Topic: Describe a time you missed an important appointment for something
You should say:
– What is that occasion
– How important it was
– Why did you miss it
There is a saying goes “Time is what we want most, but what we use worst”. I still did not understand the message behind this saying to the fullest until the time it cost me an arm and leg paying for the wastage of time. I missed a final interview for my dream job due to not planning time carefully. After putting so many efforts to prove myself through many tough challenges from the recruiter, I was selected for the final interview with the line manager to whom I was supposed to directly report to if I was the one chosen. However, the interview took place at another city and I had no choice but resorted to flying there. Everything would have been perfect if I had chosen to get on board just one hour earlier. But things, unfortunately, didn’t go like that. I was missed to take the traffic condition of that city into serious consideration. Although congestion is a prevalent scenario in that city, I failed to add more time for the transportation and got to the interviewing site 45 minutes late. Despite the fact that I was still given the opportunity to talk with the Recruitment board, they indeed didn’t show much interest in my part and just asked some questions for simplicity’s sake. There was absolutely no excuse for a mistake and my dream job just slipped away right in front of my eyes. It took me almost a month berating myself for being careless in such an integral event. However, it also opened my eyes to a precious lesson in life. That is extra careful whenever you do anything, the real trouble is you think you have time. Time is free for everyone but you have to use every moment in the smartest way since once it’s gone, you will never be able to take it back at any price.
QUESTIONS FOR PART 3
1. How often do you make appointments?
I think it depends on what I have to do at the time. For example, when I was a first-year student, I didn’t have a part-time job, nor did I join any clubs at university, so I didn’t have to make many appointments. But 2 years later when I became a member of the Marketing Club, I had to make appointments every week for club meetings or my own department’s meetings.
2. Is it important to be punctual in your country?
Yes, of course, it is, but most of the time, people just don’t realize the importance of being punctual. When someone is late for an appointment, they’re hardly judged because it’s most likely that other people are late too. And gradually, one just forgets the importance of punctuality and starts to think that being late is normal until one has a taste of one’s own medicine.
3. Is it easy to make an appointment in your country?
Well, it depends on the type of people you’re making appointments with, and sometimes your social class as well. For example, if you’re an ordinary person and you need to schedule an appointment with a top business executive, the process is gonna be long and hard and the chances are that you won’t be able to meet him at all. Like you have to get through to his secretary first and that secretary will have to squeeze you in a time slot when the businessman has no schedule. But it’s a different case if you’re an important partner or major client of that company, and then of course the process will be much easier.
VOCABULARY
To judge [v] to express a bad opinion of someone’s behaviour, often because you think you are better than them:
e.g. You have no right to judge other people because of what they look like or what they believe.
Punctuality [n] the fact of happening or doing something at the agreed or correct time and not being late
e.g. He insists on regular attendance and punctuality.
A taste of one’s own medicine [idiom] the same bad treatment that you have given to others
e.g. Let the bully have a taste of his own medicine.
Social class [expression] position in the society:
e.g. People tend to judge each other based on their social class.
Get through (to smb) [phrasal verb] make contact with somebody by phone:
e.g. I couldn’t get through to him, his phone was always busy.
Squeeze smb/smt in [phrasal verb] to give time to somebody/something, although you’re very busy:
e.g. If you come this afternoon, the doctor will try to squeeze you in.