1. In your opinion, which factors below are important for getting a job?

Choose the seven most important. Is there anything missing from the list?

age /sex appearance astrological sign contacts and connections

experience family background handwriting hobbies intelligence

marital status personality qualifications references sickness record

blood group

Reading

You will read the text about selecting the best candidate and the importance of having a good CV

Investing thousands of pounds in the recruitment and training of each new graduate recruit may be just the beginning. Choosing the wrong candidate may leave an organization paying for years to come.

Few companies will have escaped all of the following failures: people who panic at the first sign of stress; those with long, impressive qualifications who seem incapable of learning; hypochondriacs whose absentee record becomes astonishing; and the unstable person later discovered to be a thief or worse.

Less dramatic, but just as much a problem, is the person who simply doesn’t come up to expectations, who never becomes a high-flier or even a steady performer; the employee with a fine future behind them.

Some years ago candidates could win a top position with only the right look and the right answers to questions like: “Why do you want this job?” Now a great number of companies are no longer satisfied with traditional job interviews. Instead, they offer applicants – from top executives and down – a series of tests, role plays, simulated decision-making exercises and brainteasers. The tests are not about mathematics or grammar, nor about any of the basic technical skills.

Employers want to evaluate candidates on intangible qualities (qualities that can not be felt or described). Is he creative and entrepreneurial? Can he lead and coach? Is he flexible and capable of learning? Does he have passion and a sense of urgency? How will he function under pressure? Most important: Will the potential recruit fit the corporate culture?

Candidates can be asked different problem questions relating to business or even some psychological questions such as: “Who is the best manager you ever worked for and why?” or “What is your best friend like?” Psychologists say that such kind of questions can reveal a lot about a candidate’s management style and about himself or herself. The reason for such interrogation is clear: the cost of bringing the wrong person on board is sometimes huge.

The most important thing for a recruit is to show his or her character, professional competence and intelligence, ability to quickly respond to different issues concerning future job, in other words, to show his or her suitability for the position.

Sometimes a person’s appearance may influence the decision on hiring. It is important for a candidate to be well presented, neat and tidy, to have good manners. All these things speak a lot about a candidate’s personality. Maybe it is wise to find out the dress code of the company and follow it if you want to fit in. When interviewed, the candidate should create a good relationship with the interviewer, i.e. to be able to listen, to ask the right questions and to be able to express his own opinion on the problem, and not to always agree with the interviewer.

People who are interested in getting a job can apply for the job by sending a letter of application or covering letter (cover letter – US) and a curriculum vitae or CV (resume – US) containing details of their education and experience.

There are many different ways of preparing a CV. The layout of the CV can depend on the nationality of the company. For instance, in the US it’s much more common to accompany each entry on a CV with a description of exactly what it involves. In Europe you can present just a simple summary. Similarly, the order in which different events are presented may vary. The importance of presenting extracurricular activities and references will also vary with national culture.

In some fields, CVs have recently changed radically by abandoning the traditional chronological development through education and experience, in favour of setting out personal skills acquired with the purpose of attracting potential employers. Nevertheless, it’s very important for a candidate to have a good CV.

The candidate should arouse the employer’s interest. For example, under the entry ‘Professional experience’ – where he mentions his job experience – the candidate can briefly describe his professional and academic qualifications. He can cite examples of his qualifications for the position sought; mention special projects he worked on, especially if they have something in common with the future job.

A candidate could show off his research on the company and the industry, he is going to be involved in. He must find out who they are, what they do, their size and volume of their sales beforehand. And if he could research the company, then he could use this information to expand on his qualifications.

And the last but not the least important thing for a candidate to remember is the necessity to relate himself to the company where he applied for a job. Maybe he could provide some details as to why he should be considered, stressing that the company would benefit from hiring him. He could emphasize those his skills that can meet company’s expectations and, if possible, bring the examples of work he can be proud of.

Comprehension / interpretation

1. What types of failures do companies experience, according to the article?

2. How do employers recruit workers nowadays? How did they use to recruit them

before? What qualities of potential employees are they most interested in?

3. What is the most essential thing for a person to do if he wants to be recruited?

4. What documents should a person present if he wants to get a job?

5. What can you say about preparing CV?

6. Why is it so important for a candidate to have a good CV?

7. How should a candidate behave at the interview?