Professional English

Cambridge English for

Job-hunting

UNIT 1

EXTRA ACTIVITIES

Researching yourself

Researching yourself boardgame

Students work in small groups and take it in turns to roll the dice and move a counter
around the board. Players must follow the instructions written on the squares they
land on and the winner if the first person to get to the end. This could be played at
any stage during the course. It works well with Unit 1 as students are researching
themselves but can also work well as general interview practice.

Cambridge English for Job-hunting Cambridge University Press 2008

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UNIT 1 Researching yourself Extra Activities

Ask another
player a question
of your choice

Go forward
two squares
Go back
three squares

Go forward
three squares
Ask another
player a question
of your choice

Ask another
player a question
of your choice

Go
back
three
squares

Ask another
player a question
of your choice

Go forward
three squares

Ask another
player a question
of your choice

Cambridge English for Job-hunting Cambridge University Press 2008

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Professional English

Cambridge English for

Job-hunting

UNIT 2
a

EXTRA ACTIVITIES

Describing character

Match an adjective in the box with the descriptions of the people.

punctual ambitious impulsive persuasive
reliable patient careless flexible decisive
industrious sociable optimistic careful
organised reserved imaginative honest

1 Rafal is always on time.

Punctual

2 Lidia is good at making decisions.

3 Mai always does what she says she will do.
4 Charles doesnt mind waiting.
5 Camila finds it easy to talk to other people.
6 Paul never tells lies.

b Make the answers to Exercise a negative by using a prefix in the box.

in- un- im- dis-

1
2
3
4
5
6

unPunctual

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UNIT 2 Describing character Extra Activities

Complete the crossword.

10

Across
3 A person who tells the truth is

honest

4 A person who is always on time is

(6)
(8)

6 A person willing to talk and interact with other people is

(8)

8 A person having or showing creativity or inventiveness is

(11)

9 A person who does things suddenly without considering the consequences is

(9)
10 A person hopeful and confident about the future is

(10)

Down
1 A cautious person who avoids potential danger or harm is
2 A diligent and hard-working person is

(7)
(11)

5 A person having or showing a strong desire and determination to succeed is

(9)
7 A person giving insufficient attention or thought to avoiding harm or errors is
(8)

Cambridge English for Job-hunting Cambridge University Press 2008

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Professional English

Cambridge English for

Job-hunting

UNIT 3
a

EXTRA ACTIVITIES

Word formation

Change the following verbs into nouns.

Noun

Verb

advertise

apply

attach

consider

enquire

graduate

qualify

recommend

require

10

respond

advertisement

b Complete the sentences taken from real cover letters with the correct form of
words in Exercise a.

1 The manager of your Tokyo branch

regarding the opening for a media consultant.

that I contact you

2 I
a copy of my CV, and look forward to examining the ways
in which you feel my professional experience and skills would benefit Williams &
Atkinsons.
3 I am writing in response to your
Manager in the Economist.
4 I am writing to

advertisement for a Business Development

for the position of financial administrator.

5 I would like to thank you in advance for your time and

6 I am writing in
to your job posting for a supermarket
supervisor advertised on your companys website.
7 As you will see from CV my professional experience and
the requirements for the advertised position

meet

8 Should you
any further information regarding my application,
please do not hesitate to contact me.
9 I
2009.

from university with an MA in International Relations in

10 I am writing to
whether you currently have any vacancies in
your human resources department.

Cambridge English for Job-hunting Cambridge University Press 2008

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UNIT 3 Word formation Extra Activities

Complete the sentences with the most suitable word.

1 I am writing in

response

to your advertisement in the Independent of 20th March.

a reference b respond c response

2 I realised I was working

the wrong field and needed a complete change.

a on b in c under

3 I am very good at prioritising my workload and always manage to

deadlines.

a miss b extend c meet

4 I enjoy fresh challenges and work well

pressure.

a in b under c on

5 As you
graduating from University.

see from my attached CV I have been in full time employment since

a will b must c might

6 I

university in 2008 with an MA in Ancient History.

a graduated b am graduated from c graduated from

7 My proposals were implemented, which lead to a 20% increase in sales. As a result I was
.
a given the sack b given a promotion c made redundant

8 I am

for interview at your convenience.

a ready b open c available

9 Should you
contact me.

information regarding my application, please do not hesitate to

a want any b be needing extra c require any further

10 I greatly

from you.

a look forward to hear b look forward to hearing c looking forward to hear

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Professional English

Cambridge English for

Job-hunting

UNIT 4

EXTRA ACTIVITIES

Common interview questions

These flashcards feature the common interview questions listed on page 110 of
Cambridge English for Job-hunting. There are a number of ways in which you might
choose to use them in class with your students. Here are a couple of suggested
activities.
1 Cut out and, if possible, laminate the cards. Randomly divide the cards and
distribute a selection to students working in pairs or small groups. Each group/
pair should place their cards in a single, face down, pile. One student then picks up
the top card and, assuming the role of interviewer, asks their partner the question
on the card. After the questions have been answered, the students swap roles and
draw another card from the top of the pile. Once all of the questions have been
asked, students should swap their pile of questions with another pair/group sitting
nearby and repeat the task.
The exercise could continue until everyone has asked and answered each question
however this might take up too much time, so the cards could be used as a short
warmer or revision activity.
2 Ask students to organise the questions cards into groups and to catergorise the
groups they have chosen. For example Professional experience/Personal/Questions
requiring specific examples/etc.
3 Give each student a single card and ask students to mingle in the classroom and
find a partner. After both questions have been asked and answered, students swap
questions and go off in search of a new partner.
4 You could ask students to write their own interview question flashcards.

Cambridge English for Job-hunting Cambridge University Press 2008

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UNIT 4 Common interview questions Extra Activities

What skills did you

develop at university?

Tell us something about

yourself?

Why should we hire

you?

What will you do if you

dont get this job?

What did you most

/ least enjoy about
your time at university?

How will your degree

help you in this position?

Why do you want

this job?

What do you consider

to be the key skills
necessary for this
position?

Why did you choose

your degree subject?

What was the most

challenging aspect of
your degree course?

What do you like doing

in your spare time?

What can you bring to

this position?

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UNIT 4 Common interview questions Extra Activities

What are your

strengths/weaknesses?

What is your biggest

achievement?

What attracted you to

our company?

What do you think

of our website?

What trends are likely to

affect our industry over
the next few years?

How do you typically

approach new projects?

Describe your
management style.

What sorts of things do

you like to delegate?

What qualities do you

look for in a manager?

How do you handle

stress?

Tell me about your

ability to work under
pressure.

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What do you know

about our company?

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UNIT 4 Common interview questions Extra Activities

What interests you

most/least in your
current work?

In what environment do
you work best?

What motivates you in

terms of work?

What would you change

about your current job if
you could?

Why are you considering

leaving your current
job?

Why did you leave your

last job?

What are you

looking for in a job?

What do you think will

be the most challenging
aspect of this role?

What kind of decisions

do you find difficult to
make?

Tell us about a time

when you demonstrated
good customer service /
leadership skills

Tell us about a time

when you have been
innovative at work.

Tell us about a time you

encountered a problem
and how you resolved it.

10

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UNIT 4 Common interview questions Extra Activities

Tell us about a time

when you had to make
a difficult decision.

Tell us about a time

when you successfully
managed a difficult
situation at work.

Describe a situation in
which you took a risk.
What were the results?

How do you work in a

team?

How would your

colleagues describe
you?

How would your

manager describe your
work?

You seem not to have

too much experience
in X. Do you think this
would be a problem?

Do you think you are

overqualified for this
position?

How have you changed

over the last five years?

Where do you see

yourself in five years
time?

How do you hope to

develop your career
further?

Do you have any

questions you would like
to ask us?

11

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Professional English

Cambridge English for

Job-hunting

UNIT 5
a

EXTRA ACTIVITIES

STAR Anecdotes

Complete the following interview responses using the phrases in the box. Each
gap needs a different phrase.
At the time This resulted in On this occasion
Our main priority was In the end It was important for
I decided to I suggested that I contacted The problem was

Question 1 Tell us about a time when you solved a problem.

In August 2008, within in my role as training manager at IT Solutions based in
Helsinki, I was responsible for developing and running internal training courses.
there was a general lack, within the company, of employees with
sufficient project management training.
IT Solutions to provide
greater project management training in order for the company to implement a new
way of developing and monitoring the IT software packages it produces. Therefore,
invite two external project management consultants to deliver
a series of tailored specialised courses to meet this demand. I worked with the
consultants to negotiate the aims of the training courses. I also ensured that two
internal trainers were given training to enable the course to be cascaded throughout
the organisation.
specialised training for senior managers as well
as a sustainable training model, which can be replicated and repeated internally in
future.

Question 2 Tell us about a time when you demonstrated good people

management skills.
In my last job, running a small music charity, I was responsible for managing the
charity assistant Beatrice. Every year the charity held a big annual fundraiser
in famous jazz club.
I put Beatrice in charge of producing the
programme for the event. Despite several reminders in the weeks leading up to the
fundraiser, Beatrice left it until the last minute and we were in real danger of not
getting the programme printed in time. Beatrice was having real difficulty e-mailing
the document to the printers as the file was really large - and burst into tears
unable to cope with the stress.
to get the programme printed.
After I had calmed Beatrice down,
she burned a copy of the
programme onto CD and walk it down to the printers whose office was less a mile
away from our own. In this way I managed to ensure the responsibility for this task
remained with Beatrice, even when she encountered a problem.
Beatrice managed to get the programmes printed on time and that the fundraising
event was a great success.

b Practice answering the questions in Exercise a with your own responses using the
STAR structure.

12

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Professional English

Cambridge English for

Job-hunting

UNIT 6
a

EXTRA ACTIVITIES

Speaking appropriately

Read the following dialogue in which Tomasz Filipek turns down a job offer.
Identify any language used by Tomasz which you feel is inappropriate. What is
wrong with the language you have chosen and how could it be improved?
Receptionist: Future Designs, Charlotte speaking.
Tomasz:
Hi. My names Tomasz. I had interview for the graphic designers job. I
want to speak to Ms Johnson?
Receptionist: Yes of course. Ill just put you through.
Ms Johnson: Hello. Tomasz. Its good to hear from you.
Tomasz:
Hi. Thanks for offering me the graphic designers job.
Ms Johnson: Youre very welcome. Have you made a decision yet?
Tomasz:
Yes, Im not going to accept the job.
Ms Johnson: Oh thats a shame. Can I ask why?
Tomasz:
Well. I like what your company does, and I really like your advertising
campaigns, and I know it would be a good job for me to take. But a
couple of days ago I was offered another job, which will pay me more.
Ms Johnson: I appreciate the fact that youve called to let me know. Although, its
a shame you wont be joining us. I wish you the best of luck for the
future.
Tomasz:
Thanks.
Ms Johnson: Youre welcome. Goodbye.
Tomasz:
Bye.

b Rewrite Tomasz lines in the dialogue using more appropriate formal language.
Receptionist:
Tomasz:
Receptionist:
Ms Johnson:
Tomasz:
Ms Johnson:
Tomasz:
Ms Johnson:
Tomasz:


Ms Johnson:

Tomasz:
Ms Johnson:
Tomasz:

13

Future Designs, Charlotte speaking.

Yes of course. Ill just put you through.
Hello. Tomasz. Its good to hear from you.
Youre very welcome. Have you made a decision yet?
Oh thats a shame. Can I ask why?

I appreciate the fact that youve called to let me know. Although, its
a shame you wont be joining us. I wish you the best of luck for the
future.
Youre welcome. Goodbye.

Listen to audio 6.8 and read the audioscript on page 94 of Cambridge English for
Job-hunting. Compare it with your version of the conversation.

Cambridge English for Job-hunting Cambridge University Press 2008

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