[The examiner asks the candidate about him/herself, his/her home, work or studies and other familiar topics.]
Topic: Art
Q. Did you enjoy doing art lessons when you were a child? [Why?/Why not?]
Answer: I did enjoy learning art lessons when I was a child primarily because I felt like I could actually “create” something on my own with the help of my colouring pencils and drawing papers only. Another reason, why I enjoyed drawing, was that I was actually very good at it as a child.
Q. Do you ever draw or paint pictures now? [Why?/Why not?]
Answer: I very seldom draw or paint any pictures now because of living with the “realities” of a grown-up person which are certainly much more different from that of a child. In fact, these days, the scope and time for exercising “creativity” is just too limited when you are a bit too busy with the other priorities of life.
Q. When was the last time you went to an art gallery or exhibition? [Why?]
Answer: Just because I don’t draw or paint pictures now, it doesn’t necessarily mean that I don’t visit an art gallery or exhibition from time to time in order to enjoy the contemporary “creative” artworks or paintings. In fact, I went to an art exhibition just a month ago as I needed to choose some painting works in order to match the beautiful new paintings of my home interiors.
Q. What kind of pictures do you like having in your home? [Why?]
Answer: I have had pretty much all kinds of pictures and paintings at my home. I mostly bought famous artworks by Leonardo da Vinci and Vincent van Gogh and pictures of my favourite sportsmen and musicians when I was in my early teens. However, the kind of pictures, which I really like to hang on the walls of my room now, are of those which portray the beautiful natural sceneries, such as trees, rivers and sky, in a very lively manner. But if you ask me to explain it even further, I would say that I like the pastel paintings the most as it offers a very pure and deep rendering on the pictures.
You should say:
and explain how you felt about visiting this person’s workplace.
[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you are going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]
Cue Card Answer:
I don’t normally like to visit a bank during the regular working hours as they remain very busy. Moreover, I can do banking online and can withdraw money from an ATM booth and this is why I do not need to visit a bank very often. But our personal “preference” is one thing while “necessity” is another. So, I did visit a bank about a year ago because I needed to see one of my friends, who worked there as a Senior Executive, apparently for an important reason.
In fact, I needed to collect a bank statement of an old savings account, which my father had opened a long time ago, as my family needed it in order to apply for a home loan scheme. Well, we were planning to buy a new second home outside of the city. So, anyway, after arriving at the bank, I said that I wanted to see my friend as per a previous appointment, but I was told to wait for “a while” as the Senior Executive was in the middle of something “urgent”. But, where I lived, if a bank said that I would need to wait for “a while”, it could mean that the waiting period could be anywhere between 2 minutes to 2 hours!
However, I was very lucky and surprised to find that my friend arrived to see me only after 30 minutes or so! I was even more surprised when my good friend provided me with the bank statement intact within only half an hour of requesting it!
Anyway, I was so glad that I finally got my bank statement, and that too within a very short period of time, when the bank actually could make me wait for hours, if not days. But, thanks to the prompt actions of my executive friend, which made things really easier for me. The bank authority even invited me to visit them another time, when I was not busy, in order to help me compare the advantages/disadvantages of their loans with other loan schemes and make an informed decision. Finally, I felt really grateful to the bank authority as they were “kind” enough to offer me a cup of “freshly-brewed” Columbian coffee, which certainly made my day.
Discussion topics: Different kinds of workplaces
Q. What things make an office comfortable to work in?
Answer: The idea of a “comfortable office” depends largely on what kind of job one has, and whether one is enjoying his/her job or not. But ideally, an office should have all the facilities and amenities such as a large workspace or workstation with a perfect size desk and a chair, comfortable enough to offer me a “relaxed and pain-free” experience as long as I am sitting on it and working. But, when I am in a “mood” to take a little break from my work, my office should arrange for a little sitting area on its balcony (yes, my ideal office should have at least one veranda or balcony) where I would be able to enjoy a cup of fresh coffee while enjoying the view of the sky and nature. Well, I have just described one of the most important aspects, in my opinion, of a comfortable office, but the most important aspect is the people whom I will work with. Since I will be working with others, good colleagues and the friendly attitude of my superiors would also affect the work environment.
Now, the other aspects of a comfortable office should include enough natural lighting that enters the office through its windows. Of course, if there are not enough natural lights, we could always use artificial lights, such as desk lamps, in order to avoid strain on the eyes. We could also have a “personal space” in my office where I should be able to put some nice paintings, posters or family photos in order to offer me a “homely” atmosphere at my work. Finally, my ideal office should ensure a perfect “cleanliness” and “hygienic” environment in order to make me feel “fresh” and “healthy” since I would spend a good part of my day at the office.
Q. Why do some people prefer to work outdoors?
Answer: Some people prefer to work outdoors mainly because they don’t like to stay in the same kind of working environment. Besides, there are some people who are simply “outgoing” and prefer to meet new people and experience new things without getting bored with the same kind of things.
In fact, some studies show that we need more than a just cool office or unlimited vacation time to be satisfied and productive at work. Rather, we need changes in air, temperature, or scenery. We need to have meaningful stimulation that interrupts the often-stagnant office environment, and therefore it always helps if we can have the access and the ability to interact with the outside world.
Q. Do you agree that the building people work in is more important than the colleagues they work with?
Answer: I think that the colleagues, with whom we have to interact on a daily basis for a good part of the day, are a more “important” element of any company or organization than the “building” we work in, as they are actually the ones who make “things” possible by constantly guiding me or consulting with me in order to make my life either “easier” or more “difficult”, depending on what kinds of “colleagues” I am working with.
Of course, it always helps to have a nice building structure in place to ensure a better or more complete working environment. But then, again, without the presence of some “real human colleagues” in it, a building structure would be left just barren and empty no matter how beautiful it looks.
Discussion topics: The importance of work
Q. What would life be like if people didn’t have to work?
Answer: The answer to this question depends largely on how much money I have in my bank account. On a light note, of course, if I didn’t have to work, I would just travel all around the world without a second thought (please consider it as my “dream”) as the world is full of just too many beautiful things to see and enjoy. But, the problem is, I would need a lot of money to realize my “dream” of a “world tour”. In fact, in today’s world, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to suggest that one would need money even if he/she would want to “dream”! So, yes, we will have to work in order to earn money whether we like it or not.
However, on a more practical level, life would be really boring and meaningless if we didn’t have to work whether we are working for money to make our lives “comfortable” or working purely for “charity” without any hope of monetary gains. Besides, they say that the “idle” brain is the “devil’s” workshop. Therefore, it is very possible that without work, we are getting involved in different anti-social activities. So, yes, we do need to work whether we are working for ourselves or for others.
Q. Are all jobs of equal importance?
Answer: No, not all jobs are of equal importance only in the sense that the immediate “effects” of all the jobs or works are not “visible” in the same ways as one particular job can be more challenging and demanding than the others. And, that’s exactly why the reality is one gets paid more for his work than the others simply because we happen to attach more “importance” to that particular job.
Having said that, however, it is absolutely imperative that we all discharge the responsibilities of our jobs with utmost importance from our respective own positions because everything we do in this world affects our fellow human beings one way or another in the long run even though we may not realize it.
Q. Why do some people become workaholics?
Answer: Some people become workaholics mainly because they don’t have any life outside of their work either due to the fact that they have a rather limited set of “social skills” to enjoy the company of their family members or friends or they just don’t fully understand and appreciate the notion of a perfect “work-life” balance.
However, some people can become workaholics also because they simply “love” their jobs too much due to the sense of the “success” or “satisfaction” they enjoy after doing “perfect jobs”, not because their jobs pay them good money, but because they just “enjoy” doing the jobs.
This post was last modified on 18th April 2022 6:37 am