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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Profile picture for user OlaIELTS

Submitted by OlaIELTS on Sat, 04/04/2020 - 17:35

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Hi, It's quiet a long time.My personal skills includes: - Effective communication skills. - Strong logical and analytical skills . - Strong interpersonal skills. - Dynamic team player skills. - Prompt time management skills. - Result-driven oriented skills. Thanks.

Submitted by learnenglish10 on Sat, 04/04/2020 - 16:02

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I loved what you shared, especially how to learn English, I am going to combine it with what I am doing (https://-------------------------------------------------) to improve my results

Hello learnenglish10,

Thank you for your comment. We ask users not to link to outside sites to avoid having to police advertising posts.

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by Paulina Ramos 1506 on Fri, 27/03/2020 - 04:41

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It´s an excellent page to study english, it´s very good, practice and eaisy. I like this page, every excercise and topic.

Submitted by mohit75236 on Wed, 18/03/2020 - 02:26

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video is not playing in my pc. why?

Hello mohit75236

The video appears to be working -- I am able to see it. If it's still not working for you, I'd suggest you try using a different web browser, or to update your web browser if that is possible. If that doesn't work, I'd suggest trying to view the video on a different device.

If none of that works, please let us know what browser version you're using and we'll see if we can help you more.

All the best

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by Nermine on Sun, 08/03/2020 - 22:45

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It was a useful episode I had seen.I really need to improve my listening skill and the transcript is more helpful.Thank you

Submitted by f.qureshi on Tue, 03/03/2020 - 18:10

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Thank you British Council. I checked many other sites before this but found it best & more helpful for english learning in a better way.