APPLYING FOR A JOB:

A SAMPLE CONVERSATION

Jorge Nunez found an advertisement for a job opening in the Sunday newspaper. The ad was for a job at ADC, Inc., a company that fixes heating equipment in office buildings. The ad gave the address of the company and said to apply Monday through Friday between 8 A.M. and 5 P.M.

It is ten o'clock on Monday morning. Jorge has come in to fill out an application. The first person he sees is the company receptionist

Receptionist: May I help you?

Jorge: I am here to apply for the job that was advertised in yesterday's newspaper.

Receptionist: You need to go to the personnel office. It's down this hall, the second door on the right.

Jorge: Thank you.

When Jorge goes into the personnel office, he sees a secretary at a desk facing the door.

Jorge: Excuse me. I want to apply for the job you advertised.

Secretary: Which one?

Jorge: Service technician.

Secretary: Oh yes. Here is an application and a pen. Be sure to fill out everything. Don't leave any blank spaces. You can sit at that table over there. When you're done, bring the application back to me.

Jorge: All right. Thank you.

After Jorge has finished filling out his appli­cation, he takes it back to the secretary.

Jorge: Here is my application.

Secretary: Okay. Let's see. . . yes, everything looks fine.

Jorge: When can I expect to hear something about this?

Secretary: We will be taking applications through Friday. Sometime next week they'll start calling for interviews.

Jorge: So I can expect to hear about an appoint­ment for an interview sometime next week?

Secretary: Yes, that's right.

Jorge: Thank you very much. Goodbye. Secretary: Bye now.

INTERVIEWING FOR A JOB: A SAMPLE CONVERSATION

Jorge Nunez waited nearly two weeks to hear about an interview at ADC, Inc. Finally he got a telephone call from Mrs. Hendrix in the personnel office. Mrs. Hendrix asked Jorge to come in for an interview the following Thursday.

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It is 3 P.M. on Thursday. Mrs. Hendrix comes into the waiting room and introduces herself to Jorge. They shake hands. Then she walks with him to her office and closes the door. When she sits down at her desk, she looks at Jorge's appli­cation form.

Mrs. Hendrix: I see from your application that you worked as a maintenance man for five years at a factory in Mexico. What kind of work did you do?

Jorge: The factory made bicycles. I fixed many different kinds of machine tools-milling ma­chines, grinders, welders, and even painting equipment. I also fixed other things in the factory. And I have done some electrical work.

Mrs. Hendrix: Oh, that's good. What kind of electrical work did you do?

Jorge: Well, I rewired part of the building. We were getting bigger paint sprayers in the paint­ing area, and the old wiring could not handle the extra load. And I also took care of the coolers and the heaters in the building.

Mrs. Hendrix: What kind of heating system was it? Our company works only with the large central heating systems.

Jorge: The front offices had central heating. But in the factory area there were only small space heaters. I worked on both kinds.

After Mrs. Hendrix finds out more about Jorge's work experience, she asks him some questions about his strengths and weaknesses as a worker.

Mrs. Hendrix: Well, your work experience sounds pretty good for the job we have open. Now tell me about the best job you've ever had. What was it like? Why was it your favorite?

Jorge: The best job? I guess my favorite job so far was when I worked for my father's roofing business. It was hard work, but the people on my job crew were great to work with. We really worked as a team. I enjoy working with people. I mean, working together with them, doing a job together. But in most of my jobs, I have worked alone.

Mrs. Hendrix: Tell me about a time when you did something especially well-something you feel proud of.

Jorge: When I was working at the bicycle fac­tory, I once saved them a lot of money. An important machine broke down. A special part had broken and had to be replaced. But it would take three weeks to get the part! The foreman told me that a big order for bicycles had to be finished in only ten days. I studied the machine and figured out how to make the part myself, right in the factory. A few days later the man­ager asked me to come to his office. He gave me a bonus for helping them get the big order finished on time.

Mrs. Hendrix: That's great! No wonder you feel proud about that. Now, let me ask you another question. In all the jobs you've had, what was it that you disliked the most? It could have been the work itself, or it could have been something about the company or the people.

Jorge: That question is hard to answer. I don't think I've ever had a job that I really disliked. As I said before, I didn't like working alone so much at the bicycle factory. The job I had at the gas station was the same way. But it was worse, because I was stuck in one place doing the same thing all the time. I like to move around and do different things. I guess I mostly dislike work that is too much the same from day to day. I get bored.

Finally, Mrs. Hendrix describes the job open­ing to Jorge. She explains what a service techni­cian does, how much money the job pays, and the benefits ADC employees get (such as sick leave and health insurance). When she is done, she asks Jorge if he has any questions.

Jorge: Yes, I have a few things I'd like to know about. First of all, does ADC have any educa­tional benefits? Do you give employees training programs?

Mrs. Hendrix: Yes, we do. All service techni­cians get regular training in the new kinds of heating equipment that we work on. Sometimes we send one or two workers to big heating industry meetings to learn about new technol­ogy.

Jorge: What about training to become a super­visor or a manager?

Mrs. Hendrix: We don't have that as often as the technical training. But we do send people to supervisor training sometimes. Are you inter­ested in becoming a supervisor?

Jorge: I have thought about it in the past. I was planning to take a business course in school before I decided to come to this country. As soon as I have a job, I may take a business course at the community college. .

Mrs. Hendrix: Well, I will make a note on your application that you are interested in advance­ment. Only one or two supervisor positions open up each year. You might have to wait a few years before you get a chance.

Jorge: That's okay. I think anyone who becomes a supervisor should know the company really well.

Mrs. Hendrix: Do you have any other ques­tions?

Jorge: No, I can't think of any right now.

Mrs. Hendrix: Then I guess we're finished with the interview. We expect to hire someone for this job within two weeks. You'll hear from us by the end of the week.

Jorge: Thank you for seeing me, Mrs. Hendrix. I enjoyed talking with you and I look forward to hearing from you about this job.