language with a common professional phrase. |
| want this job | am interested in this position | Uses standard job-application phrasing instead of informal words. |
| learn new things | gain new skills | Upgrades informal language to an accurate career-focused collocation. |
| need money | need income | Uses a more formal term related to personal finance. |
| can work | am available to work | Uses a professional term commonly found in work availability statements. |
Mini Glossary Show
- volunteered - offered to do work without expecting to be paid
- shelving - placing items neatly onto shelves
- reliable - able to be trusted to do what is expected or promised
- interacting - communicating or reacting with someone
- available - ready and free to do something or be used
Think and write
Although Camila does not have formal job experience, how did her volunteer work prepare her for a position at Riverside Books?
In your opinion, which of Camila's personal qualities or strengths makes her a good candidate for this job, and why?
Now it is your turn. Write your own answer to "Can you tell me about yourself?" for a job you would like (5–7 sentences). Use at least three expressions from the stronger answer.
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