Career in Sales (English for Job Interviews)

CAREER IN SALES (ENGLISH FOR JOB INTERVIEWS). An activity meant for B2/C1 level students. Some of the vocabulary in this interview includes PERKS – NICHE – BOOMING – EXPERTISE – ARENA – CHALLENGE – ANTICIPATE – ENABLE

I – CAREER IN SALES (LISTENING INPUT)

Click the link below to listen to the job interview “Career in Sales”

II – LANGUAGE CHECK – EXERCISE
Listen to the interview again and try to find words or expressions that mean the same as:

a. Something that you get from your work in addition to the money you are paid, such as a smartphone, a notebook computer or a car ______
b. A job, activity, position or place that is very suitable for someone _______
c. Succeed in controlling or dealing with something _________
d. Growing rapidly _________
e. Imagine or expect that something will happen _________
f. We are hoping that something will happen the way we want ___________
g. A situation when things get really difficult and people can no longer deal calmly with a problem ____
h. Sphere of activity __________
i. Make it possible for someone to do something _________
j. Lead or be in charge of __________
k. Succeed in doing something; to achieve _________

III – KEY TO EXERCISE

a. Perk b. Niche c. Overcome d. Booming e. Anticipate f. We are keeping our fingers crossed g. Boiling point h. Arena i. Enable j. Head k. Accomplish

IV – INTERVIEW SCRIPT

Career in sales

Interviewer: So, did you find us easily?
Interviewee: It was no problem at all. You have a very beautiful view from your office.
Interviewer: Thank you. It is definitely one of the perks of the job. Would you like some coffee or water?
Interviewee: No, thank you.
Interviewer: Ok then. Well, from looking at your résumé, it appears you have a lot of impressive experience in sales.
Interviewee: Thank you. Yes, I believe you can say it is my niche.
Interviewer: So, can you please tell me a little more about yourself.
Interviewee: I have over 12 years of sales and marketing experience. It’s a job field that I love and I feel brings the best out of me. I have a great ability to convince people and to build strong business relationships. As you can see from my résumé, I have been building up my experience by overcoming many challenges that have been presented to me.
Interviewer: What interest do you have in working here?
Interviewee: First, I believe your company has a great history and well respected product line. In the last 3 years, I have read that your earnings have grown by 33% and that your international market is booming. Secondly, I love challenges. I would love the opportunity to bring my sales and leadership experience to your team and feel that my expertise in market analysis could fit into this position.
Interviewer: Yes, we do anticipate many walls coming down in the international markets in the next year. Are you aware of our new line of medical scanners that we will introduce this year?Interviewee: Yes I am. I have read that there is keen interest in Latin America and Eastern Europe for these.
Interviewer: We do think so ourselves, so we are keeping our fingers crossed. Are you comfortable working in an international environment?
Interviewee: Yes. Not only did I market and sale to Europe, but I speak Spanish and German and I am learning Portuguese right now.
Interviewer: I hear Portuguese is quite difficult.
Interviewee: It can be challenging, especially the verb conjugations. But since I already speak Spanish, it is not too difficult.
Interviewer: Can you tell me about a crisis you had to work through and what you did to solve the problem?
Interviewee: Two years ago at my previous company, we had an order for our most important client sent to the wrong address. It was our German client and they were quite angry to say the least. I was able to negotiate a new delivery date and coordinated a new shipment to be expedited immediately. After that I created a better after-sales service that produced a lot of positive feedback from our clients.
Interviewer: Sounds like it was a big headache. How do you handle stress? I am sure that you are quite aware that sales can have its ups and downs.
Interviewee: I prepare as much as I can before I go in for the sale. I think of every possible problem and what I would do to come up with a solution. If it comes to a boiling point, I take a quick walk outside if possible. When I am not at work, I ride my bicycle and swim. These activities keep me quite calm in and out of work.
Interviewer: Where would you like to see yourself in 5 years?
Interviewee: I would like to have a complete level of expertise in the sales and marketing arena which would enable me to head a complete division in a company such as yours. I want to perfect my leadership skills and to achieve all the goals I set for myself from the start of this job.
Interviewer: Sounds like some great goals to accomplish. The last question I would like to ask is what is your approach in sales?
Interviewee: I first like to build a relationship and connection to the potential client I also listen very well to what they are saying. I think that is the most important skill. This is because you always need to know WHAT they want, not exactly what you want to sell them. I find that most of my clients notice and appreciate this approach.
Interviewer: Well, this all looks impressive. We are still going to interview a few more candidates, so if we are interested in a second interview, we will contact you this week.
Interviewee: I do appreciate your time and I do hope to hear from you.

“English for Job Interviews” – Authors: José Roberto A. Igreja and Robert C. Young / Disal Editora.

José Roberto A. Igreja is the author and co-author of several ELT books, including:

LET´S TALK ABOUT IT! – The Ultimate ELT Conversation Book, now available on the Amazon stores of the following countries:

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