The Interview on a Rainy Morning — Easy English Story

Transcript

Introduction

A: Hello, and welcome to Recursio Easy English Stories. Today’s story is called “The Interview on a Rainy Morning.”

A: This is a B1 story about a job interview that starts badly but changes once Marta begins speaking honestly.

A: Listen for these phrases: to be running late, to be nervous, Nice to meet you, Tell me about yourself, strengths and weaknesses, to make a good impression, It went well, Fingers crossed, and to get the job.

A: After the story, we’ll go through all the useful phrases and practice them together.

A: You can practice today’s phrases in Recursio — the link is in the description.

A: Let’s begin. It’s Tuesday, eight thirty in the morning.

The bus that didn’t come

A: Marta was standing at the bus stop with a folder held against her chest, under her coat.

A: Inside the folder was her résumé, printed the night before on good paper.

A: Marta was a bookkeeper. A bookkeeper keeps the money records of a company.

A: Her interview was at nine thirty. The bus took twenty-five minutes. She had plenty of time.

A: That was what she told herself at eight thirty.

A: At eight fifty, she was still telling herself that, and the bus still hadn’t come.

A: It had started to rain. Not hard at first — just a fine gray rain that got into everything.

A: Marta had an umbrella. It was small, and it was old, and one of its arms was bent.

A: She held it low, over the folder, and the rain fell on her shoulders instead.

A: A woman next to her looked at her phone and said something about the traffic.

A: There had been an accident on the bridge. All the buses were stuck behind it.

A: The woman put her phone away and started walking. After a moment, Marta followed her.

A: The walk to the office took forty minutes in good weather. Marta had thirty-eight.

A: She walked fast. Then she walked faster.

A: The rain got heavier, and her shoes filled with water, and at some point the umbrella turned inside out.

A: She stopped in a shop doorway, fought with it for ten seconds, and then dropped it in a trash can.

A: There was no time to be angry about an umbrella.

A: At nine twenty, she was still eight blocks away.

A: She stopped under a balcony, took out her phone, and made herself breathe.

A: Her hands were cold and wet, and the screen didn’t want to work.

B: Hello, this is Marta Ilic. I have an interview at nine thirty with Mr. Novak.

B: I’m very sorry — I’m running late. There’s an accident on the bridge and the buses aren’t moving. I’m walking, and I’ll be there at about nine forty.

A: The woman at the desk said that was fine, and that she would tell him.

B: Thank you. I’m so sorry.

A: Marta put the phone in her pocket and started walking again.

A: She had called. That was the one thing she had done right that morning.

A: But one thought kept going around in her head: I’ve ruined it. Nobody gives a job to the person who arrives late and wet.

Nine forty-one

A: She reached the building at nine forty-one.

A: In the bathroom on the ground floor, she looked at herself in the mirror.

A: Her hair was flat against her head. There was rain on her glasses. Her coat was black with water.

A: She dried her face with a paper towel, took off the coat, and opened the folder.

A: The résumé was dry. That was something.

A: Upstairs, a man came out of a meeting room with his hand already out.

C: Marta? I’m Petar Novak. Nice to meet you.

B: Nice to meet you too. And I’m so sorry about the time.

C: Please. Half the city is late this morning. Come in and sit down.

A: The room was warm. There was a pitcher of water on the table and two glasses.

C: Would you like some water? Or something hot? You look like you swam here.

B: Water is fine. Thank you.

A: Marta sat down. Her hands were shaking a little, and she put them under the table.

A: She was nervous.

C: So. Tell me about yourself.

A: This was the question Marta had prepared. She had practiced the answer eleven times.

A: And now, sitting in a warm room in wet shoes, the practiced answer came out of her mouth like a machine.

B: I am a motivated professional with four years of experience and strong communication skills, and I am seeking a challenging position in a dynamic company.

A: It sounded polished, but it didn’t sound like Marta.

A: There was a small silence. Mr. Novak wrote nothing down. He put his pen on the table.

C: That sounds very polished. Can we try again, in your own words?

A: Marta looked at the water in her glass. Then she decided to just answer him.

B: I’m a bookkeeper. I’ve worked at a small company for four years — three people, so I do everything. Invoices, wages, the tax forms nobody likes.

B: I’m here because I’ve learned everything I can there, and I’d like to work somewhere bigger.

C: Better. Much better. What would you say your strengths and weaknesses are?

B: I’m good at finding mistakes in numbers. I like the quiet part of the work, the checking.

B: My weakness is that I’m slow to ask for help. I used to spend a whole afternoon on a problem someone could have explained in five minutes.

C: And now?

B: Now I give myself twenty minutes, and then I ask.

A: Mr. Novak wrote something down. It was the first thing he had written.

A: For the first time that morning, Marta thought she might still make a good impression.

C: What software did you use at your old company?

B: A small local program for the invoices, and spreadsheets for everything else.

C: We use something bigger here. How do you feel about learning a new system?

B: Honestly? Happy. The old one crashed twice a week and nobody could fix it.

C: Then you’ll like this one. How many invoices did you handle in a month?

B: About two hundred. In December, closer to three hundred.

C: Here it’s about eight hundred, but you wouldn’t do them alone. There are three of you.

B: That’s the part I’m interested in. I’ve never worked in a team of three doing the same job.

C: It’s different. You can ask someone a question and get an answer in a minute.

B: After four years alone, that sounds like a holiday.

A: He laughed. It was the first time either of them had laughed.

C: Can I ask you something that isn’t on the list?

B: Of course.

C: You walked here, in this rain, for almost an hour.

B: Almost fifty minutes.

C: Why didn’t you just call and ask for another day?

A: Marta thought about it. She could hear the rain on the window behind her.

B: Because I wanted to be here. And once I called, I knew I could still make it.

A: He smiled, and wrote one more thing down.

A: Near the end, he asked if she had any questions, and she asked two.

A: What her first month would look like, and who she would work with every day.

C: Good questions. Both of them.

C: We’re seeing three more people this week. You’ll hear from us by Friday.

B: Thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing from you.

C: And Marta — thank you for coming. On a morning like this, that took something.

Fingers crossed

A: Outside, the rain had almost stopped.

A: Marta stood on the steps for a moment with her coat over her arm, feeling the cold air on her face.

A: She walked to a café on the corner, ordered a coffee, and sat by the window.

A: Then she called her sister.

B: It’s me. It’s done.

A: Her sister immediately asked how it had gone.

B: I think it went well. Not the beginning — the beginning was terrible.

B: I gave him a horrible answer I found on the internet, and he asked me to try again.

A: Her sister laughed, and Marta laughed too, which surprised her.

B: But after that it was fine. It was a real conversation.

B: He said they’ll call by Friday. There are three more people.

A: Her sister wished her luck.

B: I know. Fingers crossed.

A: Marta drank her coffee slowly. Her shoes were still wet. She didn’t care.

A: On the way home she bought a new umbrella, a big one, dark blue, with a strong handle.

Friday

A: Friday came, and nobody called.

A: At four in the afternoon she told herself it was over, and started looking at other job ads.

A: At five ten, her phone rang.

C: Marta? It’s Petar Novak. I’m sorry to call so late in the day.

B: That’s all right. Hello.

C: We’d like to offer you the job, if you still want it.

A: Marta was standing in her kitchen. She sat down on the nearest chair.

B: That’s wonderful news. Thank you. Could you send me the details by email?

C: Of course. I’ll send it in ten minutes. Welcome.

A: Marta got the job.

A: She sat in the kitchen for a while, looking at the wall, holding the phone.

A: Then she called her sister again, and this time she didn’t have to explain.

A: Her sister heard it in the first word.

A: Three weeks later, on her fourth day at the new office, it rained again.

A: Marta was already inside, at her desk, with a cup of tea and a screen full of invoices.

A: Somebody came in late, wet and apologizing, and everyone said the same thing.

A: Don’t worry about it. Half the city is late.

Phrase review

A: Now let’s go through the useful phrases from the story, one by one.

A: And if you’d like to remember them afterwards, you can save them in Recursio and review them over time.

A: First: to be running late. It means you’re going to arrive later than you agreed.

A: Marta said it on the phone: “I’m so sorry — I’m running late.” When possible, call and say when you expect to arrive.

A: Next: to be nervous. It means to feel worried before something important.

A: Marta was nervous, and her hands were shaking. “I’m a little nervous.” “Don’t be nervous — you’ll be fine.”

A: Next: Nice to meet you. What we say when we meet someone for the first time.

A: Mr. Novak said it at the door, and Marta answered, “Nice to meet you too.” At the end, you can say, “It was nice to meet you.”

A: Next: Tell me about yourself. One of the most common opening questions in an interview.

A: It sounds simple, but it’s difficult. Keep it short: what you do now, what you did before, and why you’re here.

A: Next: strengths and weaknesses. The things you do well, and the things you find difficult.

A: Marta gave a real weakness, and then said what she does about it now. That second part makes the answer more useful.

A: Next: to make a good impression. It means people see you in a positive way.

A: “She made a good impression at the interview.” “First impressions matter, but they’re not everything.”

A: Next: It went well. We say it about something that’s finished, and was good.

A: “How was the interview?” “I think it went well.” And if it didn’t: “It didn’t go great, but I learned a lot.”

A: Next: Fingers crossed. It means: I hope it goes well.

A: Marta said it back to her sister on the phone. You can say it to a friend before an exam, or an interview, or a flight.

A: And last: to get the job. It means they choose you — the job is yours.

A: “She got the job.” “I really hope I get this job.”

Mini recall

A: Now a short recall. I’ll describe the situation, you say the phrase. Then I’ll give you the answer.

A: You’re going to arrive later than you agreed. How do you say it?

A: I’m running late.

A: You feel worried before something important. How do you say it?

A: I’m nervous.

A: One of the most common opening questions in an interview. What is it?

A: Tell me about yourself.

A: The things you do well, and the things you find difficult. What are they called?

A: Strengths and weaknesses.

A: The interview is finished, and you’re happy with it. How do you say it?

A: It went well.

A: And they choose you — the job is yours. What happened?

A: You got the job.

Outro

A: That was “The Interview on a Rainy Morning.”

A: Today’s phrases were: to be running late. To be nervous. Nice to meet you. Tell me about yourself.

A: Strengths and weaknesses. To make a good impression. It went well. Fingers crossed. And to get the job.

A: If you’d like to review these phrases and remember them, open the link below and practice them in Recursio.

A: Thank you for listening. And if you have an interview soon — fingers crossed.

A: See you in the next story.