6th Grade • Secondary School

Interacting in job interviews

Secondary School • 6th Grade

Interacting in job interviews
(Interactuar en entrevistas de trabajo)

Posible situación en la que se puede utilizar lo aprendido:

Estás interesando en conseguir un trabajo en el sector turístico, para el cual es necesario saber inglés. Para esto,
te harán una entrevista en ese idioma en la cual debes responder preguntas sobre tus intereses, tu formación académica,
tu experiencia de trabajo y tus habilidades. A fin de poder desenvolverte bien en la entrevista, debes saber interactuar
de forma pertinente en entrevistas de trabajo.

Introduction to the Unit

Welcome to this new unit! This time, you will work with vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension and writing
related to interacting in job interviews. In this sense, the focus will be on preparing for a job interview. You will have
an opportunity to assess your knowledge before and after you complete this unit. Before starting with the exercises,
use the flashcards on page 11 to learn this unit’s vocabulary. You can also access www.bit.ly/SEC6_CARDS_5
to study this unit’s vocabulary and expressions.
We hope you enjoy this learning experience!

Introducción a la Unidad

¡Bienvenido/a a esta nueva unidad! Esta vez, aprenderás sobre vocabulario, gramática, lectura y escritura relativas
a interactuar en entrevistas de trabajo. En ese sentido, se hará énfasis en el tema de preparación para una entrevista
de trabajo. Además, podrás evaluar tus conocimientos antes y después de completar la unidad. Antes de hacer los
ejercicios, utiliza las tarjetas que se incluyen en la página 11, para aprender el vocabulario de esta unidad. También
puedes ingresar al sitio www.bit.ly/SEC6_CARDS_5 para practicar el vocabulario y expresiones.
¡Esperamos que disfrutes esta experiencia de aprendizaje!

Initial Self-Assessment

Complete the following table with an emoji based on your current knowledge.

STATEMENT
YES! SO-SO… NO
I can write sentences using at least 5 words related to the world of work,
such as hire, fire, schedule, availability, shift, position, resumé, etc.

I can write at least 4 questions using present and past tenses

(Present Simple, Present Perfect, Past Simple).

I can answer questions to demonstrate specific understanding of a

written text about a job interview.

1
6th Grade • Secondary School
Interacting in job interviews

Learning New Vocabulary!

Exercise #1
Read the following statistics about job interviews from Europe*. Circle the option you believe correctly
completes each idea. Do you think the situation would be similar in your country?
* from the website https://www.twinemployment.com/blog/8-surprising-statistics-about-interviews

1. ______% of interviewers said they would not offer a job to an

interviewee who doesn’t know anything about the company.
a) 15% b) 47% c) 88%

2. ______% of interviewers said it is fundamental that the

interviewee smiles during the conversation.
a) 10% b) 31% c) 60%
INTERVIEWER INTERVIEWEE
The person who The person who 3. ______% of interviewers explained that they would not offer a
asks questions in answers questions job to an interviewee who doesn’t make eye contact.
the interview. in the interview. a) 40% b) 75% c) 90%

Exercise #2
Read the following words on the left related to the world of work, and the definitions on the right.
Then, match the number of each word with the correct definition for it.

1. position # ____ The time you are free to do something in particular; for example, work.
2. shift # ____ An ability you are very good at, a talent that gives you an advantage.
3. schedule # ____ The action when a company makes a contract and pays you to work.
4. resumé # ____ A period of time you work actively, normally around 8-10 hours.
5. availability # ____ A document with the times you start and finish work, classes, etc.
6. strength # ____ A short document containing personal information, work experience, etc.
7. weakness # ____ An area of your abilities or personality that you need to work on.
8. hire # ____ The action when a company finishes your contract immediately.
9. fire # ____ A specific job inside a company or organization.

Exercise #3
Complete the following sentences with one of the words from the left column in Exercise #2.

A. Please come next week to our company again. They always ______________ new people the last week of June.

B. My biggest ________________________ is that I am not punctual. It is difficult for me to manage my time!

C. I’m sorry, Doctor Padilla has no ___________________________ this Friday. What about next Monday?

D. Look at the ____________________________ of my new job. It is crazy! I start at 8 am and finish at 10 pm!

2
6th Grade • Secondary School
Interacting in job interviews

E. Please, bring a copy of your _______________________ with you when you come to the interview.

F. If a boss wants to _____________________ you, they need to give you a compensation for your years of work.

G. I’m applying for a ___________________________ of secretary at the Metropolitan Hospital. Wish me luck!

H. I consider that one of my ___________________________ is my ability to work effectively in big groups.

i. They gave me the night _____________________ two times a week. I love it! It’s so silent at night at the clinic.

Exercise #4
Read each one of the following questions, which are common in a job interview. Circle the option that
best completes each question. Then, imagine you are an interviewee applying for your ideal job, and
write short answers to the questions (it is not necessary to use real information!).

1. What is your most important __________? What talents do you offer this organization?
a) resume b) shift c) availability d) strength

YOUR ANSWER: ____________________________________________________________________________.

2. What is your __________ right now? If possible, you could start working next Monday.
a) weakness b) availability c) hire d) resume

YOUR ANSWER: ____________________________________________________________________________.

3. I was reading your __________ and noticed you worked for our company 5 years ago. Why did you leave?
a) shift b) fire c) resume d) position

YOUR ANSWER: ____________________________________________________________________________.

4. Do you like waking up early? This job includes 3 morning __________ every week.
a) hire b) shifts c) strengths d) weaknesses

YOUR ANSWER: ____________________________________________________________________________.

5. Why should our company __________ you? What is unique or special about your skills?
a) fire b) resume c) availability d) hire

YOUR ANSWER: ____________________________________________________________________________.

6. We have 2 different __________ available: waiter and cashier. Which one are you interested in?
a) positions b) strengths c) schedules d) fires

YOUR ANSWER: ____________________________________________________________________________.

3
6th Grade • Secondary School
Interacting in job interviews

Practicing Grammar!
Exercise #1
Read the following abilities/skills. Then write next to each profession the numbers representing the
abilities you believe are fundamental for them.

ABILITIES / SKILLS COMPUTER PROGRAMMER :

1. Collaboration skills: ability to work
with other people well TRANSLATOR :
2. Problem-solving skills: ability to find
solutions to new problems TV REPORTER :

3. Public speaking skills: ability to speak CONSTRUCTION WORKER :

in front of a big audience
4. Organizational skills: ability to be TEACHER :
punctual, orderly, and organized
TOUR GUIDE :
5. Communication skills: ability to give,
understand and follow instructions WAITER / WAITRESS :

Exercise #2
Read the following short job interview. Underline the questions asked by Ms. Leiva, and determine if
they are in present or past.

INTERVIEWER: Ms. Pamela Leiva • INTERVIEWEE: Ms. Andrea Andrade

Ms. Leiva: Hello Ms. Andrade. Please tell me more about yourself.
Ms. Andrade: Yes! My name is Andrea Andrade, and I’m a translator. I can
speak English, Spanish, and a little French. I’m from Moca.
Ms. Leiva: Perfect! Have you already finished your studies?
Ms. Andrade: Yes, I graduated two years ago, from the International Center of Translators.
Ms. Leiva: I see! Have you ever worked at a translation company before?
Ms. Andrade: Yes, I have. I worked for 1 year at “Home Homey DR”, a company that sells house decorations and
furniture. I translated documents from English to Spanish, such as manuals and contracts.
Ms. Leiva: I know that company! Did you enjoy your time there?
Ms. Andrade: I liked it a lot, but I am ready for a change.
Ms. Leiva: That’s good to hear. What do you consider as your strengths, Ms. Andrade?
Ms. Andrade: Well, I think I have strong collaboration and organizational skills. I like to have things in order, and
it is easy for me to work with other people. I consider myself a very sociable person.
Ms. Leiva: Those are very important qualities for us. Now, let’s talk about the schedule, salary and your
possible responsibilities as a translator in our company.

4
6th Grade • Secondary School
Interacting in job interviews

Keep in mind!

We ask questions in order to know more information. The tense we use in the question reflects
our intention, such as general habits (normally in Present Simple), specific past experiences
(usually in Past Simple) or general life experiences (generally in Present Perfect).

WH- WORD AUXILIARY VERB SUBJECT MAIN VERB EXTRA INFO

Where do you work?
PRESENT SIMPLE
— Does she live in Constanza?

What did they eat for breakfast?

PAST SIMPLE
— Did Ruth clean her room yesterday?

Who have you told our secret?

PRESENT PERFECT
— Has he traveled to the beach this year?

Exercise #3
Order the words in each case to form questions that are common in job interviews.

1. do / want / Why / you / position / this ?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. big / ever / group / Have / worked / a / with / you ?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. study / in / What / college / you / did ?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. has / favorite / job / been / What / your ?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. last / did / job / What / you / learn / in / your ?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Exercise #4
Create job interview questions in Present Perfect using the verbs (in parenthesis). If your personal
answer to each question is “Yes”, write a check ( ) in the box or an X ( ) if the answer is “No”,

1. (drive a truck) __________________________________________________________________________________________________ ?

2. (teach English) _________________________________________________________________________________________________ ?

3. (sing in public) _________________________________________________________________________________________________ ?

4. (write a resume) _______________________________________________________________________________________________ ?

5. (repair a computer) ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ?

5
6th Grade • Secondary School
Interacting in job interviews

Reading Practice: Randy’s Job Interview

Exercise #1
Read again the questions in Exercise #4 of the “Practicing Grammar!” section. In your opinion, for what
specific jobs or positions is each question relevant? Write 1-2 answers in each case.

1. ____________________________________ 3. ____________________________________ 5. __________________________________

2. ____________________________________ 4. ____________________________________

Read the following dialogue and complete the exercises below.

(You can find the audio file for this reading here: www.bit.ly/SEC6_AUDIO_05)

INTERVIEWER: Nicolás Torres (N) ▪ INTERVIEWEE: Randy Polanco (R)

N: Good afternoon! You are Randy, right?

R: Good afternoon. Yes, I am Randy Piedra.

N: Randy, we usually receive foreigner clients who communicate in English, so the interview
will be in English. Welcome to Tito’s Car Workshop! We repair all kinds of cars here…

R: Thanks! I am familiar with the place and your services. I have come here before as a client.

N: Oh nice! So, you know us... What position are you applying for?

R: I'm here because I saw on the Internet that you have an open position as an electrical systems technician.

N: Perfect. Tell me about yourself. Have you ever worked before?

R: I have lived in the Dominican Republic since 2010, but I am originally from Argentina. There, my father had his
own car workshop, and he worked as a mechanic. He was my teacher. In total, I have fixed cars for 15 years! I also
organize and teach art classes to children on Saturdays, and I sell homemade empanadas with a friend on Sundays.

N: Wow — you are hardworking! … In your opinion, what is your biggest strength? And your biggest weakness?

R: My biggest strength is my ability to concentrate and focus. I can listen to music, hear people’s conversations,
and all the noise in the workshop, but I concentrate 100% on my work. A weakness… sometimes it’s difficult for me
to express when I need help. I love solving problems, but I need to communicate better with others.

N: Thank you for that. Did you like working with your dad?

R: I did! It was great. Yes, we had some problems, but that’s normal for fathers and sons. We were a good team.

N: Randy, what’s your availability?

R: I can work from Monday to Friday, all morning and afternoon.

N: Fantastic! Right now, our priority is a person in the mornings…

6
6th Grade • Secondary School
Interacting in job interviews

Exercise #2
Read the text and answer the following questions.

1. Where (in what place) does this interview happen? ____________________________________________

2. What is the position the interviewee is interested in? ____________________________________________

3. Where is the interviewee originally from? ____________________________________________

Exercise #3
Read the text. Then, read the following ideas and write 1-5 to decide in what order they are mentioned
in the dialogue. Pay attention! You will not need one idea.

# ____ A. A mention of the interviewee’s different jobs

# ____ B. The narration of a very negative situation in the last job

# ____ C. An explanation why the interview is not in Spanish

# ____ D. The moments of the week when the interviewee can work as a mechanic

# ____ E. A confirmation of the interviewee’s name

# ____ F. Two different sides of the interviewee’s personality and skills

Exercise #4
Read the text again. Then, read the following statements and decide if they are True, False or Not
Mentioned in the story. If a statement is False, write the correct information.

1. This is the first time that Randy goes to Tito’s Car Workshop. TRUE FALSE NOT MENTIONED

________________________________________________________.

2. Randy learned about the position on the radio. TRUE FALSE NOT MENTIONED

________________________________________________________.

3. Randy’s weekend jobs are related to arts and food. TRUE FALSE NOT MENTIONED

________________________________________________________.

4. Randy learned how to concentrate by cooking empanadas. TRUE FALSE NOT MENTIONED

________________________________________________________.

5. Randy’s work experience with his dad was positive, but not perfect. TRUE FALSE NOT MENTIONED

________________________________________________________.

6. Nicolás urgently needs a mechanic to work at night. TRUE FALSE NOT MENTIONED

________________________________________________________.

7
6th Grade • Secondary School
Interacting in job interviews

Exercise #5
Finish the dialogue between Randy and Nicolás with 2-3 more questions and answers: one version
where Randy will probably get the position (a good result), and one version where Randy will probably
not get the position (a bad result).

GOOD ENDING for the interview BAD ENDING for the interview

__________________________________________ __________________________________________

__________________________________________ __________________________________________

__________________________________________ __________________________________________

__________________________________________ __________________________________________

__________________________________________ __________________________________________

__________________________________________ __________________________________________

__________________________________________ __________________________________________

__________________________________________ __________________________________________

__________________________________________ __________________________________________

__________________________________________ __________________________________________

__________________________________________ __________________________________________

__________________________________________ __________________________________________

__________________________________________ __________________________________________

Final Self-Assessment

Complete the following table with an emoji based on your current knowledge.

STATEMENT
YES! SO-SO… NO

I can write sentences using at least 5 words related to the world of work,
such as hire, fire, schedule, availability, shift, position, resumé, etc.

I can write at least 4 questions using present and past tenses

(Present Simple, Present Perfect, Past Simple).

I can answer questions to demonstrate specific understanding of a

written text about a job interview.

8
6th Grade • Secondary School
Interacting in job interviews

Learning Portfolio

What is your ideal job? _________________________________________________________________

Imagine you are doing a job interview for this ideal job. Write 4-6 questions by the interviewer, and your
answer for each one of those questions. Make sure to write different types of questions – you can use the
questions in this Unit as inspiration!

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

9
6th Grade • Secondary School
Interacting in job interviews

Unit Flashcards

You can use the following flashcards in different ways:

(Puedes utilizar las siguientes tarjetas de vocabulario de diferentes formas:)

 To test your memory: cut the cards and fold the words. Then, check if you remember them.
(Para poner a prueba tu memoria: Recorta las tarjetas y dobla hacia atrás las palabras. Entonces, verifica si las
recuerdas.)

 To play a matching game: cut the cards and the names. Then, match the correct ones.
(Para un juego de correspondencia: Recorta cada tarjeta por la línea punteada. Luego, empareja cada figura con
su nombre)

 To play a memory game: cut the cards with pictures and the cards with the names. Put them face-
down, and turn around 1 picture card and 1 name card at a time. If they match, you get a point!
(Para un juego de memoria: Recorta cada tarjeta. Coloca boca abajo, en dos grupos separados, las ilustraciones y
los nombres, y voltea una de cada grupo al mismo tiempo. Si hay correspondencia entre la ilustración y el nombre,
ganas un punto.)

 To practice online: go to the Internet and access www.bit.ly/SEC6_CARDS_5 to study this

vocabulary.
(Para practicar en línea: En el Internet, entra al enlace www.bit.ly/SEC6_CARDS_5 para estudiar este
vocabulario.)

10
6th Grade • Secondary School
Interacting in job interviews

MANAGER ASSISTANT RECEPTIONIST

POSITION SHIFT

SCHEDULE RESUME

STRENGTH WEAKNESS

HIRE FIRE

11
6th Grade • Secondary School
Interacting in job interviews

Past Simple & Past Participle Forms: Irregular Verbs

BASE PAST PAST BASE PAST PAST

FORM SIMPLE PARTICIPLE FORM SIMPLE PARTICIPLE
BE WAS /
BEEN PUT PUT PUT
(am, is, are) WERE

BUY BOUGHT BOUGHT READ READ READ

CHOOSE CHOSE CHOSEN RUN RAN RUN

COME CAME COME SAY SAID SAID

DRINK DRANK DRUNK SELL SOLD SOLD

DRIVE DROVE DRIVEN SEND SENT SENT

EAT ATE EATEN SING SANG SUNG

FEEL FELT FELT SLEEP SLEPT SLEPT

FIGHT FOUGHT FOUGHT SPEND SPENT SPENT

FLY FLEW FLOWN STAND STOOD STOOD

HIDE HID HIDDEN SWIM SWAM SWUM

KNOW KNEW KNOWN TEACH TAUGHT TAUGHT

LEAVE LEFT LEFT TELL TOLD TOLD

LOSE LOST LOST THINK THOUGHT THOUGHT

PAY PAID PAID WRITE WROTE WRITTEN

12