Poziom: B1+/B2 · Rozmówcy: Laura (40, accountant), George (HR specialist)
📄 To nagranie pochodzi z lekcji Let’s Talk: Job Interview (Lesson 1, Exercise 5) – pełny scenariusz z ćwiczeniami znajdziesz w naszym sklepie.
Transkrypcja nagrania
George: So, Laura, your dad says you want to turn your life upside down.
Laura: (laughs) That sounds dramatic. But… yes. Fifteen years of spreadsheets, George. I’m good at it, but every Monday I feel a little bit grey. What I really love is gardens. I spend every weekend in mine. I dream about working as a landscape gardener.
George: That’s a lovely dream. So what’s stopping you?
Laura: I’m forty. Who’s going to hire a forty-year-old beginner when there are twenty-five-year-olds with diplomas?
George: Rule number one: never apologise for your age. I’ve interviewed people for thirty years, and honestly, some of my best hires were over forty. They’re often more reliable, they don’t panic, and they know how to talk to clients. Your age isn’t a problem. It’s experience.
Laura: But my experience is in accounting, not plants.
George: Is it? Write down what you actually do. You plan budgets, you meet deadlines, you explain difficult things to clients, you’re detail-oriented. Those are transferable skills. A gardening company needs someone who can price a project and keep a client happy, not only someone who can dig.
Laura: I never thought of it like that.
George: Rule number two: tell stories, not adjectives. The mistake I see most often is people saying „I’m hard-working, I’m creative, I’m a team player.” Everybody says that. Tell me about the time you saved a client ten thousand euros. Then I believe you.
Laura: OK. What else?
George: Don’t jump off a cliff. Test the water first. Volunteer at a community garden at weekends, take a short course in garden design. Then, in an interview, you can say: „I’ve already started.” That changes everything.
Laura: That sounds… actually possible.
George: And always research the company, and prepare questions for them. The best candidates interview us too. If someone asks me, „What would success look like in this job after six months?” — I’m impressed.
Laura: George, you’ve just given me more career advice in twenty minutes than I’ve had in twenty years.
George: So what’s your first step?
Laura: Tonight I’m signing up for the garden design course. And on Saturday I’m going to the community garden. I’m not quitting tomorrow — but I’m starting.
George: Perfect. It’s never too late to start again — but it’s always worth preparing first.