2015-09-06
925
Nelly Bennet decided to apply for a job of Personal Assistant/Secretary at Compact Systems. So she sent her curriculum vitae, the names of two referees and a cover letter giving her ideas about what makes a good PA/secretary. A few days later she received a reply inviting her for an interview.
PM: Personnel Manager
MM: Marketing Manager
HB: Nelly Bennett
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PM: Come in. Ah, good morning Miss Bennett. Thank you for coming.
HB: Good morning!
PM: Please sit down.
HB: Thank you.
PM: Can I introduce you to Alice Everett, our Marketing Manager.
HB: Good morning!
MM: Morning!
PM: And I am Sheila Polson, the Personnel Manager. So, Miss Bennett, did you find us easily?
HB: Yes, it’s an easy route from where I live.
PM: And do you have your own car?
HB: Yes, I have.
PM: Good. Can we check on a few of your personal details? You were born in 1983, is that right?
HB: Yes, 3rd September 1983 to be exact.
PM: And you’re single.
HB: Yes, I am.
PM: OK. Can we move on to your education now? You’ve got a higher education including English?
HB: That’s right.
PM: Thank you, very much, Miss Bennett. Alice, would you like to continue?
MM: Yes, certainly. Miss Bennett, can you tell us a little bit about where you have worked before?
HB: Well, my last job was with Format.
MM: And you were a PA there?
HB: Yes, that’s right.
MM: And when did you start with them?
HB: Two years ago.
MM: I see. So why did you decide to leave?
HB: Well, perhaps you have heard that the company went into liquidation this year.
MM: No, I haven’t.
PM: I ‘ ve heard about it.So what did you like about that job?
HB: Well, my job was PA to the Marketing Manager. What I enjoyed most was coming into contact with customers and suppliers both face-to-face and on the phone.
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MM: And where did you work before Format?
HB: Ideal Systems.
MM: And how long did you work for Ideal System?
HB: For ten years, as a secretary.
PM: And why did you leave that job?
HB: Well, I felt that I needed a change. I think I had learnt all I could there.
MM: Going back to Format. Who did you work for there?
HB: For Peter Smith. Do you know him?
MM: We’ve met. OK, that’s enough on work experience. Do you have a word-processing experience?
HB: Yes, as a secretary at Ideal Systems I used a word-processing system.
MM: And what about Format? That was also a computer company, wasn’t
it?
HB: Yes, that’s right.
MM: So how much experience do you have of working in computer companies?
HB: Well, two years at Format and ten at Ideal Systems. Oh, and I also had some work experience with a software company while I was at college.
PM: What secretarial qualifications did you get while you were at college?
HB: Well, I’ve got two secretarial qualifications.
PM: So your typing should be pretty good?
HB: Well, in fact I didn’t do much typing at Format. I’ve got an RSA.
PM: And which qualification exactly?
HB: The RSA 100… so 100 words per minute.
PM: Fine. And one final questions. If we decided to offer you the job, when could you start?
HB: Oh, I could start immediately or as soon as you wanted me to.
PM: Fine. I think that’s everything. Have you got any questions?
HB: Well, I think it’s enough.
Notes
RSA is the Royal Society of Arts which offers secretarial qualifications in different subjects at different levels.
PA means Personal Assistant.
2. Answer the following questions:
1. How many people took part in the interview?
2. Who were they?
3. What categories of information were the interviewers particularly interested in?
4. What personal details did the interviewers check on?
5. Why did the interviewers start the interview by asking questions irrelevant to its purpose?
6. What was Nelly’s educational background?
7. What did Nelly tell the interviewers about her work experience?
a) What was her last job?
b) Where did she work before Format?
c) How much experience did she have of working in Computer companies?
d) What secretarial qualifications did she have?
8. Why did Nelly decide to leave the company she worked with?
9. Did Nelly succeed in getting a new job?
