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Referees

Mrs Diana White Rev. Peter King

Technocratics Agency 84 Gilpin Road

874 Seven Sisters Rd Edmonton

Finsbury Park London N16 2UK

London N8 4RT

• Practice

You have seen these job advertisements and have decided to apply to one of them. Write your CV in reply.

1. Client Services

TORONTO

 

Are you a Career-Focused individual with a competitive spirit and passion for sales? Our Client Service Specialist team includes people just like you! The successful candidate will be responsible for ensuring customer satisfaction by “going the extra mile” to deliver friendly service in a professional and timely manner. This position reports directly to the Branch Manager and involves successfully identifying customers’ needs and recommending products and services that best suit them.

Job Summary:

• Greet customers in a professional and courteous manner.

• Achieve monthly sales targets by recommending and explaining benefits of additional company services.

• Build and maintain relationships with new and existing accounts.

• Answer phones and confirm customer reservations.

• Assist with the picking up and dropping of customers.

• Work as a team player.

 

Full-Time, Permanent

   Previous Experience Required

    Secondary Diploma Required

Email:    whudson@rmgmtsolutions.com

2. Account Manager Neo-Traffic www.neo-traffic.com TORONTO

 

Canada’s largest mall media provider has an immediate need for a Toronto-based media sale professional with 3 or more years of experience, solid client and agency contacts and a proven sales track record. The ideal candidate would be well organized, independent and entrepreneurial minded. Network (120 malls) includes the country’s largest Digital Screen Network (FCL), mall posters, banners and environment dominations. Please forward your cover letter and resume. Thank you in advance for your response. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

 

Full-Time. Permanent

      Previous Experience Required

Post-Secondary Education Required

Email:    cmarquis@neo-traffic.com  

3. Waitress Wimpys Diner SCARBOROUGH

 

*2 years experience required *Able to work morning, afternoon and weekends. * Drop off resume @ Diner or E-mail.  3555 St.Clair Ave E

 Part-Time, Permanent

   Previous Experience Required

 Post-Secondary Education Required

Email:   wimpysdiner@hotmail.com

Job references

Employers and educators are not the only people who are called upon to write references to support job applications. Young people especially often call upon those they know to help them by providing what are basically character references for potential employers, so that writing a reference for someone is a task that could fall on almost anyone.

Writing to referees

First a brief word to applicants. It is vital to check before you send in your CV that the person you want to act as a referee is willing, or is still willing, to do so. If you write to them and expect them to write back to indicate whether they are willing or not, it may be courteous to enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope (SAE). You should give them a brief explanation of why you are applying for the job and say that you will let them know how your application turns out. Such a letter might look like this:

Dear Mrs Thomas

I am in the process of applying for a new job and I am writing to ask whether you would be kind enough to act as a referee for me.

I have been in my present job for three years now, and I think that the time has come to move on. The job I am applying for is that of a junior manager with Willoughby plc in Northampton. It would give me more responsibility than I have now as well as a higher salary and better prospects.

My present boss, John Higgins, is supplying a work reference. I would be most grateful if you could say something about my general character and abilities.

I hope this won’t cause you too much trouble. Please let me know as soon as possible if you can help. I enclose an SAE for your reply.

Yours sincerely

Margaret Collins

PS I will, of course, let you know how I get on.

Writing references

When writing a reference for someone, the most important thing is to be honest. If you cannot honestly recommend someone for a particular position, then you must say so – or, if you cannot bring yourself to spoil someone's chances, decline to act as a referee.

It is always possible that a reference will be followed by the employer. This may simply be to check that you exist and that you are who the candidate says you are - some applicants are not above faking references. But you may have to explain in more detail what precisely you meant by something you said or why you omitted to mention anything about this or that aspect of the applicant's work record or character. Not for this reason only, a reference needs to be written with care. Letters of reference should also be marked ‘Confidential’.

In the majority of cases, fortunately, applicants do have something to recommend them, and the referee’s task is to give an honest account of their good qualities, not necessarily overlooking any deficiencies but not highlighting them, and to show a degree of positive support. If someone deserves high praise then he or she should receive it.

The following might serve as an example of a general ‘character’ reference:

Confidential

Dear Sir or Madam

Ms Olha Oryshchyn

I am giving this letter of reference to Ms Oryschyn with great pleasure. I first knew Olha Oryshchyn as her English teacher at Lviv Polytechnic National University where I have been teaching for 4 years. During her time at the university, she showed herself to be a capable, hard-working and highly motivated student at any task she was assigned. She is strong in English.

On the social side, she has calm, even temperament, and is a positive influence on her fellow students.

She is well aware of the benefits of the program she is applying for as regards her future career prospects. She has expressed her determination to succeed in it and I am confident that she has the ability to do so. Ms Oryshchyn has such good personal qualities as persistence and curiosity that will undoubtedly help her to realize her goal and benefit from the prospective stay in EM ECW program.

I would have no hesitation in recommending her. If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely

Margaret Collins

English teacher

Department of Applied Linguistics

Lviv Polytechnic National University

Here is an example of the sort of letter, slightly less positive in tone that an employer might write on behalf of an employee:

Confidential

Dear Mrs Thompson

Darren Anderson

Mr Anderson has been with us for three years first as a cashier then as a trainee manager in one of our supermarkets. There are at present no openings at junior manager level in our company, so he has decided to move on.

He has shown himself to be honest, capable, and hard-working. I believe he knows that he has the skills necessary to take on a more responsible position.

We are sorry to lose him and wish him well in his future career.

Yours sincerely

Dave Kent

Manager

• Practice

1. As a previous employer you have been asked to write a letter of recommendation fоr a colleague who is now applying for a post of Administrative Assistant. Write a letter of recommendation of 150-200 words.

2. You work as an English teacher at Lviv National University of Ivan Franko. A student of yours is taking part in Work and Travel. He/she asked you to write a letter of recommendation. Write a letter of recommendation of 150-200 words.

Job Interview

A job interview is a process in which a potential employee is evaluated by an employer for prospective employment in their company, organization, or firm. During this process, the employer hopes to determine whether or not the applicant is suitable for the job. A typical job interview has a single candidate meeting with between one and three persons representing the employer; the potential supervisor of the employee is usually involved in the interview process. A larger interview panel will often have a specialized human resources worker. While the meeting can be over in as little as 15 minutes, job interviews usually last no less than two hours. A typical job interview has three stages: before a job interview, during a job interview and after a job interview.

Before a job interview

• Learn all you can about the company or organization; learn as much as you can so that your questions are sophisticated and knowledgeable during the interview. Employers expect you to arrive knowing background information about the organization. If you don’t, you look like you’re not really interested in the job. You have to be able to answer the critical question of why you would like to work for that employer – and not sound like you would take any job. Research helps you to formulate intelligent and appropriate questions to ask in your interview.

• Be prepared to answer and ask questions.

• Prepare your clothes for your interview, making sure they are bussiness-like, clean, pressed and conservative; make sure your hair and nails trimmed and clean. Your attire should be noticed as being appropriate and well-fitting, but it should not take center stage. When it doubt, always dress more professionally rather that more casually. Dressing nicely and appropriately is a compliment to the person you meet, so if in doubt, err on the side of dressing better than you might need to. A two-piece matched suit is always the best choice for both men and women, in navy, grey or black.

• Prepare papers for your interview, including extra copies of your resume, job reference lists, reference letters, legal pad for taking notes, and any other information that you may wish to have with you.

During a job interview:

• Arrive 10 to 15 minutes early. Don’t take any chances that you might be even one minute late. If necessary, arrive 30 minutes early and wait in your car on the nearest café.

• Treat all peope you encounter with professionalism and kindness. Remember that a receptionist or a secretary or a maintenance man may offer his or her opinion of you to the boss. It will count.

• Don’t let the employer’s casual approach cause you to drop your manners or professionalism. You should maintain a professional image. Don’t address the interviewer by his or her first name unless you are invited to.

• Don’t chew gum or smell like smoke. Don’t take cell phone calls during an interview. If you carry a cell phone, turn it off during the interview to be sure it doesn’t ring.

• Don’t ever interrupt the interviewer, even if you are anxious and enthusiastic about answering the question.

• Be aware of your non-verbal behaviors – sit straight, smile as often as you can, maintain eye contact but don’t stare the interviewer down, lean forward but not invading the interviewer’s space. Sit still in your seat, avoid fidgering and slouching.

• Don’t be shy or self-effacing. You want to be enthusiastic, confident and energetic, but not aggresssive, pushy or egotistic. That fine line is important. If you find yourself trying too hard to sell yourself, you can probably crossing the line. Instead, pull back, be confident and reassuring and calm.

• Don’t make negative comments about previous employers or professors (or others).

• Listen very carefully to each question you are asked and give thoughtful, to-the-point and honest answers. Ask for clarification if you don’t understand a question. It is okay to take a few moments of silence to gather your thoughts before answering. Try not to ‘beat round the bush’ or take a long time to give the answer the interwiever is seeking.

• Make sure you understand the employer’s next step in the hiring process; know when and from whom you should expect to hear next, know what action you are expected to take next, if any always thank the interviewer for his or her time at the close of the interview and establish a follow-up plan.

• When the interviewer concludes the interview, offer a firm handshake and make eye contact. Depart gracefully. Listen carefully. If you feel the question is unclear, ask politely for clarification.

• Pause before answering to consider all facts that may substantiate your response.

• Always offer positive information; avoid negativity at all times.

• Get directly to the point. Ask if listener would like you to go into great detail before do.

• Discuss only the facts needed to respond to the question.

• Focus and re-focus attention on your successes. Remember, the goal is not to have the right answers so much as it is convince the interviewer that you are the right person.

• Be trustful, but try not to offer unsolicited information.

After a job interview

After your first meeting for a job interview, your work hasn't ended. There is plenty to think about afterwards, namely the art of the follow up. Even if you think you probably aren't getting the job, you should still send a thank-you note. There's plenty to consider when following up after an interview, from dealing with the time you spend waiting for a response to negotiating job offers. Handling each aspect of the follow up effectively will increase your chances for job search success. As you walk out the door, you should be preparing for the next steps. Hopefully you'll have some time to go sit somewhere, rest, collect your thoughts, and take some notes. Maybe you can meet with a friend to discuss the meeting. If you don't get to make good notes immediately afterward, then try to do so at least by the end of the day or the next morning, while your memory is fresh. Even if you make notes right away, it's good to go back to them later with other thoughts that didn't come to you immediately.

As you're reflecting on the meeting, probably the most important item to consider is whether you think this job is a good fit for you; if the job is right for you and if you're right for the job. Other things to note might include useful information you learned from the meeting, questions you'd like to ask later, or interviewing techniques that could help you to prepare for future interviews.

One thing you shouldn't do after an interview is stop looking for work. No matter how the interview went, don't let it interrupt your job search. You don't have the job until you receive a formal offer, negotiate terms, sign papers, and begin working. But, don't get discouraged, either. You haven't been rejected until they tell you, you hear that someone else got the job, or they haven't responded to you in several weeks or months. Even though you thanked the interviewer at the end of the meeting, you should send a thank-you note. This is regardless of whether you think you want the job or that it will be offered to you. Even if you thought the interview went badly, it may not have seemed so bad from the interviewer's perspective. There are several reasons why it's a good idea to send a thank-you note following an interview, such as:

1. The note serves as a mirror on your professional attitude.

2. Any piece of communication is a good idea to put forth your aptitude and thoughts as a professional.

3. This note can give further information or elaborate on information already provided to the interviewer.

If you want the job, sending a thank-you note helps keep you in contention by maintaining the lines of communication and reminding the interviewer of your interest. Likewise, if you're not sure if the job is for you, or if the interviewer seemed neutral or even critical of you, a proper thank-you can help maintain a constructive dialogue and get some positive results. Some interviewers express criticism as a way to test applicants; it doesn't necessarily mean they won't hire you. Showing proper initiative after the interview can be a decisive factor. Even if this particular job is not for you, a thank-you note still helps, since it ends the process positively. It also shows that you're professional and that you truly appreciate being considered for the job. If the interviewer likes you but this job isn't a good fit, there's a chance that he or she might get back to you later with another offer or may refer you to other people. Since the thank-you note helps to extend the time you're being considered for a job, it can also give you a psychological and practical edge when cultivating other prospective positions. It helps to be able to say that you're talking with other employers.

Job interview questions

Some questions asked by interviewers at job interviews are job-specific, relating to a particular post or field of work. Others are of a more general nature and encourage the candidate to talk about work experience, future goals and reasons for applying for the post. Open-ended questions give the interviewees the opportunity to express themselves, and give the interviewers the chance to assess the candidate’s responses.

Below are some questions that are frequently asked in job interviews:

• Why do you want to join this company?

• What do you think you can contribute to this job?

• What changes would you implement if you got this job?

• Could you tell us something about your responsibilities in your last job?

• What do you see yourself doing in five years?

• How do you see yourself developing personally?

• What are your strengths and weaknesses?

• If you could have your choice of any job, what would it be and why?

• What are your short- and long-range goals and how do you expect to achieve them?

• What does success mean to you? How do you measure it?

• What motivates you?

• Do you plan to further your education? If so, to what extent? What have you done to improve yourself during the past year?

• How do you handle your reaction when you don't get what you want? Give me a couple of examples.

• How do you handle stress?

• What did you like most and least about your last job?

• Do you prefer working independently or as part of a team?

• What do you expect to experience in this job that you did not experience in your past jobs?

• How do you feel about relocating?

• What could you contribute to our facility?

• Tell me about yourself.

• What weaknesses in your work habits do you think you need most to work on?

• Why do you believe that you are the best candidate for this job?

• Why are you applying for a position for which you are obviously overqualified?

• Why are you applying for a position for which you are obviously underqualified?

• Why do you believe that you could handle this position?

• You don't have the necessary experience or background for this position, so why would my organization benefit from having you in this role?

• How soon would you be able to start this position if we offer it to you?

• What exactly were you paid at your last job? (tell the absolute truth here no other answer is appropriate)

• What is the minimum salary you will accept?

• What salary range are you wishing to be considered for?

• What are your financial needs?

• Tell me about a time that you demonstrated initiative.

• Describe a situation when have you motivated yourself to complete an assignment or task that you did not want to do?

• Think about a difficult boss, professor or other person. What made him or her difficult? How did you successfully interact with this person?

• Think about a complex project or assignment that you have been assigned. What approach did you take to complete it?

• Tell me about the riskiest decision that you have made. What were your considerations in making that particular decision?

• Can you tell me about an occasion where you needed to work with a group to get a job done? What were the challenges and difficulties and how did you face these?

• Describe a situation when you or a group that you were a part of were in danger of missing a deadline. What did you do?

• Tell me about a time when you worked with a person who did things very differently from you. How did you get the job done? Would you work with that person again if given the choice?

• Tell me about a situation when you had to learn something new in a short time. How did you proceed?

• Can you tell me about a complex problem that you solved? Describe the process you utilized

• Give me an example of a time when you had to make a split second decision.

• Give me an example of a bad decision that you made and what you learned from that mistake?

• Tell me about a time when something you tried to accomplish failed. What did you learn from that failure?

• Tell me about a time when you missed an obvious solution to a problem. What did you learn from that mistake?

• Tell me about a challenge that you successfully met.

• Describe a situation when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done.

• Please tell me about one or two unpopular decisions you have made. What were the positive and negative outcomes of those decisions?

• What leadership positions have you held? Describe your leadership style. What aspects of your leadership style have you changed or deleted once you learned that these aspects were not successful?

• Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem

• Summarize a situation where you successfully persuaded others to do something or to see your point of view. Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone's opinion.

• Give an example of when your persistence had the biggest payoff.

• How have you most constructively dealt with disappointment and turned it into a learning experience? Please give me a concrete example in your life.

• Practice