Developing speaking skills

A:

After a lot of applications I am a little bit exhausted. There is almost no job advertisement that I didn’t answer.

B:

Well, what is the result so far? Have you got any answers?

A:

Hmm, yes a couple of answers. Basically all were refusals. I had one interview but they gave the job to someone else.

B:

Sounds strange. Give me your CV and applications. I want to check them. Maybe you are doing something wrong.

A:

What do you mean? I do everything right.

B:

Well maybe that’s the problem. When you apply for a job you have to sell yourself to the employer. That includes self marketing, for every job.

A:

I don’t know what you mean.

B:

Let’s see. (reads through the CV and the different application papers). Oh… we should go through this from the very beginning. I don’t get it. First of all, never mention anything about payment in your applications. No matter what you mention it will be either too much, then you are too expensive to be interesting or it will be too less, that will make the employer think that your skills are not that good. Either way, you lose.

A:

A lot of job ads do include the question of salary.

B:

Yeah, but the answer “adequate payment” is also an answer. And it plays the ball back to the employer.

A:

Sounds difficult. Won’t he think that I dodge the question?

B:

Yes, in any case, this is what he wants you to do. He is the boss, he tells you what your work is worth. It is up to you to accept his offer. And you prove that you can cope with sensitive questions. So the employer can trust you to be able to deal with a customer.

A:

As you might have noticed, they ask certain questions over and over again. Every time you give a slightly different answer, but it is always the same question. In the end the employer gets the impression that you don’t know what you want.

B:

Why do they ask the same question?

A:

It’s like this. For example they ask, did you have any further trainings in your last jobs? What do you think about voluntary trainings?

B:

But those are two different questions.

A:

You answer them differently, in general the employer wants you to answer that you love to learn more, that you can make your job better and that you are used to it anyway.

B:

I never saw it that way.

A:

Yeah, it’s connected.

B:

Thank you, I will take this into account when I apply for the next job.

A:

Well, don’t go through the advertisements. A technical company in the city will start a new recruitment round next month. If you apply now they won’t look for someone else. This is another way of succes­sful job hunting, to know that there is a job vacant, before someone else knows about and can apply.

B:

Wow! I should have come to you earlier.

A:

Yes, you should have… but anyway good luck!

A:

Good morning, Mr. Brown! Take a seat, please.

B:

Good morning, Sir!

A:

Last week we received your resume and though we haven’t been looking for employees we became very interested in your person.

B:

Thank you, I feel really honoured.

A:

But would you be so kind as to tell me why you started cold-calling on our company. Are you not satisfied with your present position in the company you are working at now?

B:

Well, …………………………………………………………………………....

A:

I see. Could you tell me more about your education? I read in your resume that you’d had some grants from foreign companies. Please, tell more about them.

B:

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A:

That sounds really interesting! And I can also see that apart from your everyday job you have time to write of your interests?

B:

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A:

Do you often go to the conferences to make presen­tations or do you just send the theses? I ask this question because I’m really interested in a person like you, but going to the conferences would mean being absent from work which is not very good for our company.

B:

……………………………………………………….………………………......

A:

OK, I see. Now after talking to you I’m even more interested in having someone like you in my company. But before hiring you I’d like you to spend about one month of noviciate. Of course if I see that you are as good in practice this period will be shortened. So what do you say?

B:

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A:

Thank you once again for coming and I’m waiting for your answer till next week. Goodbye and have a nice day!

B:

Thank you. I’ll let you know my decision as soon as possible.

A:

Hi! How are you doing? How did you spend your holidays? Are you ready to begin a new academic year at the university?

B:

Hi, Andrew! I had really great time during summer holidays, I did my best as those were my last holidays as a student.

A:

Oh! Are you the fifth year student already? Time flies by! Have you started to look for a job?

B:

Not yet. I don’t know how to begin doing this. Can you give me some hints concerning this?

A:

Well, actually there is nothing difficult about it. There are few main methods of looking for a job. ………………….

B:

Unfortunately I have no influential friends. All my friends are students just like me.

A:

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B:

What do you mean by conquering the net? I’ve heard something about search engine, but I haven’t the slightest idea how it works.

A:

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B:

What about newspapers? Are there any special newspapers or shall I find information about vacancies in each newspaper?

A:

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B:

And what happens after I’ve found a job I’d like to have?

A:

…………………………………………………………………………………….

B:

Do you think you could tell me more about writing a resume? I would really appreciate it.

A:

Sure! But as it takes some time it will be better if we meet in the evening somewhere or you can come to my place. I have some examples of resume and cover letters at home.

B:

That would be really great! Call me when you have time for me.

A:

OK. By the way, don’t forget to bring some pictures from your holidays, I’d like to see them. Bye!

B:

See you in the evening.