Career in Finance (English for Job Interviews)

Career in Finance (English for Job Interviews)  An activity meant for B2-level students.

Some of the vocabulary in this interview includes: TRENDS – FORECAST – VERBAL DELIVERY – FOUNDATION – DEGREE – INTERNSHIP – FINDINGS – STRENGTHS – WEAKNESSES

I – CAREER IN FINANCE (LISTENING INPUT)

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

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

a. Study something as your main subject at college ______
b. Title given to a college graduate  _______
c. A job that lasts for a short time, that a student does, in order to gain practical experience of a type of work  _________
d. Base _________
e. Improve _________
f. Something that you have to do because it is part of your job ___________
g. Information that has been discovered __________
h. A clear and sudden understanding of a complicated problem or situation __________
i. A positive quality that makes you more effective _________
j. A fault or lack of determination shown in someone’s behavior __________
k. Predict _________
l. Prevailing tendency, direction or style ______________
m. The way in which someone speaks in public ___________

III – KEY TO EXERCISE

a. Major     b. Degree     c. Internship     d. Foundation     e. Sharpen     f. Duty     g. Findings     h. Insight             i. Strength     j. Weakness     k. Forecast   l. Trend     m. Verbal delivery

IV – INTERVIEW SCRIPT

Career in Finance

Interviewer: Would you like some coffee or water before we begin?
Interviewee: No, thank you.
Interviewer: So, how long have you been out of university?
Interviewee: I just graduated in May.
Interviewer: I see that you studied economics at your university. What motivated you to major in this?
Interviewee: Ever since I was young, I have had an interest in all things financial. My father is in banking and used to show me what he did at his job. Being around numbers and money was so fascinating for me and I guess it is what drove me to major in economics.
Interviewer: In what ways did your degree help prepare you for a career in finance?
Interviewee: Most of the coursework I did was quite practical. We had many case studies that we had to solve. The course also offered a six month internship, which I did at a the bank mentioned on my résumé. That was a wonderful opportunity because I got a great taste of day-to-day activities in finance.
Interviewer: Any specific things you learned on your internship that you feel you could bring to this position?
Interviewee: I was exposed to all areas of banking in my six months, so I feel that I have a decent foundation of the daily work that is needed at a bank. Specifically, I was able to sharpen my communication, analytical and problem solving skills. One of my duties was to analyze and chart the progress of one of our important client’s investments. At times, I would have to contact them and communicate the findings I made. This really gave me an insight and strength in this area of the business.
Interviewer: Sounds like it was a very interesting experience. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Interviewee: I feel that I have really developed strong analytical and organizational skills. At my internship, I created a new and improved system for analyzing and forecasting trends for local investors. I also organized a systematic way for it to be kept and communicated to the office. When I started the job, my phone skills were not that good. I was a little shy contacting people. But I worked with my manager every day to improve my verbal delivery and what to say when I called. After a few months, I lost my inhibitions and had no problem making calls to clients after that.

“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:

AUSTRALIA     BRAZIL     CANADA     FRANCE    GERMANY   INDIA    ITALY     JAPAN    MEXICO       NETHERLANDS     SPAIN     UK     US

If you´re based in Brazil the paperback is available at a discount price on UICLAP!
240 pages – 31 QR-CODES for the audio tracks (dialogues) “even the paperback comes with built-in technology”

600 Phrasal Verbs (with Jonathan T. Hogan)

Talking Business

How do you say … in English?