Do you know what speed dating is? How about speed dating for a job?
If you could go to a job fair, would you prefer to approach the businesses or would you like them to approach you?
In this fun capsule, the roles are reversed as potential employers visit the tables of the students who are looking for work.
Activity 1: Vocabulary
Activity 2: Grammar: Phrasal verbs
Activity 3: Capsule & comprehension questions
Activity 4: Reading & writing
Activity 5: Your dream job
Activity 6: Vocabulary review
Vocabulary
Click on the words or expressions you do not know to see an explanation.
Grammar
Phrasal verbs are verb + preposition combinations that have specific meanings. Here are 5 expressions related to the job market.
Work on – We are working on a project at the moment.
Pay attention to – It is essential to pay attention to safety rules in a manufacturing plant.
Pay for – Until you work with us for three months, we won’t be able to pay for your vacation.
Look forward to – I look forward to hearing from you soon and starting to work with your business.
Help out – Martin agreed to help out at the festival. He volunteered to sell hotdogs.
Learning phrasal verbs is challenging because changing the preposition after a verb can change the entire meaning of a sentence. Look at the difference in these expressions.
Look up – find information; admire | Look over – examine something quickly |
Look into – investigate | Look for – try to locate or discover |
Watch the capsule
Answer the comprehension questions that follow.
Reading and writing
Read the text and think of a solution for Noreen.
Noreen was a talented computer programmer who worked at a large software company. She had excellent technical knowledge and could solve complex coding problems faster than almost anyone else on her team. Her projects were always accurate, and her solutions often saved the company time and money. However, Noreen struggled with interpersonal skills, which slowly created problems she did not recognize.
For example, during meetings she often interrupted her colleagues because she was eager to share her ideas. She did not realize that this made others feel disrespected. When teammates asked for help, she would give short, impatient answers, believing she was being efficient. To her, she was simply focused on finishing the work, but to others she seemed unfriendly and uncooperative.
One major conflict occurred when Noreen sent an email to a client filled with technical terms and strict instructions. She thought she was being clear, but the client felt confused and insulted by her tone. Instead of asking Noreen to explain, the client complained to her manager.
Over time, her coworkers stopped approaching her, and her manager noticed tension in the team. Eventually, Noreen was called into a meeting and told that, although her technical performance was excellent, her lack of communication and teamwork skills were harming the company. She was shocked and confused, because she had always believed that doing her job well meant writing perfect code.
Noreen did not know where to turn for help and was afraid that she would lose her job. She finally approached the Human Resources (HR) department for help.
Could you help Noreen?
Speaking
Your Dream Job!
Vocabulary review