Discussing How Acting as a Reference Can Go Wrong
Sara: I was in a really difficult conversation yesterday. An old acquaintance asked me to recommend him for a position at my office. He was a responsible guy back in the day, so I said I’d look at his resume. I didn’t offer a personal recommendation though.
Sara: He managed to land an interview but it went horribly. He showed up thinking he was on the inside track. He was so full of himself, spoke far too casually to his superiors and was way overconfident. Needless to say, he didn’t get the job, and it was awkward for me to be associated with him.
Sara: I was relieved that I hadn’t given him my personal seal of approval. But I still had to break the bad news to him that he didn’t get the position. I said, “It wasn’t a good fit. We don’t think you’re quite right for the position.”
Sara: Afterwards he asked me what went wrong. I explained that next time he should try to be a little more gracious, understanding, and focused on others in his interviews.
Vocabulary:
acquaintance – a person you know slightly, but who is not a close or best friend, “I ran into an old college acquaintance while shopping at the grocery store.”
recommend – to suggest that someone or something would be good, smart, or suitable for a particular job or purpose, “The teacher wrote a letter to recommend Sarah for the student award.”
position – a specific job, role, or title within a company or organization, “Our office has an open position for a computer programmer.”
responsible – reliable, trustworthy, and able to be trusted to do the right thing correctly, “He is a very responsible teenager who always finishes his homework before playing games.”
back in the day – (idiom) a phrase used to talk about a time in the past, often many years ago, “Back in the day, people used to listen to music on cassette tapes instead of streaming it.”
resume – a short written document describing your education, work history, and skills, used when applying for a job, “Please send your resume to the manager if you want to apply for the position.”
land an interview – (idiom) to successfully get or secure a formal meeting for a job application, “After sending out ten applications, she finally managed to land an interview.”
inside track – (idiom) an advantage over others because you have special connections, friends, or secret information, “Because his uncle works at the museum, he had the inside track on getting the job.”
full of himself – (idiom) thinking that you are very important, smart, or great in an arrogant or annoying way, “Ever since he won the school race, he has been so full of himself.”
casually – in a relaxed, informal, or unofficial way; not serious, “They dressed casually in jeans and t-shirts for the weekend office picnic.”
superiors – people who have a higher rank, position, or status than you at your workplace, “It is important to speak politely and show respect to your superiors.”
overconfident – being too sure of yourself or your abilities, which often causes you to make careless mistakes, “The boxer was overconfident and lost the match because he didn’t train hard enough.”
Needless to say – (idiom) as you would expect; it is completely obvious and does not need to be explained further, “Needless to say, the children were very excited to visit the amusement park.”
associated with – connected to, linked with, or related to someone or something in people’s minds, “She didn’t want to be associated with the group of students who were breaking the classroom rules.”
relieved – feeling happy, calm, and relaxed because a difficult, unpleasant, or worrying situation has stopped or didn’t happen, “I was so relieved when the doctor said my grandmother was completely healthy.”
personal seal of approval – (idiom) your official statement or sign that you completely trust, support, and agree with someone or something, “The famous chef gave the new local bakery his personal seal of approval.”
break the bad news – (idiom) to tell someone information that will make them sad, disappointed, or upset, “The coach had to break the bad news to the team that the championship game was cancelled.”
good fit – (idiom) a person or thing that is highly suitable, appropriate, or compatible for a specific job or situation, “Her friendly and patient personality makes her a good fit for customer service.”
gracious – behaving in a polite, kind, pleasant, and respectful way, especially toward other people, “The actress was very gracious and smiled warmly at all of her fans.”
focused on – giving all your attention, effort, or notice to a particular person, task, or thing, “The students kept their eyes focused on the teacher during the important math lesson.”