PART 1
SALLY: Good morning. Thanks for coming in to see us here at the agency, Joe. I’m one of the agency representatives, and my name’s Sally Baker.
JOE: Hi Sally. I think we spoke on the phone, didn’t we?
SALLY: That’s right, we did. So thank you for sending in your CV. We’ve had quite a careful look at it and I think we have two jobs that might be suitable for you.
JOE: OK.
SALLY: The first one is in a company based in North London. They’re looking for an administrative assistant.
JOE: OK. What sort of company is it?
SALLY: They’re called Home Solutions and they design and make furniture.
JOE: Oh, I don’t know much about that, but it sounds interesting.
SALLY: Yes, well as I said, they want someone in their office, and looking at your past experience it does look as if you fit quite a few of the requirements. So on your CV it appears you’ve done some data entry?
JOE: Yes.
SALLY: So that’s one skill they want. Then they expect the person they appoint to attend meetings and take notes there …
JOE: OK. I’ve done that before, yes.
SALLY: And you’d need to be able to cope with general admin.
JOE: Filing, and keeping records and so on? That should be OK. And in my last job I also had to manage the diary.
SALLY: Excellent. That’s something they want here too. I’d suggest you add it to your CV – I don’t think you mentioned that, did you?
JOE: No.
SALLY: So as far as the requirements go, they want good computer skills, of course, and they particularly mention spreadsheets.
JOE: That should be fine.
SALLY: And interpersonal skills – which would be something they’d check with your references.
JOE: I think that should be OK, yes.
SALLY: Then they mention that they want someone who is careful and takes care with details – just looking at your CV, I’d say you’re probably alright there.
JOE: I think so, yes. Do they want any special experience?
SALLY: I think they wanted some experience of teleconferencing.
JOE: I’ve got three years’ experience of that.
SALLY: Let’s see, yes, good. In fact they’re only asking for at least one year, so that’s great. So is that something that might interest you?
JOE: It is, yes. The only thing is, you said they were in North London so it would be quite a long commute for me.
SALLY: OK.
SALLY: So the second position might suit you better as far as the location goes; that’s for a warehouse assistant and that’s in South London.
JOE: Yes, that would be a lot closer.
SALLY: And you’ve worked in a warehouse before, haven’t you?
JOE: Yes.
SALLY: So as far as the responsibilities for this position go, they want someone who can manage the stock, obviously, and also deliveries.
JOE: That should be OK. You’ve got to keep track of stuff, but I’ve always been quite good with numbers.
SALLY: Good. that’s their first requirement. And they want someone who’s computer literate, which we know you are.
JOE: Sure.
SALLY: Then they mention organisational skills. They want someone who’s well organised.
JOE: Yes, I think I am.
SALLY: And tidy?
JOE: Yes, they go together really, don’t they?
SALLY: Sure. Then the usual stuff; they want someone who can communicate well both orally and in writing.
JOE: OK. And for the last warehouse job I had, one of the things I enjoyed most was being part of a team. I found that was really essential for the job.
SALLY: Excellent. Yes, they do mention that they want someone who’s used to that, yes. Now when you were working in a warehouse last time, what sorts of items were you dealing with?
JOE: It was mostly bathroom and kitchen equipment, sinks and stoves and fridges.
SALLY: So you’re OK moving heavy things?
JOE: Sure. I’m quite strong, and I’ve had the training.
SALLY: Good. Now as far as experience goes, they mention they want someone with a licence, and that you have experience of driving in London – so you can cope with the traffic and so on.
JOE: Yes, no problem.
SALLY: And you’ve got experience of warehouse work … and the final thing they mention is customer service. I think looking at your CV you’re OK there.
JOE: Right. So what about pay? Can you tell me a bit more about that, please …
To be continued….