14.7. Write your own letter of application and cv to ‘apply’ for the job you are interested in. This site may help in finding a suitable job:

http://www.connexions.gov.uk/jobs4u

14.8. Here is some advice for those who are unemployed and looking for a job. With a partner, decide whether you think each point is good or bad advice.

1. Take a holiday before you start looking for a new job.

2. Looking for a job is the same as doing a job – you need to work full-time on it.

3. Give yourself a little free time every week to relax.

4. Use all possible sources of information about job offers.

5. Apply for as many jobs as possible – even jobs you don't really want.

6. Phone all the companies whose numbers are in the Yellow Pages and ask if they have a job for you.

14.9. What other advice would you give to someone looking for a job?

14.10. Now listen to the interview, where Bruce Kulp, an American manager, gives his own opinions. What does he think about points 1–6 above? Put T (True) if Bruce agrees with the advice, F (False) if he disagrees and N (Not mentioned) if he doesn’t speak about it.

14.11. Read the passage and answer the questions.

Interview

Interviewers are trained to ask you ‘open’ questions rather than ‘closed’ or ‘Yes/No’ questions. Open questions begin with words like ‘Why’, ‘What’ and ‘How’ or with phrases like ‘Tell me/us about…’ and ‘Describe…’. Here are a few examples:

1. Tell me about yourself.

2. What are your strengths?

3. What are your weaknesses?

4. What do you do in your spare time?

5. What do you think you can bring to this position?

6. Why did you leave your last job?

7. What were some of the most important things you learned in that job?

8. How well do you work in a team?

9. Tell us something about your previous experience and the other jobs you have had.

10. How have you changed over the last three years?

11. What sort of salary are you expecting?

12. What was your best subject at school/university?

13. What did you like most about that subject?

14. Tell us about your ambitions.

15. What would you like to be doing five years from now?

16. What attracts you about this kind of work?

17. Why did you apply to us?

18. How did you find out about this job?

Questions.

1. Which questions in the passage do you find most difficult to answer yourself? Ask someone three questions your find easy to answer.

2. Which of the eighteen questions would you probably not ask a very young person who is applying to your company for his or her very first job?

3. Are there any questions here which you think are strange or which would be unusual in a job interview in your country? Explain why you think they are strange or unusual.

4. Why do you think open questions are usually better than closed questions at an interview?

14.12. Match the exchanges.

1. So, why do you want to work for us? 2. Why do you think you’d be good at this job? 3. I see. When would you be able to start? 4. Is there anything you would like to ask? 5. Certainly. It’s $1,650 a month.

a) Well, I’m very creative. I mean, I always manage to come up with original ideas. b) That sounds fine. Thank you. c) Because it’s a large company and I’m very interested in advertising. d) Yes. I’d like to know what the salary is. e) I could start any time after 1st September.