- •Job hunting
- •1 Make sure you know the following words.
- •2 Read the text.
- •CVs and Covering Letters in English
- •1 Check the words and phrases.
- •2 Read the information that will help you to write a covering letter.
- •Your cv/Resume
- •1 Check the words and phrases.
- •2 Read the text and learn how to write resumes in English.
- •3 Read Louisa’s cv and tick the topics in the text which are included.
- •4 Find words or phrases in Louisa’s cv that mean the following.
- •A formal telephone call
- •The job interview
- •1 Check the words and phrases.
- •2 Read the text and be ready to answer the following questions:
- •A job interview
- •4 Listen and repeat.
- •Contracts
- •3 Find in the text the synonyms of the following words:
- •1 Listen to the dialogue. The first day in the office.
- •What's 'In' and 'Out' on the Job Hunt
- •Improving Your Professional Skills
- •The Hard Truth about Soft Skills
- •1 To your mind, what the text is about according to the title? Scan the text to check your ideas.
- •2 Read the text and find the answers to the following questions:
- •6 Find the job that is the odd man out.
- •Markus initiates negotiations
- •1Make sure you know the words and phrases.
- •2 Read the dialogue.
- •3 Prove the following ideas (use the text if necessary):
- •A Business meeting
- •1 Listen to the dialogue.
- •2 Listen and repeat.
- •3 Watch the video and be ready to find the right answer:
- •Improving your problem-solving skills
- •1 Check the words.
- •2 Choose the right variant(s).
- •A Letter of Complaint
- •1 Make sure you know the words.
- •3 Read 5 top tips for writing effective letters of complaint.
- •4 Rewrite the letter of complaint to make it effective.
- •Have you got what it takes?
- •Unemployment
- •1 Check the words and phrases.
- •2 Read the extract.
- •3 Answer the questions.
- •Doing Something Different
- •1 Check the words and phrases.
- •2 Read about three people and answer the following questions for each person.
- •3 Listen to the three people describing how it happened and answer the questions.
- •4 Mark the following statements true or false. Then listen again and check.
- •5 Discuss the following questions in groups.
Job hunting
Everything what is done in the world is done by hope.
What should you do to find a job? Find the logical sequence of steps you should take.
► get an invitation for an interview
► read the classified ads
► think what kind of job you want
► analyze your skills, personality traits and accomplishments
► get ready for the interview
► find out as much as you can about the company
► prepare the necessary docs.
1 Make sure you know the following words.
employment agencies
benefits
ads
P.O. box
job opportunities
demand
2 Read the text.
So, You Are Looking for a Job. What must you begin with? There are several traditional ways of looking for a job.
The best way of doing it is to address employment agencies or to study the ads of job opportunities being published.
Advertisements of job opportunities can be read in different printed publications. But which of them is worth reacting to? Don't put much trust in the yellow press ads. Solid companies place ads in prestigious publications with a firm reputation.
The structure of job opportunities ads is usually the same: the name of the vacant position, the list of the candidate's professional duties, the demands made of the candidate, and the system of compensations and benefits. The e-mail address of the office is usually given at the end. Carefully read the demands made of the given position. Often, the demand to know a foreign language is very important.
3 Study the advertisement for Horizons Unlimited. What kind of job do they recruit for? What are the main responsibilities and requirements for the job? Find similar ads in Belarusian newspapers/magazines. Is the layout the same in your language? Underline the qualities and skills that you’ve got.
CVs and Covering Letters in English
You never get a second chance to make the first impression.
1 Check the words and phrases.
covering letter
CV ( resume)
interview
persuasive
relevant
confusio
n
2 Read the information that will help you to write a covering letter.
When you apply for a job, most employers want to have 2 important documents from you: a CV (or resume) and a covering letter.
Your CV and covering letter are usually the first impression that an employer has of you. Your CV or resume is your visiting card, your ambassador, your shop window. It represents you and it has a specific purpose: to get you an interview! Before even looking at your CV, an employer usually reads your covering letter. If it is well-written, attractive, easy to read and persuasive, the employer will turn to your CV. It's that simple!
A covering letter is the letter that accompanies your resume when you send it to a company. The reader of your letter may be busy and unwilling to waste time on unnecessary details. You should therefore design your letter to be easy to read. It should be short and relevant. It should not be too formal or complicated. Your letter should:
• confirm that you are applying for the position
• say where you learned about the position
• say why you want the position
• say why you would be a benefit to the company
• request an interview.
The layout of a modern business letter in English is very simple. Your address is at the top, on the right or in the middle. The rest of the letter can be in 'block' format, with each line starting on the left. Try to keep the whole letter on one single page, with plenty of white space.
Remember:
1 Do not write the date as numbers only, for two reasons: It can be considered too official and therefore impolite. All-number dates are written differently in British English (31/12/09) and American English (12/31/09). This can lead to confusion.
2 A letter in English always begins with 'Dear...', even if you do not know the person. There are several possibilities: Dear Sir/ Dear Madam /Dear Mr. Smith /Dear Mrs. Smith, Dear Sir/Madame, Dear Sir or Madame, etc.
3 End your letter by Yours sincerely /Yours faithfully /Yours truly
4 Sign in black or blue ink with a fountain pen.
3 Study the example of covering letter. What can you learn about Rachel King’s:
a) working experience b) recent job c) why could she be a benefit to the company?
|
__________________ __________________ __________________ __________________
_________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________
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4 Louisa Barry wants to apply for a job. Match the addresses and dates below with the correct position on the letter. Put Louisa’s letter in the correct order.
30th April 2009 Horizons Unlimited 15 Thayers Farm Road
PO Box 444 Abington
Richmond Northampton
Surrey NT12 4PF
SJ5 4TS
a I am interested in the secretarial position you have.
b I will be able to start work in the middle of June.
c I look forward to hearing from you soon.
d Yours faithfully,
e I enclose my CV as requested
f I am a qualified and experienced PA, and I am bilingual in Spanish and English. I also speak French fluently
g I am writing in reply to your advertisement for temporary summer positions, which appeared in the Western Mail on 27th April
h Dear Sir of Madam,
i Louisa Barry
5 Write a similar letter to Horizons Unlimited. Mention where you would like to work and what kind of work you would be interested in. You can invent qualifications and experience!