Interview Interrogatives

Students plan questions using different question words for a job interview, interview a partner in role, then write an anonymous summary and decide who to recruit.

Procedure

1. Explain that students will interview each other for a job. As a class, decide which position is vacant (or let individuals choose).
2. Elicit and write question words on the board: What, Who, What kind of, How long, etc. Students (individually or in groups) write one question per question word suitable for the interview. They may also add Do you... questions and up to two instruction statements (Tell me about a situation where...).
3. Monitor carefully while students prepare questions, correcting grammar and vocabulary.
4. Students pair up and interview each other using their prepared questions, role-playing a job interview.
5. Students give their partner a false name and write an anonymous summary of what they discovered. Monitor for accuracy.
6. If all interviews are for the same job, students exchange summaries and decide who to recruit. If different jobs, students share interview experiences in groups.

Tips

• Can be teacher-led or more student-guided, especially if pairs dream up different vacancies.
• Students can record interviews on their phones for self-evaluation.
• Variation: groups of 3-4 design questions for a position, then members rotate to other groups to be interviewed. Each group interviews 3-4 candidates, then decides the best one.