You're listening to Business English Pod, the Business English podcast for professionals on the move.
Hello, and welcome back to Business English Pod.
My name's Edwin, and I'll be your host for today's lesson on internal job interviews.
Let's think about the purpose of an interview for a second.
For the company that's hiring, the interview lets them find out more about the candidates.
Who are they?
How do they communicate?
What can they contribute to the company?
For the people applying for the position, it's a chance to show their personality.
They can build on what appears on their resume, emphasizing important accomplishments and abilities.
All this may seem obvious, but the important thing to remember is that this is a competition.
Many people, one position.
So part of your purpose is to show why you're better than the other applicants.
And when you're applying within the company you already work for, you may have an advantage.
You know more about the company, and they know more about you.
In an internal interview, you need to use this advantage properly.
You'll hear some of the same questions as other applicants, but you may be able to respond with better answers.
In this lesson, we'll learn some of these ways of responding.
This will include techniques such as outlining your strategic vision, showing loyalty and showing leadership.
It will also include disagreeing politely and talking about career goals.
In the dialogue we will rejoin Graham, Seth and Michelle, who work in a software company called Bitsoft.
Seth and Michelle are interviewing Graham for a managerial position.
As you listen, try to answer the following questions.
One, what is the first suggestion Graham makes?
2.
Why does Graham say he has stayed at BitSoft?
3.
What does Graham say he eventually wants to become in his career?
Okay, Graham.
You've given us a few suggestions about how things might be improved.
Now, how does this fit into the overall picture?
Can you outline for us what you think is strategically important over the next couple of years?
Sure.
I think the industry and the people in it are changing.
As I understand it, we haven't been quite as profitable as we had hoped.
Yes, true enough.
And I've seen staff turnover have a negative impact on project timelines and quality.
So I'd like to see two major things happen.
More project resources and greater attention to retention.
Resources, huh?
Higher costs cut into those profits that we're talking about.
I completely understand that.
But from everything I've seen Seth, I don't think too much restraint at the project level is going to pay off in the long run.
We've recently finished a couple of things that I believe could have been done better.
And as for retention, we have a relatively long history as a company, but newer tech companies look pretty different, pretty attractive to young workers.
I see.
And you think these companies offer a lot more than we do?
In terms of workplace culture, they are appealing to recent grads.
They're hit places.
I came here because of BitSource's reputation and I've stayed because it's a well-run and reliable company.
But that's not what every young grad is thinking.
And you think you're the right person to lead these changes and these people?
For sure.
I think I've shown this.
I had a 360 review two months ago and I think my colleagues had some good things to say about me.
I led some pretty tough projects when David fell ill, and the people on those projects have since been hounding me for advice.
That's good to hear and we appreciate your sacrifices during that period.
It sounds like you feel ready for this position.
I'm just curious how it fits in with your longer term goals.
Where do you see yourself in five years, ten years?
Well, I think it's a pretty exciting time to be in this field, and I really see myself in a leadership position implementing innovative ideas.
I didn't get into this business thinking I'd retire as a code monkey.
I'm interested in making technologies that improve human life.
I want to be a change leader, and this position is the next stepping stone in that process.
Now, let's go through the dialogue again and look at the techniques Graham used in the interview.
Okay, Graham, you've given us a few suggestions about how things might be improved.
Now, how does this fit into the overall picture?
Can you outline for us what you think is strategically important over the next couple of years?
Sure.
I think the industry and the people in it are changing.
As I understand it, we haven't been quite as profitable as we had hoped.
Seth begins by asking how Graham's suggestions fit into the overall picture.
The picture is like the plan or general situation, and fit into means how they relate.
Seth rephrases his question, asking Graham to outline what he thinks is strategically important.
If you outline something, you talk briefly about the major ideas or points.
Graham says, sure, which shows his confidence. he is going to outline his strategic vision.
But first, he wants to describe the situation.
He mentions change in the industry and that the company has not been as profitable as hoped for.
This will provide the foundation for his ideas.
Yes, true enough.
And I've seen staff turnover have a negative impact on project timelines and quality.
So I'd like to see two major things happen more project resources and greater attention to retention.
Michel says true enough to admit that the company has not been profitable enough.
This allows Graham to continue with his assessment.
He says that staff turnover has had negative effects on timelines and quality.
Turnover refers to staff leaving and new staff coming in.
Next, Graham outlines his vision.
He introduces this with, so, I'd like to see.
The so shows that his vision follows from his description of the situation, and I'd like to see is a polite way of making a suggestion.
And what are his suggestions?
He thinks they need more project resources and better retention, which means they have to keep or retain staff rather than losing them.
Graham has outlined his strategic vision very concisely with two major points.
Now let's run through some more examples of outlining a strategic vision.
We need to be leaner and faster to compete in the future.
In the long term, we're going to need to focus on emerging markets.
I believe we need to move from bricks and mortar to a cloud-based business.
I see two major goals, expanding the product line and increasing our market share.
So how do the interviewers respond to Graham's vision?
Resources, huh?
Higher costs cut into those profits that we're talking about.
I completely understand that.
But from everything I've seen Seth, I don't think too much restraint at the project level is going to pay off in the long run.
We've recently finished a couple of things that I believe could have been done better.
Seth says, resources, huh?
This phrase casts some doubt on Graham's suggestion and invites greater explanation.
Seth goes on to point out a possible contradiction.
He says that higher costs cut into or reduce the profits that Graham mentioned.
Graham is ready.
He agrees with the word, sure, and then says that he understands Seth's point.
Graham is about to disagree, so it's important that he acknowledges Seth's idea first.
Then he says, from everything I've seen before giving his opinion.
This means that what he's about to say comes from his experience and perception.
It's a way of softening his opinion or disagreement.
Only then does Graham say exactly what he thinks, which is that not spending money on projects will not pay off or produce profits in the future.
For emphasis, he adds that a couple of recent projects could have been done better.
In an interview situation, you don't have to agree with everything the interviewer says.
But if you want to disagree, you have to do it politely by softening your opinion.
You can do this with qualifying words like maybe, a bit, and not really.
You can also do it by acknowledging the other person's opinion first.
Well, I tend to think of this a bit differently.
You've got a good point, but I'm not sure that's totally relevant here.
I don't know, David.
Maybe we just launched it too soon.
I see what you mean, but I don't really agree with it.
After politely disagreeing with Seth, Graham continues by explaining his idea about retention.
And as for retention, we have a relatively long history as a company, but newer tech companies look pretty different, pretty attractive to young workers.
I see.
And you think these companies offer a lot more than we do?
In terms of retaining employees.
Seth mentions that newer companies look pretty attractive to young workers.
In other words, young workers see these newer companies as having a lot of benefits.
Graham needs to be careful here.
He doesn't want to say too many good things about other companies.
Of course, Seth is curious to hear more.
He wants to know if Graham believes other companies truly offer more than Bitsoft.
Let's hear how Graham responds.
In terms of workplace culture, they are appealing to recent grads.
They're hip places.
I came here because of Bitsoft's reputation and I've stayed because it's a well-run and reliable company.
But that's not what every young grad is thinking.
Graham has turned this into an opportunity to show his loyalty.
He says that newer companies are hip or cool, but he then shows that he has other priorities.
Graham was attracted to Bitsoft because of its reputation and he explains that he has stayed because it is well-run and reliable.
That is, Graham feels safe and secure with such a strong company.
In an internal interview, you have a chance to show loyalty to the company.
Outside candidates can't show this.
Since it's one of your advantages, let's practice some more examples of how to do this.
Notice that the speakers mention specific examples of loyalty.
I've turned down three other offers because they can't match this company for intangible benefits.
I stayed through the last recession and I'll stay on through this one.
Well, the staff here are like family now and I'd like to make sure they're all happy.
If it's crunch time, we'll all just have to stay late to make sure it's done well.
Let's return to the dialogue as Michelle asks a very important question.
And do you think you're the right person to lead these changes and these people?
For sure.
I think I've shown this.
I had a 360 review two months ago, and I think my colleagues had some good things to say about me.
I led some pretty tough projects when David fell ill, and the people on those projects have since been hounding me for advice.
Graham has mentioned changes to the company.
Remember that he is applying for a managerial position.
Naturally, the interviewers want to know if Graham can make his suggested changes happen.
They want to know about his leadership ability.
Michelle asks very directly, saying, you think you're the right person?
Graham remains confident, replying, for sure.
But he doesn't just say he's the right person.
He tries to demonstrate it.
That's why he says, I think I've shown this.
He then provides some evidence of his leadership.
First he talks about his 360 review, which is a performance review that involves feedback from everyone a person has to deal with on the job.
In that review, his colleagues praised him.
Graham also mentions that he led some difficult projects and that since that time, people have been asking him for advice.
These examples clearly demonstrate that Graham has leadership and the respect of his co-workers.
How else can we demonstrate leadership?
Let's look at a few more examples.
It was clear the younger staff needed guidance, so I coached them along.
When the accident happened, I put together a team of five people to clean up the mess.
Our usual facilitator retired, so I ran the strategic planning meetings.
Now, listen as Seth praises Graham and then asks another important and common question.
That's good to hear, and we appreciate your sacrifices during that period.
It sounds like you feel ready for this position.
I'm just curious how it fits in with your longer-term goals.
Where do you see yourself in five years, ten years?
Well, I think it's a pretty exciting time to be in this field, and I really see myself in a leadership position implementing innovative ideas.
Seth shows his appreciation for Graham's hard work and leadership.
He also acknowledges that Graham feels ready to be a manager.
But Seth wants to know about Graham's career goals.
He is curious about how the position fits in with these goals.
That is, how is being a manager in the company a part of his bigger plan?
Graham begins by talking about his excitement about the field or area of work.
In this case, the field is computers and software development.
He then introduces his goal with the expression, I really see myself in a leadership position.
He adds that he wants to be implementing innovative ideas or making them happen.
So Graham has mentioned the general type of position as well as generally what he wants to be doing.
And he uses strong words like leadership and implement and innovative to talk about his career goals.
Let's hear some more examples of talking about career goals.
Pay attention to the active verbs in these examples.
I'd really like to move into sales and work on the front line, so to speak.
Within 15 years, I'd like to be a top executive at an established oil company.
My aim is to work my way up to senior engineer and lead the waste management division.
Five years down the road, I see myself starting my own investment firm.
Now let's listen as Graham finishes by saying more about what the position means to him.
I didn't get into this business thinking I'd retire as a code monkey.
I'm interested in making technologies that improve human life.
I want to be a change leader, and this position is the next stepping stone in that process.
Graham is clearly showing that he's motivated.
He explains that he didn't enter or get into software development just to be a code monkey.
That's someone who just writes computer code and does little else.
Graham wants to improve human life.
He wants to be a change leader.
And he believes that the managerial position is the next stage or stepping stone in that process.
Graham has done a really good job of showing that he's passionate not just about software but about the company he works for and the larger power of technology.
Now, let's practice some of the language we've learned in today's lesson.
We're going to start with a role play practice.
You'll play the part of a project manager with a design company.
You are in an interview for the position of director of business development.
You'll have to outline strategic vision, disagree politely, and demonstrate loyalty.
You'll also have to show leadership and talk about your career goals.
At each step, you'll hear a cue spoken by the interviewer.
Then, I'll give you some suggestions for the language you can use.
We'll guide you through each step in the practice and play an example for each response.
Ready?
Let's give it a go.
Okay, tell me, which markets do you think we should focus on for the next five years?
Start off by telling the interviewer that you think Asia is an important market, but you also think the company should expand into Europe.
Example answer.
Obviously, Asia will be an important market, but I think we also need to look at expanding into Europe.
I see.
But don't you think Europe is already a pretty crowded market?
Now, disagree politely and say that there is room for a new company.
Example answer.
Well, I'm not so sure.
I think there is room for a new company.
And do you see yourself helping us with that expansion?
Now, show your loyalty by saying that you are committed to serving new clients in new markets.
Example answer.
Yes, definitely.
I've always been committed to helping new clients in new markets.
That's great.
Perhaps you could explain how you've done this in the past.
Example Answer.
Example Answer Yes, I helped establish five new project teams in Mexico and Central America.
And that has worked out well.
Now I'm just wondering about how this fits in with your career plans.
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Finish off by telling the interviewer that your goal is to work at executive level.
Example answer.
Well, my goal is to eventually work at executive level.
Now let's practice useful vocabulary and idioms.
You'll hear a series of sentences with a word replaced with a beep.
Repeat the whole sentence, including the missing word.
For example, if you hear This job is just a stepping, You can say This job is just a stepping stone toward a management position.
After each response, we'll play the correct answer.
Let's begin.
Answer Thomas held a meeting to outline his plan for the future.
It looks expensive, but in the long term, It will save us money.
Answer.
It looks expensive, but in the long run it will save us money.
Answer.
Management plans to implement the new policies next month.
We've also covered disagreeing politely and talking about career goals.
This should help you prepare for the next time you have an interview for a new position in the same company.
Remember to use your advantages to the fullest.
Thanks for listening and see you again soon.
