“ Friendly ” Interview
E: Hi, Yuki! Come on in! Pretty hot out there, isn’t it Did you have trouble finding us Sit! Sit!
A: Hello, Mr. Jones, it’s~
E: Yuki, just call me Fred!
A: Er. OK, er~ Fred. Thank you for seeing me today.
E: No problem. No problem at all. Say, it says here in your resume you studied in California. Great place, isn’t it I studied in California myself. I really enjoyed it. What did you like most about California
A: Well, ~ I guess the weather. And the people. They were all very friendly to me.
E: Yeah, the people are quite relaxed~ those were some great times I spent there. Well, thanks for stopping by. Are you from Tokyo, Yuki
A: Yes, I am. I was born here, and still live with my parents in the same house.
E: Is that right Wonderful, wonderful. I’ve been in Japan for two years now. A great place. Nice people and great bear
Well, I guess we better get started.
Yuki, why do you want with us
A: Well, er~ Fred, I believe I have a lot to offer to your company, I’m very well-organized, I ~
E: Yes, yes, yes. But why do you want to work here
A: Oh, I want to use my English and my past work experience in a challenging job, to help a foreign company be successful in Japan.
I know a little about your company and think the work here would be exciting and meaningful.
E: Why do you want to leave your present company
A: I’ve been with my present company for three years. I enjoy the job, but I’m ready for more responsibility and I want to use my English more.
E: Well, your English sounds very good to me. I’ve been studying Japanese for the past year and, unfortunately. I’m not making very much progress.
Where do you live
A: I live in Saitama Prefecture.
E: Is that very far from here
A: About one hour.
E: What are your interests outside of work
A: Oh, I enjoy swimming and going to the sports club whenever I get the chance.
I’m also studying tea ceremony.
E: Well, I guess I should tell you something about the job. As you know, we’re one of the largest brokerage houses in the world. Our daily work is quite hectic, and we’re looking for an assistant who can keep us organized ~ help keep the engines running smoothly, so to speak.
Our hours are long, but the overtime pay is good ~sort of makes up for the long hours.
A: What would a typical day be like for me here
E: Well, that’s the problem. We never seem to have “typical” days, Yuki ! But you’d spend about 30% of your time on the computer. There would also be a lot of telephone time, setting up appointments, and taking care of a lot of support work.
Also, there are visitors from overseas to deal with~ that always takes a lot of time and energy. The key in this job, Yuki, is flexibility. You have to be ready to handle all kinds of work, and you have to learn how to juggle several projects at the same time. Do you think you’re up to it
A: Oh, yes, I do. My present job is similar in that respect, and I think I’m doing a gook job.
One of my strong points is good organizational skills. I have an ability to organize and work on several projects simultaneously.
I like that kink of work. It’s exciting and makes me feel like I’m really accomplishing something.
E: Great! It sounds like you might be a good fit.
Any problem with overtime work
A: Oh, I have no problem with overtime work if it’s necessary to get the job done.
E: How are your general office skills
A: Pretty good, I think. I take dictation at 70 words per minute, type 60 words per minute and use several makes of computer. At work, I usually use Mac and IBM.
In my present job, I helped computerize most of the project files.
E: Yuki, I’m basically computer illiterate, but I’m playing “catch-up” now. God, I wish I were 20 years yo