TOPIC 1 - Semester 3/Phase 1 - JOB/SUBSTITUTION INTERVIEW

In order for your job/intership/substitution interview to be successful, you are required to:  

  • seek an internship/job offer/training programme, research the company/organisation/university and field ; 
  • update and adapt your CV to the offer you have selected;
  • write a cover letter with reference to the offer.

Please email your CV, cover letter, and a link to the offer to your tutorial teacher 3 working days before your tutorial, i.e. midnight on the previous Thursday. Failing to do so or no-shows will result in a non-negotiable -4 point penalty.

To prepare for this interview, refer to the handout and information you were given in your first year.  Students joining the school this year can download a copy of the handout on Moodle.

You will be given the name of your CV teacher at the start of the school year. Please seek their help exclusively. However students interested in applying for an engineering internship abroad or substitution are invited to contact Lachell FAURE.

The tutorial is aimed to provide job interview training. Tutorial teachers are NOT expected to correct CVs.

Marks

10

7.5

5

2.5

Getting the position

You’re hired/accepted!!!

- stellar CV/resume
- great poise& eye-contact - very confident
- detailed and specific answers to questions
- sells skills and references previous experience
- appears to have many leadership qualities
- appears very honest and easy to work with
- interviewee is professional when responding
- very clear and concise manner of speaking
- above-average maturity

We’re considering you...

- thorough resume
- decent poise, eye-contact
- somewhat confident
- specific answers to questions
- sells some skills
- appears to have some leadership potential
- appears honest and non-conflict prone
- interviewee is usually professional when respo33nding - clear manner of speaking
- noticeable maturity

 

We might have hired/admitted you but…

- resume is organized, but shows little experience
- not enough poise, semi-professional dress, some eye-contact
- confidence is not convincing
- specific answers to some questions, others too general
- comes off as a little too inexperienced
- appears to be a hard-worker, but not necessarily a leader
- appears to have some communication problems
- interviewee attempts to be professional when responding
- manner of speaking is comprehensible, but sometimes a bit unclear - some maturity evident

 

DON’T CALL US, WE’LL CALL YOU...

- resume feels incomplete or has many errors
- no poise, dress too casual or inappropriate, poor eye-contact
- lack of confidence
- answers to questions are not convincing, relevant, or sufficient - inexperience is obvious
- does not appear to possess leadership skills
- does not come across as a dependable employee
- interviewee is not professional when responding
- manner of speaking is unclear, jumbled or poorly worded
- interviewee needs more experience and maturity

 

Marks

5

5

4

3

2

Taking part in an interview

Can keep up his/her side of the dialogue extremely well, structuring the talk and interacting authoritatively with effortless fluency, at no disadvantage to other speakers. (C2)

Can participate fully in an interview, expanding and developing the point being discussed fluently without any support, and handling interjections well. (C1)

Can take initiatives, expand and develop ideas with little help or prodding. (B2)  

Can provide concrete information required in an interview/consultation but does so with limited precision. (B1)

Can take some initiatives in an interview (e.g. to bring up a new subject) but is very dependent on interviewer in the interaction. (A2)

Marks

5

5

4

3

Phonological control

 

Perfectly intelligible (C2)

Can articulate all sounds. Some features of other language do not affect intelligibility (C1)

Appropriate intonation, sentence and word stress. Accent can be influenced by other language(s) but without affecting intelligibility (B2)

Pronunciation is generally intelligible. Accent is generally influenced by other language(s) (B1)

Grammatical accuracy

Consistent grammatical control of complex language, even while attention is otherwise engaged (C2)

High degree of grammatical accuracy; errors are rare and difficult to spot. (C1)

Does not make mistakes which lead to misunderstanding.  Uses some complex grammatical forms with some inaccuracy. (B2)

Reasonable accuracy

Errors occur, but it is clear what they are trying to express. (B1)

Vocabulary range and accuracy

Consistently correct and appropriate use of vocabulary. (C2)

Uses less common vocabulary idiomatically and appropriately. (C1)

some confusion and incorrect word choice does occur without hindering communication. (B2)

Major errors still occur when expressing more complex thoughts or handling unfamiliar topics and situations. Uses a wide range of simple vocabulary appropriately when discussing familiar topics. (B1)

TOPIC 2 - Semester 3 / Phase 2 - LISTENING COMPREHENSION

Choose one of the following 15-minute minimum programs and listen to it. Identify the central issues (innovations, discoveries, methods) of the podcast and use the show as a springboard to explore the theme (other applications in a different context? desired and unforeseen impact?).
WHY does this research matter? Why does it matter to YOU?

Instructions :
  • Please email the topic and a link to your tutorial teacher 3 working days before your tutorial, i.e. midnight on the previous Thursday. Failing to do so or no-shows will result in a non-negotiable -4 point penalty.
  • A tutorial lasts 22 minutes :
  1. The first 10 minutes allow you to present your chosen topic
  2. The following 10 minutes are dedicated to a conversation, which you are expected to lead
  3. After that your tutor will give you some feedback;
  4. Leave your class for the duration of your tutorial only.
You may structure your presentation in the following way :
  • introduce the topic/theme (what is it about?) and thesis (what is said about it?) : you may start with CONTEXT, or WHY YOU CARE, or an ANECDOTE, or a COMPELLING FIGURE OR PICTURE.
  • a one-minute summary of the program
  • a discussion of what YOU FIND COMPELLING and REMARKABLE, or QUESTIONABLE and DEBATABLE IN THE PROGRAM : compare with other sources, explore where this discussion leads you, what the implications may be...
  • a wrap : sum up what you have discovered, or debunked, and what you'd like to explore next
You may, but don't have to, use a slideshow.
You may structure your presentation in any other way you see fit, as long as there is a structure enabling your tutor to follow it and engage with the topic.

In these tutorials we expect you to show a degree of autonomy, research (with references) and critical thinking, as well as social skills : making small talk on arriving, leading the conversation.

Tutorials are an opportunity for you to experience conversation and to speak without a script.
Tutors expect you to talk to them, to make regular eye contact, not read your notes

Example :

Intro : I remember being scared because of an unexplained sound I heard as a child... (personal anecdote, 1 to 2')

Quick summary : This episode of Radiolab, Bigger Than Bacon, is like a mystery : we follow the producer as she investigates a mysterious underwater sound which turns out to be caused by a species of shrimps. This mystery has unexpected strategic implications : US submarines hid among the shrimp during WW2 to avoid detection. The producer goes on to disclose the physics behind the sound. (1')

Exploration (6 to 7') : Here are several paths this first podcast can lead us onto, depending on what we're interested in (in your tutorial, you would choose one of them) :

  1. use of noises in music and discussion of "noise music"

  2. sounds that have served as camouflage, or have been weaponized

  3. soundscapes (my school, my city, my country) and the impact they have on us

  4. science research subjects that explore sounds (oceanography, communication between plants etc.)

  5. ...

Wrap (30" to 1') : What a journey thanks to better listening! How to become more focused listeners? Upsides and downsides of paying attention to our soundscapes.


 

TASK ACHIEVEMENT [1]

COHERENCE and COHESION [2]

VOCABULARY and FLUENCY [3]

GRAMMATICAL RANGE and ACCURACY [4]

 

¨ Streamlining the main points of a complex and longer discussion containing opinions, arguments and discussion sources; [B2 level]

¨ Construction of a chain of reasoned and clear arguments with the support of subsidiary points and relevant and significant examples (advantages and disadvantages); [B2 level]

¨ Ability to interact with a degree of fluency; [B2 level]

¨ Precise expression of ideas and opinions, convincing presentation and response to complex lines of arguments; [B2 level]

¨ Ability to compare, connect and explore other works by highlighting similarities and contrasts and by explaining the relevance of the connections between them. [B2 level]

¨ Can engage in extended conversation on most general topics in a clearly participatory fashion [B2 level]

 

¨ Efficient use of a variety of linking words to mark clearly the relationships between ideas; [B2 level]

¨ Use of a limited number of cohesive devices to link their ideas into clear and coherent discourse; [B2 level]

¨ Can produce clear, smoothly flowing, well-structured speech, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices. [C1 level]

 

¨ Use of technical or specialist terminology when discussing the chosen topic; [B2 level]

¨ Good range of vocabulary for matters connected to technology and most general topics; [B2 level]

¨ Formulation variation to avoid frequent repetition, but lexical gaps can still cause hesitation and circumlocution. [B2 level]

¨ Uses less common vocabulary idiomatically and appropriately. [C1 level]

 

¨ No mistakes which lead to misunderstanding; [B2 level]

¨ Good command of simple language structures and some complex grammatical forms, although they tend to use complex structures rigidly with some inaccuracy. [B2 level]

¨ Accent tends to be influenced by the native language but has little or no effect on intelligibility; [B2 level]

¨ Can generally use appropriate intonation, place stress correctly and

articulate individual sounds clearly. [B2 level]

¨ Consistently maintains a high degree of grammatical accuracy; errors are rare and difficult to spot. [C1 level]

 

Points

/10

/2

/4

/4

Comments