This game focuses on the types of questions and phrases students will need to know when looking for a job. Divide the class into two equal-sized groups, one of which will play heads of various companies, while the others pose as job seekers. Depending on the amount of time you want this game to take, either allow students time to prepare their own company information or resume, or provide each of them with a description of their character. Set the companies up at desks in a circle, then assign one job seeker to each company. Allow them three to five minutes to be interviewed and ask questions, then move to the next company. Continue until each job seeker has spoken with each company. One by one, the company representatives must state which student they would hire, and why.
Learning to format and write a strong resume in English is an important skill for ESL students, but can be tedious. To make the process more fun, tell students their resumes will be part of a True or False game. Write the headings "Education," "Experience," "Skills," and "References" on the board. Give students class time to write their real resumes, but with the stipulation that they must include one lie in each section. When they finish, have each student present his resume to the class, who must vote on what the four lies are. The student who fools the most of his classmates is the winner.
ESL business students must acquire the ability to describe their job and their company to others, as well as to understand what other companies do. For this game, prepare a set of flashcards with real companies students will know, such as Microsoft or Scholastic. Give each student a flashcard. One at a time, students come to the front of the room and answer questions. Their classmates can ask anything to try and figure out what the student's company is, such as "What do you sell?" "Who is your CEO?" or "Where are your headquarters?" If needed, provide a little bit of background information on the company on the back of each flashcard to help prompt students.