Episode #3 – Getting Hired – English at Work – ESL Library

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Getting HiredEnglish at Work – Episode #3

B. Vocabulary Preview

Match the words on the left with the correct meanings on the right.

a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) i) j) k) l) m) n) o) p)

to arrange, to planthe amount of money a job paysexactly (when referring to time)to be good at negotiatingqualities or skillsto take, to agree toto discuss and bargainreceiving a job, getting the chance to accept a new joba written agreementa good addition, a good parta sum of money that is given as a reward for hard workthe first day at workpart of the teamworking an average of 40 hours a weekan amount of time usually required before leaving a joba job

qualificationsset upfull-timestart datepositionsalaryassetsharptwo weeks’ noticedrive a hard bargainjob offeraccepton boardcontractnegotiatebonus

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.

Getting HiredPre-ReadingA. Warm-Up Questions

1. Describe a boss you have worked for.

2. What qualities does a good boss have?

3. What qualities does a bad boss have?

4. What is a good salary?

5. How much time do you need before you can start a new job?



ReadingPractice reading the email message and phone call out loud with a partner. Underline any words or phrases you don’t understand. Lee Mr. Michaels

A. Email

To: [email protected]: Job OfferDate: July 7, 2015

Dear Lee,

I enjoyed our interview last week. We had a lot of time to discuss your qualifications. Your experience and education are what the company needs.

Therefore, I’m pleased to offer you a full-time position as a sales representative at River Education Books. I think you’ll be an asset to our team.

Please call me so that we can set up a start date and discuss your salary. I’m looking forward to working with you.

Sincerely,William Michaels

B. Phone Call

Hello, Mr. Michaels. This is Lee Timson. I’m calling in response to your email message. I’m very excited about the job offer.

Hello, Lee. Thanks for calling. We need to negotiate your start date and salary.

When do you want me to start?

I’d like for you to start next week.

I need to give my employer two weeks’ notice.

I understand. You can start in two weeks then. How about July 21?

That sounds good.

Let’s discuss salary next. The starting salary is $24,000 a year.

I know that’s for a new person, but I do have some experience. I’d like to start at a higher salary. I’d like to make $29,000.

You drive a hard bargain. I could go up to $28,000 and set up a bonus plan for good sales.

I like the idea of a bonus plan. I accept.

Great! I’ll write the contract and I’ll see you at 9:00 am sharp on July 21. Great to have you on board, Lee.

Good to be on board, Mr. Michaels!



Vocabulary Review

Comprehension1. What type of position did Mr. Michaels offer Lee?

2. What does Lee need to do before starting his new job?

3. What did Mr. Michaels and Lee have to negotiate?

4. What final salary did Lee accept?

Complete the sentences using vocabulary from page 1. You may need to change the word forms.

1. Ryan told the interviewer that he had good such as a college education and job experience.

2. The position requires Rosario to work 40 hours a week. Her part-time position only requires 20 hours.

3. Mikhail had to sign a agreeing to the salary and start date.

4. The boss didn’t like people to be late for work, so everyone was always at the office at 9:00 am .

5. Nikola was excited about her new because she could now afford to buy a new car.

6. Kristin could not start the new job until she gave her old boss .

7. Her would be in three weeks.

8. John’s new was going to be at the office in Vancouver, Canada.

9. Mr. Carson told Max that he would be an to his company.

10. Ryoung was excited that she would receive an extra thousand dollars as a if she did her job well and brought in new clients.



SpeakingWrite your own dialogue. Work with a partner and write your own phone conversation using at least four words or phrases from today’s lesson. Practice the dialogue, and then present it in front of the class.

WritingIn the spaces below, write short answers to the following questions.

1. Describe a job that you’d like to have.

2. What qualifications do you need to get the job?

3. What kind of salary do you want?

4. Do you think you can drive a hard bargain? Why or why not?

5. What would you say to negotiate your salary and start date?

6. What kind of job offer would you accept?

7. Do you want to work full-time or part-time? Why?



ListeningFill in the blanks as you listen to the recordings. Lee Mr. Michaels

A. Email

To: [email protected]: Job OfferDate: July 7, 2015

Dear Lee,

I enjoyed our interview last week. We had a lot of time to discuss your . Your experience and education are what the company needs.

Therefore, I’m pleased to offer you a full-time position as a sales representative at River Education Books. I think you’ll be an to our team.

Please call me so that we can a start date and discuss your salary. I’m looking forward to working with you.

Sincerely,William Michaels

B. Phone Call

Hello, Mr. Michaels. This is Lee Timson. I’m calling in response to your email message. I’m very excited about the job offer.

Hello, Lee. Thanks for calling. We need to your start date and .

When do you want me to start?

I’d like for you to start next week.

I need to give my employer .

I understand. You can start in two weeks then. How about July 21?

That sounds good.

Let’s discuss salary next. The starting salary is $24,000 a year.

I know that’s for a new person, but I do have some experience. I’d like to start at a higher salary. I’d like to make $29,000.

You . I could go up to $28,000 and set up a plan for good sales.

I like the idea of a bonus plan. I accept.

Great! I’ll write the contract and I’ll see you at 9:00 am on July 21. Great to have you , Lee.

Good to be on board, Mr. Michaels!



Answer KeyLESSON DESCRIPTION:

In this lesson, Lee receives a job offer by email and must phone

his new employer to negotiate the terms. Students read an email

message and listen to a phone call. They practice vocabulary

related to salaries and hiring.

LEVEL: Intermediate–Advanced

TIME: 2 hours

TAGS: English at Work, job, hiring, hired,

business, email, phone, telephone, salary

Pre-Reading

A. WARM-UP QUESTIONS

Discuss as a class, in groups, or in pairs.

B. VOCABULARY PREVIEW

1. e

2. a

3. n

4. l

5. p

6. b

7. j

8. c

9. o

10. d

11. h

12. f

13. m

14. i

15. g

16. k

Reading

Have students practice reading the email and phone conversation

with a partner. Monitor their pronunciation. Go over any difficult

vocabulary and useful phrases as a class. You may also choose to

play the audio as your students read along a second time. A gap-

fill version of the reading is available on page 5. See Listening for

more information.

Comprehension

1. Lee was offered a full-time position as a

sales representative at River Education Books.

2. Lee needs to give his current employer two weeks’ notice.

3. Mr. Michaels and Lee had to negotiate

Lee’s start date and salary.

4. Lee accepted $28,000 plus a bonus for good sales.

Vocabulary Review

Speaking

Answers will vary.

Writing

Answers will vary.

1. qualifications

2. full-time

3. contract

4. sharp

5. salary

6. two weeks’

notice

7. start date

8. position

9. asset

10. bonus

(continued on the next page...)



Answer Key cont.

SPELLING NOTES:

This lesson shows the American spelling of the word Practice.

Most other English-speaking countries spell it this way: Practise

(when used as a verb; Practice when used as a noun). Make it a

challenge for your students to find this word in the lesson and

see if they know the alternate spelling.

Correspondence Building

This optional task is included at the end of the lesson. Students

should cut up the strips and rearrange them into the correct order.

A. EMAIL

1. i

2. f

3. b

4. j

5. c

6. h

7. e

8. g

9. d

10. k

11. a

B. PHONE CALL

1. n

2. o

3. x

4. p

5. s

6. q

7. t

8. w

9. v

10. m

11. r

12. l

13. u

Listening

Note: There are two recordings in this episode. You can play

the mp3 from the site, or you can download the audio:

https://esllibrary.com/courses/85/lessons/1697.

The second recording begins at 00:38.

A. EMAIL

1. qualifications

2. asset

3. set up

B. PHONE CALL

1. negotiate

2. salary

3. two weeks’ notice

4. drive a hard bargain

5. bonus

6. sharp

7. on board

https://esllibrary.com/courses/85/lessons/1697



Correspondence BuildingThe correspondence below is not in the right order. Cut up the strips, and then work alone or with a partner to rearrange them into the correct order. Then read the correspondence out loud.

a William Michaels

b I enjoyed our interview last week.

c Your experience and education are what the company needs.

d I’m looking forward to working with you.

e I think you’ll be an asset to our team.

f Dear Lee,

gPlease call me so that we can set up a start date and discuss your salary.

h

Therefore, I’m pleased to offer you a full-time position as a sales representative at River Education Books.

iTo: [email protected]: Job OfferDate: July 7, 2015

j We had a lot of time to discuss your qualifications.

k Sincerely,

A. Email B. Phone Call

l Great! I’ll write the contract and I’ll see you at 9:00 am sharp on July 21. Great to have you on board, Lee.

m You drive a hard bargain. I could go up to $28,000 and set up a bonus plan for good sales.

nHello, Mr. Michaels. This is Lee Timson. I’m calling in response to your email message. I’m very excited about the job offer.

o Hello, Lee. Thanks for calling. We need to negotiate your start date and salary.

p I’d like for you to start next week.

q I understand. You can start in two weeks then. How about July 21?

r I like the idea of a bonus plan. I accept.

s I need to give my employer two weeks’ notice.

t That sounds good.

u Good to be on board, Mr. Michaels!

vI know that’s for a new person, but I do have some experience. I’d like to start at a higher salary. I’d like to make $29,000.

w Let’s discuss salary next. The starting salary is $24,000 a year.

x When do you want me to start?

Documents

Episode #3 – Getting Hired – English at Work – ESL Library