AUDIO SCRIPTS
167
4
I:
OK. Thank you. A question now about
your computer skills. What software are
you familiar with?
C:
I thought you might ask me something
about that. Well, what I can say is,
I have a good knowledge of Excel and
Word, and can prepare excellent
Powerpoint presentations.
5
I:
Right, thank you. Moving on. Could you
tell me what you think the growth areas
in the leisure industry are?
C:
Well, I’m not an expert, but I think the
boom in fitness centres will continue in
the next few years.
6
I:
OK. Just one final question. Where do
you think you’ll be in five years’ time?
C:
Let me just think about that for a
moment. Well, I hope to be working for
your company in a senior position.
LESSON 3.5 RECORDING 3.7
S = Student, C = Counsellor
S:
I know you usually send a covering letter
with a CV. But … what is it exactly?
C:
Well, really it’s a letter telling an employer
why you’re interested in their company or
organisation. You can tell them about your
special skills and qualities and why you
want to work with them. It gives you an
opportunity to sell yourself to the employer.
S:
I see. Erm … how long should it be?
C:
It depends. But generally I’d say a covering
letter should be short, say four to five
paragraphs. And the tone should be
enthusiastic and professional.
S:
Right. Could you give me a little more detail
about what to put in each paragraph?
C:
OK, I’ll suggest a structure, a way to
organise the paragraphs, if you like.
S:
Thank you.
C:
Right. The first paragraph is your introduction.
You say who you are, why you’re writing
and where you saw the position advertised.
S:
OK, I’ve got that.
C:
In paragraph two, tell the employer why
you want the job – in other words, say what
attracted you to the organisation. Show that
you’re enthusiastic and motivated.
S:
Right.
C:
The third paragraph is really important. This
is where you sell yourself. Here you
mention your qualities, erm … skills and
experience that match what they are
probably looking for. You tell them what
you can contribute to their organisation.
OK? Now we come to the final paragraph.
Say when you’re available for interview. And
end on a positive note. For example, say you
look forward to hearing from them soon, or
something like that. OK, that’s about it.
S:
Thanks, that’s really helpful.
LESSON 3.5 RECORDING 3.8
1
I think you should put as much as possible
in a CV so the employer gets a complete
picture of your qualities and skills and
qualifications. If you don’t do that, they may
not call you for an interview.
2
It’s essential to write a personal profile at
the beginning of your CV. Everyone’s doing
it these days. It helps to focus your reader’s
attention on what you really have to offer
their organisation. It’s where you can sell
yourself as a candidate.
3
If you’re sending out CVs to lots of
companies at one time, I mean if you’re just
seeing if there’s any interest, not replying to
an ad for a job, then I think your CV should
be really short, just one side of an A4 sheet.
4
I try to write as much as possible in the
work experience section. I start with my
first job then put my most recent job last –
that’s the order I prefer. I had a period of six
months when I was unemployed, but
I never show that on my CV.
5
I only apply for jobs online. I use the
Job Boards for my industry and if I see
an interesting position, I fill in an online
application. Sometimes I have to send a
covering letter by email as well. Online
adverts are the best way to find a new job.
You get a quick reply from employers when
you apply online. I always keep my CV up
to date and I use a spellcheck to make sure
there are no spelling mistakes.
6
To be honest, I think the covering letter’s
much more important than your CV. If they
like what they read in your letter, they’ll
look at your CV. But if your letter’s no
good, they’ll throw your CV in the bin right
away.
LESSON 4.2 RECORDING 4.1
H = Hamad, F = Fabio
H:
Hello.
F:
Oh hi, Hamad. It’s Fabio here.
H:
Fabio, hi. Have you finished the essay on
the differences between British and
American English yet?
F:
No, not yet. I’m going to finish it tonight.
What about you?
H:
I’m finding it quite tough especially when it
comes to idioms. In Bill Benson’s book …
it’s quite funny actually … he says it can
take years for an American to master British
idioms, and the other way round … but I’m
definitely going to finish it by tomorrow’s
class. I want it out of the way!
F:
Hamad, I’m just phoning to ask – James and
I are going to the gym on Thursday evening.
Do you want to come?
H: No, I can’t. I’m giving my presentation to
the language seminar group on Friday.
F:
Oh, of course.
H:
So I have to prepare that. I’m doing it on the
growth of Arabic. I read something recently
that said that Arabic is the fastest growing of
the world languages.
F:
Yeah, I saw something that said
international agencies will provide a
standard model. I saw an article about it in
the paper the other day. I’ll find it for you.
H:
Thanks, that’d be great. When’s your
presentation?
F:
It isn’t till the end of next week.
H:
Do you know what you’re doing?
F:
Yeah, I’m probably doing mine on spelling
and how important it is.
H:
That’s interesting. I read an article a while
ago about spelling competitions in America.
They’re really popular there. Anyway, I’d
better get on with the essay. I’ll see you at
the lecture tomorrow.
F:
Great, and I’ll text you when I find that
paper.
H:
Thanks. Bye.
F:
Bye
LESSON 4.3 RECORDING 4.3
I = Interviewer, R = Robert Coleman
I: Why is using correct and appropriate
language important for organisations like
the British Council?
R: The British Council is an international
charity that develops cultural relations
between Britain and the rest of the world
through the Arts, Education and Society and
English. They also have partnerships with
other charities and NGOs, or ‘non-
governmental organisations’, educational
institutions, businesses and governments in
order to help students, young people and
professionals and develop relationships with
people from other countries and
backgrounds.
It’s about building trusting relations at all
levels across different societies and key to
building trust are effective communication
and appropriate language – especially as so
much work is carried out in English. Having
said that, few of the people they collaborate
with have English as their first language. If
you get your language wrong, you create
confusion, and you can lose the trust you
have been working to build up.
LESSON 4.3 RECORDING 4.4
I = Interviewer, R = Robert Coleman
I:
What advice would you have for young
people using social media?
R:
Most of the principles are the same as
face-to-face conversation – your language
has to be appropriate to the context. We
need to look at four things. Firstly, who’s
your audience? Secondly, how well do you
know them? Thirdly, how much do they
know about the topic? And finally, what is
the effect you want? What do you want
them to do as a result of your message?
With social media you also need to
remember that you can’t see how people
are reacting as you’re speaking, so if you’re
not being understood or you’re beginning to
offend people, you can’t see their face or
body language. Also, think about the
medium – text, email, blogs, etc., and what
effect this has. For example, who will see
the message or picture, and will it be a
permanent record?
LESSON 4.3 RECORDING 4.5
I = Interviewer, R = Robert Coleman
I:
Can you be a bit more specific? Can you
give some tips?
R:
OK, so thinking about those points I just
mentioned, and the ones specific to social
media, it’s a question of finding the right
balance. For example, between being
formal and informal and giving enough, but
not too much detail. So, let’s look at three
areas: how to avoid confusion, how to
avoid losing trust and how to get the register
right. To avoid confusion, keep your
language simple, use short sentences. Show
the message to a ‘non-knower’, that is
somebody who does not already know what
the message is about. If they can understand
it, then the person you’re sending the
message to, who already has some context,
will also understand it. To avoid losing trust,
think about your audience and make sure
that you are ‘reading’ the message through
