Episode 01

Philip is the CEO of WebWare, an IT company. He needs to hire a new sales director as soon as possible.

Do the preparation task first. Then watch the video and do the exercises. You can also read the transcript.

Preparation

Transcript

Philip: You what? What do you mean? You've lost the DollarMart contract? Oh, Brian, tell me you're joking! That's our biggest contract and you've lost it! OK ... OK ... yes, I know you've had some personal problems recently. Yes, sure ... yes, I know our competitors have improved their offer, but really, Brian, these are just excuses. Oh, Brian, come on – you failed to meet agreed targets for the entire last quarter. We talked about this in your last performance review and I told you then it had to improve, and to be quite honest – it hasn't. Losing the DollarMart contract is the last straw. No, I'm sorry, Brian, that's it. That's your last chance. I'm going to have to let you go. Let you go. Yes, that's what it means, Brian. You're fired.

Hi, Jess. Can you put me through to Marcia in HR, please? Thank you.

Hi, Marcia. It's Philip here. Listen, I've had to let Brian go. He lost us the DollarMart account. Yeah, but it had been going on for a while, and he just wasn't pulling his weight any more. He'd been warned. His last performance review was really bad. He knew it was coming. So, we'll be looking for someone new and we'll need to decide on who that is. 

Who are we looking for? Good question. I was hoping you might be able to help me with that! Here's what I'm thinking and let me know if you agree. Well, obviously, they'll need to have a first degree. Doesn't matter what subject. And then a master's or an MBA, I'd say. 

Experience? At least five years' relevant experience in an international company. I want somebody with a proven track record. Oh, they have to be a team player – Brian never was – so strong interpersonal skills. Oh, and I want someone with vision ... yes, 'vision'! Well, I know it’s difficult to define. What I mean is, someone who knows we're in a rapidly changing market, and they can use it to our advantage.

Experience with online sales, perhaps but ... yes, I'd be interested in that. Oh, language skills. I can't emphasise that enough. Not necessarily a native speaker, but they must be very good at English. And another language as well – Spanish, or Mandarin is best.

Does that sound OK to you? Great. OK, can you get an ad out on the website as soon as possible? Oh, and the trade press as well. OK, great. Thanks, Marcia. I want a new sales director by the end of the month. Bye!

Task 1

Task 2

Discussion

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Worksheet90.3 KB
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Submitted by mfuenmol on Thu, 21/10/2021 - 11:15

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The last time I applied for a job has been today in the morning. I am going to start to work next moth and I am looking for a not very stressful job in the meantime.

Submitted by gdinunzio on Tue, 21/09/2021 - 17:41

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The last time I applied for a job was one year and half ago. I'm longlife learner, tech enthusiast, hard worker.

Submitted by Mehad Gaddal on Wed, 15/09/2021 - 13:00

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the Last time I applied for a Job was today morning. For the past 7months I was applying almost every day for different positions because I lost my job due to Pandemic . I am fast learner, task oriented, decision maker ,Team leader, hard worker and have analytical problem solving skills

Submitted by david.alfaro on Thu, 26/08/2021 - 03:23

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Well I am looking for my first job which challenge me with the english skills; nowadays enterprises are more strict with the english skills, so I hope I find one job in an enterprise like these, so I guess I must be persistent and patient meanwhile I continue practicing the language.

Submitted by Genesis Salas on Fri, 13/08/2021 - 06:35

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The last time that I applied for a job was 2 year and a half ago. I had to have experience at Import and Export and be fluently in English. However, during my job I do not practice at all my English conversations and I think I am forgetting it. I would like to apply for another job which can challenge me to learn more.

Submitted by Jackelin Espinoza on Tue, 08/12/2020 - 11:57

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Currently, I'm applying to positions like a Business Support or Analyst Business, even Sales Representative. My main skills are that I'm committed to deliver quality to the client, also I keeping a constructive attitude when solving the problems and creating a good atmosphere in a working teams.

Submitted by Hill on Fri, 25/09/2020 - 14:38

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The last time I applied for a job was last month. Procurement Management was the position I applied for, and this position required several needed skills such as negotiation, communication, good analytical, problem-solving, team working skills.

Submitted by Moody on Tue, 01/09/2020 - 17:44

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Last time i applied for a job was last year , The one who was responsible for the hiring asked my about my personal skills , i replied to him that I'm self confidence,self denial,hard worker, bilingual,l can work under pressure,do many task at the same time proficiently

Submitted by Irfan Morkoc on Fri, 07/08/2020 - 19:29

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How should I follow my lessons in this section. For example I have finished episode 1 but there is no indicator warning me I did it before. So I have to remember each time. Please help.

Hello Irfan Morkoc,

That's correct. There is no indication on the page for individual users whether or not they have completed a given task. If you want to keep a record then you'll need to organise it yourself. However, remember that repetition and revision are very important. There's nothing wrong with going back to a task you've done once before!

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team