Unit 3 Topic: Placing in a Job

1. Answer the following questions.

1. Are there many unemployed people in your country?

2. Would you like to be self-employed? In other words would you rather work for yourself or work in a company? What are the advantages and disadvantages?

3. What is an ideal job for you? Choose the answers and give your reasons. An ideal job for me is a job …

- that suits me personality

- that gives challenge and opportunity

- that gives independence

- well-paid

- risky

- exciting

- that encourages thinking and development

- calm and steady

- which is connected with communication

- prestigious

- part-time

- without long business trips

2. Read the following text A:

Job hunting

Part 1

Every business wants to have the most skilled, talented, competent, and promising employees. That is why big corporations often use the services of special firms that look for such prospective employees, and try to recruit them for their customer company. Such firms and people working in them are informally called headhunters, and their job has the informal name of headhunting. Headhunters do some of their recruiting in colleges and universities, picking out the brightest and the most promising students, even more often, they try to persuade the best employees of other companies to change their jobs, using promises of better conditions, positions, and salaries to entice them. The official name for headhunting firms is "executive search firms".

Part 2

People who are applying for a job need to mail three documents to their prospective employer: a letter of application or covering letter (US cover letter), a curriculum vitae or CV (in US resume) containing details of their education and experience, and letters of reference. A covering letter explains the purpose for sending in the other papers. It is the hope of getting the job at the organization to which the papers are sent. It should be short (no more than one page) and contain definite information.

A growing number of companies are no longer sat­isfied with traditional job interviews. Instead, they are requiring applicants for many white-collar jobs to submit to a series of written tests, roleplaying exer­cises, decision-making exercises. Others put candidates through a long series of interviews by psy­chologists or trained interviewers

The tests are not about mathematics or grammar, nor about any of the basic technical skills for which many production, sales and clerical workers have long been tested. Rather, employers want to evaluate can­didates on the following qualities:

Is the candidate creative and entrepreneurial?

Can the candidate lead?

Is the candidate flexible and capable of learn­ing?

Does the candidate have enough skills and knowl­edge?

How will the candidate function under pressure?

Companies are getting much more careful about hiring. Years ago, employers looked for experience - has the candidate done this before? Most companies have not changed this practice until now.

Research has shown that most decision makers make their hiring decision in the first five minutes of an interview and spend the rest of the time rationalizing their choice.

3. Learn the vocabulary to the topic:

to recruit	приймати на роботу
position	посада, місце
to advertise	рекламувати
to apply for	звертатися за
a letter of application	заява на роботу
a curriculum vitae = resume	біографічна довідка; анкетні дані; резюме
experience	досвід
application form	бланк заяви
applicant	кандидат
to attend	відвідати
interview	співбесіда
to hire	наймати
recruitment agency = search firm	агентство працевлаштування
to be satisfied	бути задоволеним
to require	вимагати, мати потребу
to submit	подавати, пропонувати
entrepreneurial	заповзятливий;підприємливий;винахідливий
creative	творчий
flexible	гнучкий
capable	здібний
calm	спокійний, тихий; мирний; незворушний
steady	стійкий, урівноважений
challenge	випробування, складне завдання
well-paid	добре оплачуваний
to encourage	підбадьорювати, заохочувати, підтримувати
to hold a position	займати посаду
on the spot	зразу
salary	заробітна плата
self-evaluation	самооцінювання
letter of recommendation	(письмова) рекомендація, рекомендаційний лист (для влаштування на роботу тощо)
to evaluate	оцінювати
qualification	кваліфікація; підготовленість, досвід роботи
concise	короткий, стислий

4. Read the texts B and C which will give you some pieces of advice and help you to bear your job interview successfully:

SIX STEPS IN JOB SEARCH

The following steps will help you to gather all necessary information and make the process of job searching much more easily.

1. Self-evaluation

2. Application letter

3. Resume (CV)

4. Letter of recommendation

5. Application form

6. Job interview

The employment process begins with self-analysis, so start with:

1. identifying your interests;

2. evaluating your qualifications.

It will help you to realize what you like and dislike, and what kind of work you really want to do.

HOW TO GET THAT JOB!

Before the interview

Find out as much as you can about the company.

Write an effective CV. Keep it brief and simple – a badly written one will lose you the job before you get to the interview stage.

Think about questions which the interviewer might ask you. Plan how to answer them.

Dress smartly.

Don't be late. If you are very early, have a coffee in a local cafe and look at your notes.

Switch off your mobile and take two or three slow, deep breaths before you go in.

During the interview

Be aware of your body language. When you walk in, shake hands firmly with the interviewer, look them in the eyes, and say 'Pleased to meet you'. When answering questions, maintain eye contact with the interviewer. If there is more than one interviewer, give them equal attention.

Keep calm before and during the interview. Answer the questions in a confident, firm voice. Don't speak too quietly, too quickly or be too hesitant. Answers should not be one word or one sentence, but also should not be too long. Give clear, direct answers to questions. If you don't know something, say so.

Don't lie.

At the end of the interview, you might be asked: 'Are there any questions that you would like to ask us?' Make sure you have one or two good questions ready.

Above all, be positive and show enthusiasm for the job.

After the interview

If you didn't answer a question well in the interview, don't be afraid to phone up soon afterwards and say something like: 'I don't think I explained myself very well in the interview. What I wanted to say was…' This will show enthusiasm and it will remind them of you.

5. Answer the following questions to the text:

1. What research do you need to do before the interview?

2. What kind of clothes should you wear to the interview? Is it necessary to dress properly? Why?

3. What should you do if you arrive very early?

4. What should you do just before you enter the interview room?

5. What should you do and say when you meet the interviewer?

6. How long should your answers to questions be?

7. How should you answer questions? Where should you look when you answer questions?

8. What should your general attitude in the interview be?

9. What should you do after the interview?

10. What questions should you have in mind?

11. How do you understand the phrase “body language”? Is it possible to be aware of it? How?

12. What is the key to a successful interview?

6. Say if these statements are true or false using the information from the text:

1. It is not important to write an effective CV.

2. If you think positively about yourself, other people will be of the same opinion.

3. You can dress for the interview as you usually dress going somewhere.

4. Body language plays an essential role in communication.

5. If you ask questions about the company the interviewers won’t think that you are an outsider.

6. If you control your nerves it will be easier for both sides to conduct an interview.