Adult ESL Lessons: Who’s the Best Person for the Job? (Intermediate)

This is Lesson 3, “Who’s the Best Person for the Job?,” from our collection of intermediate-level adult ESL lessons. The lesson features a reading passage about a trade company looking to hire a secretary, followed by comprehension questions and discussion questions. This content-packed lesson is written with relatively simple English to help students transition to a more advanced level of English understanding and fluency. This lesson is available for free download, and you can download many other adult ESL lessons like this one in our book ESL Pathways: Bridges.

Download lesson as pdf
Adult ESL Lessons: Who's the best person for the job?
Adult ESL Lessons: Who's the Best Person for the Job? (Intermediate)

ADULT ESL LESSONS: Who’s the Best Person for the Job? (Text-Only Version)

· What do secretaries do?  Make a list.

  • What skills should a secretary have?
  • Is being a secretary a good job?  Why?
  • Are secretaries usually male or female?  
  • Are bosses usually male or female?  Why?
  • What do trade companies do? 

Read the following situation.

Trade Winds is an international trade company based in Hong Kong.  They import goods from Mainland China and export to Europe, Australia and the USA.  Mainly they deal with clothing and accessories.  In the future they would like to expand their markets.  They would like to do business with Mexico and some other countries in South America.

The president of Trade Winds believes it is important for businesses to find new markets and to increase their sales.  This way they can increase profit, and their employees can get higher salaries and better benefits.

Right now Trade Winds Company needs to hire a secretary for the marketing division.  Twenty people have applied for the job and the personnel department has chosen four final applicants out of the original twenty.  There are two males and two females.  Two are from Hong Kong and the other two are from Mainland China and The UK.  They each have good skills, high level of education and are all qualified for the job.  The company needs to consider the applications of these final four applicants.  Then they need to make a decision about which person is most suitable for the job.  There are many things to consider when hiring a new employee.  

Read about the four applicants:       

Name:

Susan Tsai

Martin Lee

Peggy Wang

Robert Peel

Nationality:

Hong Kong

Hong Kong

China

United Kingdom

Education:

B.A. English

B. A. Finance

B.A. Math and Business

B.A. Secretarial studies

Age:

30

34

28

24

Typing speed:

60 WPM

55 WPM

60 WPM

65 WPM

Languages:

Cantonese,

Mandarin,

English

Cantonese, English, Spanish

Mandarin, English

English,

Spanish

Experience:

8 years as a secretary

7 years in international trade sales

4 years as a secretary

None.  Just graduated

Personality:

Serious, organized

Outgoing, funny

A little shy, quiet

Enthusiastic, a little gullible

Comprehension Questions:

  1. What kind of company is Trade Winds?
  2. Where is the company based?
  3. What do they import?  What do they export?
  4. What do they mainly deal with?
  5. What do they want to do in the future?
  6. Where would they like to do business?
  7. What does the president of Trade Winds believe?
  8. Who do they need to hire?
  9. What are the final four applicants’ names?
  10. Where are they from?
  11. What kind of education do they have?
  12. How old are they?
  13. What are their typing speeds?
  14. What languages can they speak?
  15. How much experience does each have?
  16. Describe their individual personalities.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Who do you think is most qualified for the position in the Trade Winds company?  Who do you think should get the job?  Why do you think so?  
  2. Why do you think the other people are not as suitable?
  3. Which qualification is the most important?  Why?
  4. Which qualification is the least important?  Why?
  1. Name some accessories for women.  How many of these things do you have?
  2. Name some accessories for men.  How many of these things do you have?
  3. Can you type?  About how many WPM?  Do you often type?  What do you type?
  4. With which countries does your country do international trade?
  5. What things does your country import?  Why?  What things does it export?  Why?  
  6. Which of the applicants’ majors are you interested in?  
  7. Which other subjects are you interested in?  Why?
  8. Which of the subjects are you not interested in?   Why?
  9. Have you ever applied for a job?  Which job?  Did you get the job?  Did you like it?  
  1. Which jobs are you interested in?  Why?
  2.  Which jobs are you not interested in?  Why?
  3.  What kind of jobs do your family members have?
  4.  Which of these jobs are you interested in?
  5.  Would you like to work for an international trade company?  Why?
  6.  What is your ideal job?  What is your ideal salary?
  7.  Some people get raises at work.  What can you do to get a raise?  
  8.  Some people get promotions at work.  What can you do to get a promotion?
  9.  Some people get jobs and promotions because of family connections.  This means someone in their family helps them to get a job.  How do you feel about this?
  10.  Do you know anyone who got his or her job because of family connections?  Who?