Language Learning for Busy People These documents are private and confidential. Please do not distribute.. Pre-Intermediate: Interview Skills 5 Discussing Reasons For Leaving Previous Position

These documents are private and confidential. Please do not distribute. Pre-Intermediate --- Interview Skills 5 Warm up: Opening chat minutes Review previous lesson’s content minutes Check if your student has completed self-study of the lesson. The class activities are designed to help them practice the language from the lesson. Thus, it’s extremely important that they go over different sections of the lesson before class.

These documents are private and confidential. Please do not distribute. Class Activities: (30-35 minutes) Objective: It’s usually not easy to explain why you left a previous job. In this lesson, we look at how to explain your reasons to a potential employer during the interview process. Class Activities

These documents are private and confidential. Please do not distribute. 1) Read the dialogue with the student, line by line. Switch roles after the first run. Pay attention to student’s pronunciation, give feedback and help when needed minutes Dialogue

These documents are private and confidential. Please do not distribute. How long was Rebecca at the London Weekly? How long did she work there before she got promoted Why did she get promoted? Why did Rebecca decide to leave the London Weekly? What were her main responsibilities as a features writer? Dialogue Comprehension minutes Ask the student the following questions. The answers are in the dialogue:

These documents are private and confidential. Please do not distribute. Key Vocabulary Check---5 minutes Frustrating Challenging Step up Long-term Slowly but surely Prove myself * My new apartment is a huge ________________ from my previous one. It’s a lot bigger and I even have a patio! * My mom really wants me to get married but, honestly, I’m not even looking for a __________________ relationship. * He started off really slow, but ____________________ he is getting better and better. * It has been really difficult and ________________ for me to try to balance work and school full-time, but it will be worth it. * I had to _________________ to my dad before he would let me buy a car. I had to show him I know what I’m doing! * It’s really ____________________ when I drive all the way across town to meet a friend and they don’t show up!

These documents are private and confidential. Please do not distribute. Key Language minutes #1. “ To be honest “ -- You can say `to be honest' before or after a statement to show that you are telling the truth about your own opinions or feelings, especially if you think these will disappoint the person you are talking to. “To be honest, this job is not what I thought it would be.” #2. “ Slowly but surely “ -- If you say that something is happening slowly but surely, you mean that it is happening gradually but it is definitely happening. “Slowly but surely she started to fall in love with him.”

These documents are private and confidential. Please do not distribute. Key Language #3. “ A step up “ – You can say this to express a degree in progress or a grade or rank in a scale. It also means an increase or improvement, especially in stages. “My new job is definitely a step up from my last one.” #4. “ To prove oneself “ – You can say this when you are trying to show your ability or courage to do something. This phrase is also often used aster this ability has been accomplished or displayed. “He had to prove himself at work before he got his promotion.”

These documents are private and confidential. Please do not distribute. Cultural Takeaway minutes "Why did you leave your current/previous job?" There are many wrong answers to this question. Some of them include saying things like, I hate my job, I hate the company, I'm not appreciated there, I hate my boss, I'm sick of working there, etc. Basically, anything negative is a bad answer. If you say something negative, they will think you will eventually get into that situation again while working for them. So it is highly recommended that you have a good answer that leaves a positive impression while displaying good traits. Some examples and ideas to share……

These documents are private and confidential. Please do not distribute. Short Answers "I want to find a company with more opportunities. My previous company was very small and didn't have opportunities for growth. After learning about the work environment here, I felt this is exactly the type of place I want to work." "My current company is very large and it's difficult to do different tasks. We have routine work that never changes. I want to work in an environment where I can use more of my skills." "Our family moved to live near a better school district for our children. This area is great and I want to find a job closer to my new home. My previous job was too far away to commute." These answers show a couple of good traits. They also show excitement. It is personal and direct. These are somewhat generic answers so you can use these if you want. If you decide to think of your own, make sure it displays good traits and the reason for wanting to leave your current job is not a negative reason. Cultural Takeaway

These documents are private and confidential. Please do not distribute. The End --- Review minutes * Review today’s class. Encourage the student on where he/she did well; give feedback to where he/she needs to pay more attention. * Assign homework, i.e. the ‘Exercise’ part of today’s lesson. Student should complete it and submit it online. They will see an automatic score. * Have them listen to the dialogue again and see if their understanding has improved. * Remind students that they can save different vocabulary terms in the app or online and review them as flashcards. * Tell the student what the next lesson is.