1. Complete the passage below using the appropriate words or phrases from the box.

letter of application position application form shortlist

apply for interview recruit recruitment agency

covering letter CV applicants hire

When a company needs to ¹ or employ new people, it may decide to advertise the job or ² in the appointments section of a newspaper. People who are interested can then ³ the job by sending in a ⁴ or ⁵ and a ⁶ containing details of their education and experience. In some cases a company may prefer to do this initial selection after asking candidates to complete a standard ⁷ The company's human resource department will then select the applications that it considers the most suitable and prepare a ⁸ of candidates or ⁹ , who are invited to attend an ^{10 .}

Another way for a company to ¹¹ is by using the services of a

¹² (US = search firm) who will provide them with a list of suitable candidates.

2. Answer the following questions to the text on page 16 of nIiB sb.

1. What were graduates of prestigious business management colleges supposed to rely on in their future careers in the past? 2. How has the interview for white collar jobs procedure changed lately? 3. Which intangible qualities of a candidate are now put to test? 4. Why have the services of psychologists become necessary? 5. What is the reason for intensification of interrogations for top jobs? 6. What do the companies want to know for sure about their top executives? 7. Why do some companies remain unconvinced that intensified testing is worth the cost? 8. What is the weak point in the way most decision makers rationalize their choice? 9. Why has an interview become a game? 10. What practices put Personnel Department managers close to police officers? 11. What does the comprehensive testing aim to achieve?

3. Read the text “Interview assessment” on page 20 of nIiB sb and frame questions to which the following words and phrases provide the answers.

1. Articulate and we presented. 2. His present employer. 3. A more challenging position. 4. To contribute to that growth. 5. That he would be expected to contribute to that growth. 6. Our existing range of software. 7. In the south. 8. Various European countries. 9. Trade fairs and exhibitions. 10. At the moment.

4. Listen to the monologue “Getting an Interview” and commentaries coming after it. Give English definitions to the words and expressions in bold print. Answer the questions. Getting an Interview

I've finally landed my first interview. Well, actually, that’s not really true. I have been on many interviews for part-time jobs. This was my first interview for a full-time job.

In less than two months, I will graduate from Arizona University. After a lot of back and forth trying to decide on a major, I finally decided to double major. I would study both political science and marketing.

These are not majors that usually go together. In fact, most people thought I was crazy. But, after a lot of soul searching, I decided to combine my two main interests: 1. politics and 2. getting a job! Those are my two priorities. I thought that if I get degrees in these two fields, I could cast a wide net when going job hunting. And, that’s what I’m trying to do now.

Since I don’t know if I want to work in the public or private sector, I’ve applied for jobs in both. In the public sector, I could work for the government. Maybe one day, I could even be a speech writer for the President! Okay, maybe I should shoot a little lower. In the private sector, I could work for private organizations such as museums, schools, or programs. Some of those are non-profit.

Or, I could work for a company. Everybody tells me that that’s where the money is. I haven’t decided yet. I’m planning to apply for a lot of jobs and will see what happens. What I want now is just to get some job offers. Then, I can start being picky.

(From ESL Podcast 43.)

• Why does the speaker call this job interview “first”?

• What’s the use of taking two majors?

• When do serious students start job hunting?

• What advantages or disadvantages are generally associated with jobs in public and private sectors of economy?

• Why is a job with a non-profit organization seldom a first priority among the job-seekers?

• To what extent can an English proverb “Beggars can't be choosers” be applied to young college graduates?

5. Listen to the monologue “Making a Good Impression” and commentaries coming after it. Give English definitions to the words and expressions in bold print. Answer the questions.

Making a good impression

My interview is today. It is with a marketing company. It is a large corporation with its headquarters in San Francisco, CA. It also has satellite offices across the U.S. and in Europe. I’m not sure if this would be the right fit for me, but I’m keeping an open mind.

I got some sound advice from my aunt. She said that I should be confident but not cocky. That means I have to look for opportunities to talk about my qualifications, but don’t make the mistake of boasting or worse, making things up. I do that sometimes when I get really nervous. My brain stops working and my mouth takes over.

I need to be respectful but not meek. I want to be professional with everyone, my co-workers and my bosses. But, I don’t want them to think that I would let my co-workers walk all over me.

I should show them that I’m a team-player. Nobody likes a person who tries to grab the limelight all of the time, especially if they’re new, like me.

Okay, I think I’m ready. I have my resume, my transcript, and the address of the office where I’m going for the interview. Now, all I need are my shoes…

(From ESL Podcast 44.)

• What shows that the company in question is really large?

• From what angles can you look at the possibility of working for a certain company?

• Is there any danger in always looking up to your elder relatives’ advice?

• How do you practically differentiate between “putting advantages to the fore” and “boasting”?

• What circumstances or state of mind may prevent interviewee’s cool reasoning?

• What dangers are lurking for the newly employed company member?

• What should one think of prior to going to an interview?

6. Listen to the monologue “Hiring for a job” and commentaries coming after it. Give English definitions to the words and expressions in bold print. Fill in the table with a checklist which is a base for the board of interviewers’ hiring decision.

Hiring for a job

Last week, my administrative assistant gave notice that he was quitting in two weeks. It couldn’t have come at a worse time. It was a very busy time of the year, but there was nothing I could do. Right away, we put a want ad in the classifieds and received several applications for the job. I called in four of them for interviews and I had narrowed it down to two candidates.

The first was Claudia Trujillo. From her resume, I knew that she had had four years of experience working at a telecommunications company. She looked promising and when she arrived for the interview, she was dressed professionally and seemed personable. When I asked her about her experience, she answered my questions with confidence. She sounded like a hard worker and showed a lot of perseverance. The only drawbacks were that she was a little chatty and she also seemed a little disorganized.

The second candidate was Alex Mayhew. Alex had more experience than Claudia, but in different capacities, and only had one year of experience as an administrative assistant. When I met Alex, he seemed a little rough around the edges. He was earnest and eager, but didn’t have the air of someone who had worked in a corporate environment. Still, he seemed bright and easy to get along with. He did strike me as being a little shy, but I think that was because he was nervous.

So, those are my two options. Now, which one should I hire? I need to give it some more thought.

(From ESL Podcast 56.)