Manuals > Business English > Daijob Interview Course - Lesson 1
The following 4 lesson plan is intended for use during the winter of 2014/5. It is aimed at students who are planning or hoping to interview at an overseas company.
Each class introduces some key phrases, however, these are not the focus of the lesson. The main objective is to give the student practice and experience interacting in a job interview like situation in English. Each class also offers some interview tips. These are based on western business practises, so may differ from the student’s own culture. It’s also great if teachers can bring their own experiences to the lesson. Also included is a lesson flow for each class. Every lesson follows a basic TTT cycle (Test, Teach, Test) to maximise student talking time. Each lesson has its own worksheet. You can find a copy of this in the school where you work. The teacher and student should share a copy, then the student can take it home after the lesson. The instructions on the sheet are intended to help both teacher and student.
Before the lesson you should;
Read the appropriate lesson plan below - paying close attention to the objective of the class
Prepare a copy of the worksheet to use in your class
Check the student’s profile for useful information. (If they have already taken at least one lesson)
During the lesson you should;
Focus on getting the student to speak as much as possible
Try to stick to the objective of the lesson
Give the student feedback about the language they use and the chance to demonstrate their understanding of the feedback.
Take notes, if possible, to use to update the student profile further.
After the lesson you should;
Give the student the worksheet that you used, along with their notes.
Confirm when their next class is and that they have understood their homework.
Update the student profile if necessary
If the student is very high level
Some students who register for this course may already be very comfortable communicating in English.
If this is the case, then the teacher should focus on the interview aspects of the preparation course.
Try to make the class as similar to an interview as you can, have the student standing up and sitting down as they would in a real interview.
Give advice on interview skills, rather than on English ability.
If the student is low level
Some students who register for this course may be of a low level. They may have trouble simply understanding the phrases presented and formulating answers correctly.
If this is the case, the teacher should focus on the English aspects of the course.
Rather than talking about interview skills, the teacher can help the student to make answers to common interview questions, then practise delivering them.
Give advice on language skills, rather than focussing on the interview.
Objective(s):
Give the student an introduction to and overview of the 4 lesson process
Elicit and record key information regarding the student’s plans / hopes in taking this course
Practice greeting and introducing self to interviewer
Lesson Flow:
0-5 min: Introductions
Introduce self to student, ask student to introduce themselves. Give overview of 4 lesson plan. Some points to cover are;
The purpose of the programme - “To give practice using business English in an interview like situation.” Also include the topics that will be covered in each lesson.
Each lesson has a heavy focus on speaking skills, so the student should try to expand their answers as much as possible.
Each lesson also has some useful phrases. These are a useful starting point, but feel free to improvise and add your own.
There are cultural tips about western interviews included in each lesson.
Homework is set at the end of each lesson, and it is very important to complete it to help with retention.
5-15 min: Goal setting
Introduce the intentions phrases and practise their use. Ask the student about their goals and why they are taking this course. Try to make some notes about their interview plans - dates, sector / company, position, location, etc. Getting accurate information here will help all the subsequent teachers to deliver customised and appropriate lessons. Some good questions to ask are;
- Have you already applied for a job?
- When are you planning to have an interview?
- What kind of industry will you be working in?
- How will you use English at your new job?
- What skills do you feel you need to improve the most?
15-35 min: Teaching cycle
Introduce the situation, then do a brief introductory role-play with the student. Use this to establish their base-level of ability. Practise the role-play, then look the key phrases. After this, role-play again using the student’s own information or imagination. Repeat with feedback. Try to extend if possible, but do not start the actual interview as this will be covered in later classes.
35-40 min: Wrap-up and homework
Give the student some final feedback and re-state the goals of the lesson. Explain and confirm the homework task, and ask when the student’s next lesson will be.
Homework
Practise introducing yourself and shaking hands. If you don’t have anyone to practise with, try using a door handle. In the next lesson, introduce yourself and shake hands with the teacher.
Copy-paste content
Feel free to copy and paste this text into your notes as appropriate
Key Phrases:
Interview intentions
- I’m going to ...
- I’m planning to ...
- I hope to ...
- I would like to ...
Greetings
- Nice to meet you, I’m ...
- How do you do, I’m ...
- Thank you for taking the time to meet me.
- Thank you very much for your time today.
Interviewer phrases
- Would you like something to drink?
- Can I get you anything, tea or coffee?
- How was your journey here?
- Did you have any trouble finding us?
Interview Tips:
The opening handshake is a great chance to make a good first impression. Make sure that your hand is clean and dry, and that you stand up straight and make eye contact.
In most Western interviews, it’s common for the interviewer to ask some simple questions and offer a drink to the interviewee, in order to get them to relax.
Remember, you shouldn’t sit down before being offered a seat by the interviewer.
Role-Play:
Interviewer: Good afternoon, thank you very much for coming today. My name is Steven Jones. How do you do.
(shaking hands)
Interviewee: How do you do, I’m Jane Wilson. Thank you very much for taking the time to meet me.
Interviewer: Would you like something to drink? Tea, coffee?
Interviewee: Yes, a coffee would be great please.
Interviewer: Here you are. Did you have any trouble finding us?
Interviewee: No problems, no. The map you sent was very helpful.
Interviewer: Great. We will get started in about 5 minutes, so please have a seat over there. I’ll come to get you when we are ready.
Interviewee: Thank you very much.