Job Interview Intermediate ESL Lesson Plan: Warm-up (Pair Work)
1) What was your first job? What is the worst job you have ever had?
2) Do humans need to work? If you were rich and didn’t work at all, could you be happy?
3) What questions are inappropriate for an interviewer to ask in an interview?
4) Brainstorm: Take two minutes to make a list of things you should and shouldn’t do
before, in, and after an interview. When finished, share your list with the class.
Job Interviewing – Key Vocabulary in Context
Due to the economic crisis, competition for jobs is intense in many parts of the world. People
are being laid off from their jobs. Therefore, when the opportunity for an interview arises, it’s
important to perform well. Interviews, however, are still a source of anxiety for many people.
According to workplace experts Joyce Lain Kennedy and Rebecca Corfield, many job seekers
make the mistake of revealing too much negative information about themselves without
realizing it. Hasty answers to questions such as “Why are you out of work?” can highlight your
own weaknesses. Kennedy also suggests minimizing criticism about former co-workers and
bosses. Rather, she believes it’s better to say that you get along with everyone. Showing
interest in the position is also important. Job seekers can do this by showing they’ve done
adequate research before the interview and by asking questions in the interview. In addition,
experts recommend avoiding premature talk of salary and perks (unless the interviewer brings
it up). It’s best to focus on what you can offer the employer, and not vice versa.
While most companies claim to be equal opportunity employers, inappropriate questions are not
uncommon in interviews. In the US, it is illegal to ask about nationality, religion, age, marital
status, military background, health, union membership, and even place of residence. Of course,
verbally punching an interviewer for asking a discriminatory question will greatly reduce your
prospects of getting hired. The key is to redirect the question to a safer topic.
People go to great lengths to get hired. Some lie about their qualifications and experience. This
behavior may be supported by the belief that getting a job is harder than actually doing it. (278
words)
[Sources: http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2010/feb/27/job-interview-tips, http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_16240443006/seven-inappropriate-interview-questions/, http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2012/01/26/10-tricky-job-interview-questions-towatch-out-for/]
Job Interview ESL Lesson Plan: Follow-up Questions
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1) According to the author, why is doing well in interviews now more important than ever?
2) What do the experts say you shouldn’t do in an interview?
3) Why do they say you should do?
4) What does the phrase equal opportunity employer mean (in your opinion)?
5) True or False: In the US, it’s illegal to ask, “Do you have a history of health problems?”
6) What should you do if you are asked a discriminatory question?
7) Idiom: what does it mean to go to great lengths to do something?
Match the words with their meaning as used in the article.
1. intense
a. worry or fear about sth
2. lay off sb (phrasal verb)
b. too early
3. anxiety
c. show or tell something that was hidden
4. reveal (verb)
d. negative talk about sth or sb
5. hasty
e. a necessary skill or experience for a job/activity
6. highlight (verb)
f. where you live
7. criticism
g. done quickly without enough thought
8. adequate
h. emphasize sth; make sth easy to see
9. premature
i. extreme, great, strong
10. perk
j. enough
11. residence
k. an extra benefit you get from an employer
12. prospect
l. chance, hope, possibility
13. qualification
m. end the employment of a worker
Master the language: Connect the below ideas to make a sentence. (good for homework)
government / crush / uprising
competition / intense
anxiety / lay off
reveal / lying
hasty / answer
highlight / strengths
criticism / colleagues
perk / Lexus
qualifications / adequate
premature / decision
residence / new
prospect / unemployment
e.g. The government plans to crush the uprising.
Job Interview ESL Lesson Plan: Difficult Interview Questions
1) What are some difficult interview questions?
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2) What is the best way to answer the below questions?
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How long would you stay in the position?
What is your weakness?
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Describe a time when you failed.
Why are you leaving your present job?
Job Interview ESL Lesson Plan: Job Interview Role-play (Pair work)
1) You and your partner will take turns interviewing. First, decide who will be the first job seeker.
Next, choose one of the below jobs to apply for. When you’ve chosen, read your role below.
Project Manager, IBM
English Instructor, ABC Learning.
Head Chef, Antonio’s
Duties: Manage projects on time
and on budget. Responsible for
risk management, project
tracking & planning.
Duties: Teaching group & private
classes in businesses
Duties: delivery of food services
Required: Bachelors degree,
experience in project mgmt, and
expertise in MS Office. Must
have excellent leadership &
interpersonal skills.
Student A
(Interviewee)
Student B
(Interviewer)
Requirements: university degree
in related field, fluent English,
and teaching experience.
Must be: well-organized,
energetic, professional, and
qualified to work.
Requirements: Certificate III in
Hospitality or similar, and exp.
with food prep. and delivery.
Must be: well-organized and
knowledgeable about food safety
You will be interviewed. This is a role-play so you may pretend to have the
appropriate background for the position. Take a minute to prepare. Soon, the
interview still start.
Decide how you want to structure the interview and what questions to ask
(optional: include an inappropriate question). Also, try to think of a situation
related to the job and ask the interviewee how he/she’d behave in that
situation. Take a few minutes to prepare. When ready, begin the interview.
Optional Job Interview Writing Homework: Write a cover letter for one of the above positions.
Job Interview ESL Lesson Plan: Discussion Questions
1) Do you have any interesting job interview stories?
2) Should interviewers be allowed to ask about age, marital status, residency, etc?
3) Post-Graduation: How difficult is it to find a job after graduation in your country?
4) Idiom: What does it mean to think outside the box? Is this required for your job?
5) Verbs: How are the verbs “to fire, to lay off, to resign, to retire, to quit” different?
-Job Interview Lesson plan copyright Matthew Barton of Englishcurrent.com
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