E: Miss Takeda Won’t you come in, please？
A: Thank you.
E: My name is James Irwin. I’m manager of sales. How do you do
A: I’m Satoko Takeda. How do you do
E: Thank you for coming. Did you have any trouble finding the office
A: Oh, no. it was easy. Your office sent me a map.
E: Well~ so you’re interested in the junior secretary position.
A: Yes, I am.
E: I’d like to ask you a few questions.
A: Fine.
E: First, Miss Takeda, can you tell me about yourself
A: Certainly. I’m from Nagano.
E: Ah! The Olympics
A: Yes, I attended primary school, middle school, and high school there.
I have a sister who is married and my parents still live there.
Um, I came to Tokyo three years ago, to attend a junior college and study English.
I finish my college courses and after some time off, I enrolled in an intensive English language program.
E: Why English, Miss Takeda
A: Excuse me
E: Why English Why don’t you study French or German or Chinese
A: Uh, well, from the time I was small I watched many movies and TV shows forms foreign countries. Most of them were American.
Also, I like music and many of my favorite groups are British or American.
Um, I also think English is the language of businesses~
E: Go on.
A: Um~ oh yes~ college I was active in the drama club and also played tennis. I was the leader of the drama club. And we staged several performances and I had overall responsibility for making sure everything ran smoothly.
Um~ oh yes~ I learned to work with many people and to work under pressure. It was a lot of work but it was fun.
E: Why do you want to work for a foreign company
A: Well, I think I could be a good employee and I want to help foreign companies in Japan.
E: Why do you think you would be a good employee
A: I think my English is good enough to do all the duties of a junior secretary.
I also believe I am responsible and would take my work seriously.
E: Did you have any difficulty getting along with fellow students or teachers
A: No, not at all. I’m quite easygoing.
E: Do you have any questions about the position
A: Yes, what would my responsibilities be
E: Well, as the title suggests, you would be helping the senior secretary accomplish her duties.
Answering incoming calls, handing routine paperwork, arranging and setting up the conference rooms for meetings, basic computer literate, aren’t you
A: Oh, yes. I am. I even have a PC at home and enjoy using it.
E: Good. Do you have any goals for your career, Miss Takeda
A: Goals What do you mean
E: Well, what do you want to be doing in five years
A: Oh, I see. Well, I want to take more courses in accounting and computer systems and develop my job skills.
I hope to be senior administrative assistant with a large foreign firm, such as yours.
E: And what do you think about overtime work
A: No problem. If the company is busy, I can be of help. I’d be happy to work overtime.
What are the normal working hours
E: 9 to 5:30, with one Saturday per month. What are your outside interests, Miss Takeda
A: Ah~ oh, I like the outside very much.
E: No, no, no. I mean what are you interest outside of work~ your hobbies, that sort of thing.
A: Oh, yes. I enjoy tennis and riding my mountain bike. I also enjoy listening to music and cooking and going out with my friends.
E: And how would you describe yourself, Miss Takeda What kind of person are you
A: Well, as I mentioned before, I think I am easygoing. I enjoy working and talking with people and I’m a responsible person.
E: Have you had any work experience at all
A: Yes, I would part-time at a coffee shop to help pay my college tuition, and I also worked in the school administration department. I had three bosses there and many varied duti