Save 25% on

Premium Membership
For a limited time only, you can purchase Premium membership for just $97.50 USD.

KICKSTART
KICKSTART
(Click above to copy the coupon code and enter it on the signup page.)

Premium Member Benefits

When you join Business English Pod as a Premium Member you will have access to a
wide range of learning tools for over 200 lessons:

Detailed transcript of each podcast lesson

Vocabulary definitions and example usage
Language review exercises
Online activities to practice listening and language skills
Interactive dialog transcript with vocabulary definitions
Online vocabulary flashcards
Extra practice MP3s to review and practice useful language
Free access to all eBooks published during your membership

On a budget? Try our new

Monthly Membership Plan

Access 15 lessons/month for $12.99
With our new Monthly Membership plan, you can enjoy access to 15 lessons every
month. Youll be able to download the podcast and study notes, and access the
online quizzes (where available) for each lesson in the new Learning Center.
The lessons are scheduled in the same order that they were originally published,
with four of our latest lessons included in each month.
Monthly membership is available for just $12.99 per month for 12 months.

BEP 205 - Job Interviews: Switching Careers (Part 2)

Hello and welcome back to Business English Pod. My
names Edwin and Ill be your host for this episode on job
interviews when switching careers.
You cant do the same thing for your entire life. Thats
why youve chosen to make a change, to take your skills
and experience and apply them to something new. But
this comes with a challenge. How can you convince an
interviewer that youve got what it takes to make the
switch?
This is especially true for those of us who are more
mature. Theres an old saying: you cant teach an old
dog new tricks. Well, your task in the interview is to
show why this saying is wrong. And you need to
demonstrate why an old dog brings a lot more to the
table than a younger dog.
In todays lesson, well rejoin Patrick, an accountant whos interviewing for a
position with an advisory firm. Frank and Nina are conducting the interview. Well
hear Patrick demonstrate some key interview skills; hes going to answer
hypothetical questions, highlight transferable skills, and demonstrate research. Hes
also going to make polite suggestions and ask good questions.
As you listen, try to answer the following questions:
1. Why does Patrick talk about his work developing junior accountants?

2. What is Patricks suggestion about training and development?

3. What does Patrick want to know about the position?

2012 All rights reserved: www.businessenglishpod.com

BEP 205 - Job Interviews: Switchin g Careers (Part 2)

Vocabulary
Continuing on this theme: we use this expression to show that we are changing the
topic slightly, but looking at it in a different way; Thats a good point, and continuing
on that theme, Id like to look at a few examples.
Say: we use say to introduce a situation that we want someone to imagine; Say
you could work for any company at all. Where would you like to work?
Inconsistency: an inconsistency occurs when something we expect to be the same as
another thing is not; The accountant found several inconsistencies between your tax
returns and your income statements.
Course of action: a way of dealing with a situation; Sadly, the only course of action is
to offer a full refund on the bicycles with unsafe seats.
Precedent: an example from the past that is the same as a present situation; There is
no precedent of this happening before, so we dont know what to do.
On ones own: without support or guidance; Please ask Liana to deal with all
customer complaints on her own.
Mentor/mentoring: a mentor is an experienced worker who gives professional advice
to a new or inexperienced worker; A strong mentor can be as valuable as four years
of studying at university.
Apt: appropriate or suitable; As a former immigration officer, Sam is the most apt
staff member for dealing with questions about work visas.
Heavily involved: working on something a lot or in great detail; As an Executive
Assistant, you are likely to be heavily involved in confidential matters.
Perspective: an opinion or a way of thinking about something; Before making any
major decisions, please get Alans perspective on the problem.
Lead: the main person who is in charge of a project or an account; John was asked to
be the lead for the new maintenance team.
Firsthand: a firsthand experience is one that we have ourselves, rather than just
hearing or reading about it; The witnesses to the accident provided firsthand accounts
of the explosion at the factory.
To debrief: to talk about an event after it has happened, often to learn from the
experience; After any major accident or death in the workplace, it is important for
staff to debrief within hours or days.
An idea worth pursuing: if an idea is worth pursuing, it is something that should be
considered and explored in more detail because it is a good idea; Now thats an idea
worth pursuing. Val, can you look into it and get back to me next week?
Advisory firm: a company that analyses the organisational problems of other
companies and makes recommendations on how to fix them; Because of our recent
drop in production and the departure of four managers, we are bringing in an advisory
firm to help guide us through this difficult time.
Too true: we respond to comments that we agree with by saying too true; A:
Credit card companies charge unreasonably high interest. B: Too true. Im paying 22%
on my MasterCard balance.
Billable hours: the hours of work that can be billed directly to a client; Few people
realize that the money from billable hours doesnt go directly into a lawyers pocket.
Menial: work that is boring or requiring hard physical effort, and usually earning little
respect; While many secretaries hate the menial tasks of sealing envelopes, Janelle
finds it a relaxing alternative to the busy phones lines.
2012 All rights reserved:

www.businessenglishpod.com

BEP 205 - Job Interviews: Switchin g Careers (Part 2)

Dialog
Nina: Okay, so continuing on this theme, Id like to give you a situation. Say a
junior accountant comes to you hes struggling with an audit on a small
company. Hes not too sure about how to deal with some inconsistencies hes
found. How would you help him?
Patrick: Okay well, Id have him describe the situation and tell me what he thinks
is the best course of action. And then, Id tell him to look for a precedent on that
particular issue.. This way, Im helping him learn how to deal with problems on his
own.
Frank: I see, so what youre describing is much like a mentoring relationship.
Does that sound right?
Patrick: Yes, thats an apt way to describe it. At my last position I was heavily
involved in the development of junior accountants. And I think my skills as a
mentor will be extremely useful in another large organization.
Nina: Okay, so maybe you can give us some perspective. Like most companies,
well put one or two junior accountants on a large account with a senior lead. So
the younger ones gain firsthand experience working with the senior partners.
From what youve seen, do you think this type of training works?
Patrick: Well, I think its very effective in certain ways. But I do think that new
recruits need a chance to debrief what theyve learned outside of the project or
regular work. One way to do that is a semi-formal mentorship program, with each
recruit assigned to a senior member who provides guidance. It may be an idea
worth pursuing.
Frank: Indeed, thats an area of great interest to us. And youve got hands-on
experience with this?
Patrick: Yes, I benefited a lot from having a great mentor. And Ive had a close
look at how your graduate development program works. Of the major advisory
firms, its clearly the most well-known. I understand that with so many young
accountants training and development are huge concerns for you.
Nina: Too true. Its something we I mean senior accountants - have to put a lot
of time and energy into.
Patrick: Of course. And the issue of time reminds me of a point Id like to clarify, if
I may. Would it be appropriate at this point to talk about your expectations around
billable hours for this position?
Frank: Ah, yes. Billable hours. Nina, perhaps you can run us through that.

2012 All rights reserved:

www.businessenglishpod.com

BEP 205 - Job Interviews: Switchin g Careers (Part 2)

Debrief
Now lets go through the dialog again and look at the language Patrick uses to
convince the interviewers that hes the right person for the job.
Nina: Okay, so continuing on this theme, Id like to give you a situation. Say a
junior accountant comes to you hes struggling with an audit on a small
company. Hes not too sure about how to deal with some inconsistencies hes
found. How would you help him?
Patrick: Very interesting. Well, Id have him describe the situation and tell me
what he thinks is the best course of action. And then, Id tell him to look for a
precedent on that particular issue. This way, Im helping him learn how to deal
with problems on his own.
Nina begins this part of the interview by asking Patrick to talk about an imaginary
or hypothetical - situation. To introduce this situation, she uses the word say,
which is a way of telling someone to imagine. The situation involves a junior
accountant who finds inconsistencies, or problems when doing an audit. An
audit is an official review of financial statements and cash flow.
This type of hypothetical question is quite common in an interview situation. Notice
that in the response, Patrick repeatedly says Id, which is short for I would.
When we speak hypothetically, we normally use this word would. Patrick outlines
what he would do in this situation in a response that is brief and clear. And he
makes sure to say why he would do it.
Now lets practice a few more ways of responding to hypothetical questions. Notice
how these answers use that important word would.

Well, in that type of situation, Id begin by talking to the co-worker in question.

There are two ways I would consider approaching that problem.
In fact, Ive dealt with that situation before, and heres what Id do if it came up
again
In a case like that, I would request a meeting with the client.

Now lets continue the dialog.

Frank: I see, so what youre describing is much like a mentoring relationship.
Does that sound right?
Patrick: Yes, thats an apt way to describe it. At my last position I was heavily
involved in the development of junior accountants. And I think my skills as a
mentor will be extremely useful in another large organization.
To Frank, Patricks response seems to describe a mentoring relationship.
Mentoring is when someone with a lot of experience helps or guides someone new.
Patrick says this is an apt, or appropriate, way to describe his idea. He then takes
the opportunity to talk about how he was heavily, or greatly, involved in
developing junior accountants in his last job. And he goes on to say that these skills
will be useful in another company.
2012 All rights reserved:

www.businessenglishpod.com

BEP 205 - Job Interviews: Switchin g Careers (Part 2)

When switching careers, you need to show how your skills will transfer to the new
job. This is exactly what Patrick is doing. Hes not just mentioning the skills he has,
hes showing how they have improved him more generally and can be used in other
contexts.
How else can we highlight our transferable skills?

The organizational skills Ive learned managing inventory can help me in other
ways too.
Supervising a large staff has prepared me for other leadership roles.
My experience on the production floor has given me a good understanding of
workflow and processes.
What I learned in marketing really helps me in sales.

Okay, now lets listen as Nina asks Patrick for his opinion.
Nina: So maybe you can give us some perspective. Like most companies, well
put one or two junior accountants on a large account with a senior lead. So the
younger ones gain firsthand experience working with the senior partners. From
what youve seen, do you think this type of training works?
Patrick: Well, I think its very effective in certain ways. But I do think that new
recruits need a chance to debrief what theyve learned outside of the project or
regular work. One way to do that is a semi-formal mentorship program, with each
recruit assigned to a senior member who provides guidance. It may be an idea
worth pursuing.
Nina wants Patrick to give them some perspective. She is asking for his opinion
based on experience. And what she wants to know about is how they train junior
accountants. Ninas company usually gives young employees firsthand, or direct,
experience by having them work on projects with a more experienced lead, which
is short for leader.
Patrick is going to give his opinion, but he must be polite. He begins with a positive
statement, saying that their training method is very effective in certain ways. This
sets up his suggestion, which he introduces with but. Patrick believes that young
accountants need to discuss, or debrief, their experience outside of individual
projects. His suggestion for this is a semi-formal mentorship program.
Patrick doesnt say directly you should do this. He introduces his idea politely with
one way to do that is And he follows his suggestion with it may be an idea
worth pursuing. This is a non-forceful and polite way of suggesting something.
In the following examples, notice how the speaker makes the suggestion polite with
indirect expressions and softening words.

Have you ever considered outsourcing some of the menial administrative work?
Engaging the public through social media is one way you might be able to
enhance brand awareness.
I think it might be a good idea to focus on employee retention.
There appears to be some room for improvement in marketing.

2012 All rights reserved:

www.businessenglishpod.com

BEP 205 - Job Interviews: Switchin g Careers (Part 2)

Okay, so what happens next?
Frank: Yes, Thats an area of great interest to us. And youve got hands-on
experience with this?
Patrick: Yes, I benefited a lot from having a great mentor. And Ive had a close
look at how your graduate development program works. Of the major advisory
firms, its clearly the most well-known. I understand that with so many young
accountants training and development are huge concerns for you.
Frank shows interest in Patricks suggestion and asks whether he has direct
experience with such mentorship programs.
Patrick has already mentioned that he has acted as a mentor, and now he reveals
that he has been mentored as well. So he does have direct experience with these
programs.
Patrick then takes the opportunity to show that he has done some research about
the company where hes applying. He has had a close look at their graduate
development program and says he understands that training and development are
big concerns for the company. It is absolutely essential to do some research before
an interview. The trick is finding the right opportunity to demonstrate that research.
Lets hear some more examples of someone showing that theyve done some
research to prepare for an interview.

I was interested to learn that you are one of the top 50 companies in the Midwest.
I must say that Im impressed with your recent successes in South America.
I understand that 40% of your revenues come through government contracts.
Your 4th Quarter results sure took shareholders by surprise, didnt they?

Now back to the dialog.

Nina: Too true. Its something we I mean senior accountants - have to put a lot
of time and energy into.
Patrick: Of course. And the issue of time reminds me of a point Id like to clarify, if
I may. Would it be appropriate at this point to talk about your expectations around
billable hours for this position?
Frank: Ah, yes. Billable hours. Nina, perhaps you can run us through that.
Nina agrees with Patricks statement with the expression too true, confirming that
their senior accountants have to spend a lot of time and energy on training.
The subject of time reminds Patrick of something he wants to know, or, as he says
a point Id like to clarify, if I may. Thats a very polite way of introducing a
question. Patricks question is about billable hours, or the amount of time that
should be directly billed to clients. But he doesnt come out directly and say what
are the billable hours? He approaches the issue with tact, asking would it be
appropriate at this point to talk about the issue.
2012 All rights reserved:

www.businessenglishpod.com

BEP 205 - Job Interviews: Switchin g Careers (Part 2)

Asking questions is not a one-way street in an interview. Sure, your first job is to
respond to the interviewers questions, but you should ask some good ones
yourself. It shows real interest in the position and an understanding of the type of
work.
Listen to some more examples of interviewees asking good questions about the
position or company.

How does your company like to reward its employees?

Id be curious to know about your plans for expansion to the west coast.
How would you describe the workplace culture?
What do you enjoy most about working for this company?

Frank finishes the dialog by asking Nina to talk about billable hours. The interview
will continue and Patrick will continue handling the situation well. For us, its time to
shift gears.
Now lets practice some of the language we learned for answering hypothetical
questions. Youll hear a question, then youll hear a prompt. Use the words in the
prompt to make a response to the question.
For example, if you hear:
Example Cue: What would you do if you found out that an employee was stealing?
Example Prompt: first / would / discussion / employee
You can say:
Example Answer: First I would have a discussion with the employee.
Well play an example answer after each practice.
Ready? Lets give it a go.
Cue 1: How would you improve our brand awareness?
Prompt 1: would / begin / redesign / logo
Answer:
Cue 2: If you were put in charge of the company, whats the first thing youd do?
Prompt 2: would / employee survey / find out / satisfied
Answer:
Cue 3: As CEO, would you place a lot of importance on expansion?
Prompt 3: No / expansion / could / weaken
Answer:
Cue 4: What would you do about slumping sales?
Prompt 4: would / change / commission structure / salespeople
Answer:
2012 All rights reserved:

www.businessenglishpod.com

BEP 205 - Job Interviews: Switchin g Careers (Part 2)

Answer
Answer
Answer
Answer

1:
2:
3:
4:

I would begin by redesigning the company logo.

I would do an employee survey to find out if theyre satisfied.
No, I think expansion could actually weaken the company.
I would change the commission structure for salespeople.

Now lets practice some of the vocabulary and idioms from this lesson. Youll hear a
series of sentences with a word replaced with a beep. Repeat the whole sentence,
saying the missing word.
For example, if you hear:
Example Cue: The manager assigned Tom as technical <beep> on the project.
You can say:
Example Answer: The manager assigned Tom as technical lead on the project.
After each response, well play the correct answer. Lets begin.
Cue 1: Our junior engineers are expected to achieve 80% billable <beep>.
Answer:
Cue 2: As a senior manager, I was heavily <beep> in strategic planning.
Answer:
Cue 3: After 20 years in software design, Joe decided to <beep> another career.
Answer:
Cue 4: A planning meeting was held to decide on the best course of <beep>.
Answer:
Answer 1: Our junior engineers are expected to achieve 80% billable hours.
Answer 2: As a senior manager, I was heavily involved in strategic planning.
Answer 3: After 20 years in software design, Joe decided to pursue another
career.
Answer 4: A planning meeting was held to decide on the best course of action.
Weve reached the end of this episode, the second in our two-part series on job
interviews when making a career shift. Weve learned how to answer hypothetical
questions, make polite suggestions and highlight transferable skills. Weve also
heard how we can demonstrate research and ask good questions. These are all
important ways of showing a prospective employer that youre the right person for
the job.
For more practice, premium members can access the online quizzes and study
notes for this and other episodes in the new learning center. Not a member yet?
Then head over to www.businessenglishpod.com and sign up for a free trial to
preview some of the extra resources available to members.
Thanks for listening and see you again soon!
2012 All rights reserved:

www.businessenglishpod.com

BEP 205 - Job Interviews: Switchin g Careers (Part 2)

Language Review
A. Choosing the Best Answer
Imagine you are a sales manager applying to be the general manager of a small
company. For each of the questions below, choose the answer that appropriately
responds to a hypothetical question, highlights transferable skills, makes a polite
suggestion, or demonstrates research.
1. Say a customer complains that one of your staff has lied to them. How would you
handle that?
a) I dont think that lying is acceptable in any situation.
b) I would approach the staff person and ask him to relate the situation.
c) I have never really experienced something like that before.
2. So, what about being a sales manager prepares you for being a general
manager?
a) I really think that I have learned how to handle people well.
b) Well, sales is really my passion.
c) To begin, I understand that you have very high turnover.
3. Do you have any ideas about how we might improve our customer service?
a) Well, have you ever thought of trying CRM software?
b) You need to hire better people.
c) Customer service, hey? Id prefer not to answer that, if you dont mind.
4. Did you know that in the past two years we have doubled revenues?
a) Really? Thats pretty amazing. How did you do it?
b) I would really like to make that happen.
c) Yes, and I understand that has led to several buyout offers.
B. Vocabulary and Idioms
Fill in the blanks with words from the box below. Be sure to put any verbs in the
right tense.
hours
involved
pursue
own
action
lead
1. Im really glad that Jen decided to take the ______ on that big landfill project.
2. I see here that youve been heavily ______ in community development work
throughout your career.
3. In this part of the meeting, well decide which of the new product ideas is worth
______.
4. I have had to deal with several major crises on my ______.
5. A business consultant was hired to help determine the best course of ______.
6. My boss is quite upset because I didnt make my monthly quote of billable
______.

2012 All rights reserved:

www.businessenglishpod.com

BEP 205 - Job Interviews: Switchin g Careers (Part 2)

Study Strategy
In most interviews, you will be asked hypothetical questions about what you would
do in certain situations. These questions are used to assess your problem-solving
ability and judgment. It is very important that you answer them thoughtfully and
wisely.
Start by making a list of difficult situations that a person in your line of work might
encounter. The situations could be something like a cost overrun on a large project
or a colleague who you catch stealing from the company. Try to think of several
different types of situations.
With that list, you are going to practice asking and answering hypothetical
questions. Have a friend or colleague ask you what you would do in the first
situation. Try to give an answer that is concise but strong. Explain what you would
do in that particular situation. Now switch, and you can ask your partner about the
next situation.

Answers
Listening Questions
1. Patrick talks about helping junior accountants to highlight skills he could use in
the new job.
2. Patricks suggestion for training and development is a mentorship program.
3. Patrick would like to know the companys expectations for billable hours.
A. Choosing the Best Answer
1. b; 2. a; 3. a; 4. c
B. Vocabulary and Idioms
1. Im really glad that Jen decided to take the lead on that big landfill project.
2. I see here that youve been heavily involved in community development work
throughout your career.
3. In this part of the meeting, well decide which of the new product ideas is worth
pursuing.
4. As an independent contractor, I have a lot of experience working on my own.
5. A business consultant was hired to help determine the best course of action.
6. My boss is quite upset because I didnt make my monthly quote of billable
hours.

Online Practice
Click the Launch button to open the online practice:

2012 All rights reserved:

www.businessenglishpod.com

10