High Flyer: Interview Task: Practitioner’s Notes

Level: Business Intermediate to Advanced

Timing: 40 min
Language Area: Question forms
Skill: Interviewing

Treatment
This is an interview task the subject is intended to be amusing but it should still be treated as
a formal interview. Interviewers should be encouraged to adapt the usual interview questions
to the subject. So, for example, a question such as “Tell us about a time when something you
did had a positive effect on the working of your department.” could become “Tell us about a
time when something you did helped others.” Interviewees should be similarly asked to adapt
answers they might give at a real interview to the situation.

Prescription
1. Prepare copies of the role cards and job advertisement.

2. Tell the students they are going to take part in a job interview role play.

3. Brainstorm interview questions.

4. Pre-teach vocabulary from the advertisement, role cards and application form e.g. soul,
recently departed, halo, remuneration, etc.

5. Assign roles so that for each interview panel there is one interviewee e.g. if you have 6
students, then there should be 2 interview panels each consisting of 2 interviewers and 2
interviewees. The third interviewer role is for use when you have an inconvenient number of
students e.g. 7 in which case two panels are possible one consisting of 2 and the other of 3
interviewers and again there are 2 interviewees.

6. Put all the interviewers into a group and put them at one end of the room.

7. The interviewees should be put at the other end of the room.

8. Give out the job advertisement to both groups and ask them to read it. Allow 2 minutes for
this.

9. Give out the role cards to the interviewers and tell them to read their roles and then discuss
what questions they might ask.

10. Tell the job candidates that they are playing themselves then give out the application
forms. Ask the applicants to complete them and then discuss what questions they might be
asked and how best to answer them.

11. Allow 10 minutes for stages 9 and 10

12. Deal with any questions arising.

13. Put the separate interview panels in different parts of the room. The members of each
panel should sit on the same side of a desk. Tell them they will need to take notes.

14. Assign an interviewee to each panel. The interviewee should sit on the opposite side of the
desk to the panel members.

15. The interviewee should hand their completed application form to each panel before the
interview commences.
16. Tell the students they have 10 minutes to conduct the interview and that then you will
rotate the interviewees so that each panel interviews every interviewee.

17. Start the activity.

18. After 10 minutes (give a 1-minute warning) stop the interview and rotate the
interviewees.

19. Repeat stages 14 to 17 until each panel have interviewed every interviewee.

20. Each panel should then discuss all the candidates they interviewed and decide who gets
the job. (Max 10 minutes)

21. Meanwhile the candidates sit together and discuss the questions they were asked and how
they answered them.

22. Conduct a class feedback to discuss the results of the interviews.

Interview Task: High Flyer

Scenario
Heaven Inc. has an urgent vacancy for an angel. The position has been widely
advertised in the Celestial Times and other leading publications for the recently
departed. The job advertisement was as follows:

High Flyer Required

Owing to an outbreak of sinfulness Heaven Inc. the well-
known afterlife specialists have a vacancy for the position of

Junior Angel

This unique opportunity comes with a full package of benefits

including:
o Competitive remuneration
o Free uniform plus halo
o Company transport – wings
o Free flight training
o All meals on duty
o Full afterlife insurance

Interested parties should apply by email to

StPeter@Paradise.com

The successful candidate will possess the following:

 A good head for heights

 Checkable sin-free or near sin-free life history
 The ability to function well as part of a team

Heaven Inc. is an equal opportunities employer. This vacancy is

open to both the recently departed and the soon-to-depart
notwithstanding current religious affiliations.

Heaven Inc. looking after you in the

hereafter
Role Cards: Interview Task: High Flyer

High Flyer: Interviewer 1 Role Card

Task:
To interview applicants and to select a suitable candidate for the advertised
position.

You are the head of the Sins Department and are a member of the interview
panel for Heaven Inc. Your task along with the other members of the interview
panel is to interview applicants and to select a suitable candidate for the
advertised position of Junior Angel.

As head of the Sins Department you have access to the sin records of all the
applicants. In addition to the usual interview questions you should decide on 2-3
sins that each applicant has committed during their lifetime and ask them for
more details about them. Suitable sins might be having impure thoughts, greed,
jealousy or cruelty to animals.

High Flyer: Interviewer 2 Role Card

Task:
To interview applicants and to select a suitable candidate for the advertised
position.

You are the head of the Souls Department and are a member of the interview
panel for Heaven Inc. Your task along with the other members of the interview
panel is to interview applicants and to select a suitable candidate for the
advertised position of Junior Angel.

As head of the Souls Department your job is similar to that of an earthly HR

manager. You should concentrate on finding out about the applicants’ life and
work histories and about any good deeds they did while still living.

High Flyer: Interviewer 3 (Optional) Role Card

Task:
To interview applicants and to select a suitable candidate for the advertised
position.

You are the head of the Training Department and are a member of the
interview panel for Heaven Inc. Your task along with the other members of the
interview panel is to interview applicants and to select a suitable candidate for the
advertised position of Junior Angel.

As head of the Training department you should in addition to the usual interview
questions concentrate on identifying the applicants’ training needs.
Job Application Form: Interview Task: High Flyer

Please complete the form, then discuss with the other applicants what
questions you might be asked during the interview and decide how you
could best answer them.

Name: Age:

Occupation:

Current/Former
Position:

Marital status

Children:

Highest Educational
Qualification:

Why I want the job:

Anger
Envy
Greed
My sins: Gluttony
Laziness
Lust
Pride