Additional Skills Interests Professional Experience

Jasper Bergfeld, a German graduate, is compiling his CV. He has collected the relevant details but now he must organise them. Look at the following points and decide which heading Jasper should put them under.

For example:

University of Stuttgart – degree in Business Information Management: answer = 'Education'

- Fluent in English: (Education, Referees, Personal details, Profile, Additional skills, Interests, Professional experience)

- Nationality – German: (Education, Referees, Personal details, Profile, Additional skills, Interests, Professional experience)

- Concept AG – Assistant Project Manager: (Education, Referees, Personal details, Profile, Additional skills, Interests, Professional experience)

- Excellent communication skills: (Education, Referees, Personal details, Profile, Additional skills, Interests, Professional experience)

- Full driving license: (Education, Referees, Personal details, Profile, Additional skills, Interests, Professional experience)

- Diploma in English with Business Studies: (Education, Referees, Personal details, Profile, Additional skills, Interests, Professional experience)

- Skiing and windsurfing: (Education, Referees, Personal details, Profile, Additional skills, Interests, Professional experience)

- Computer literate: (Education, Referees, Personal details, Profile, Additional skills, Interests, Professional experience)

- Able to work on own initiative and under pressure: (Education, Referees, Personal details, Profile, Additional skills, Interests, Professional experience)

- Responsible for customer service: (Education, Referees, Personal details, Profile, Additional skills, Interests, Professional experience)

- Dr H. Mayer, University of Bath: (Education, Referees, Personal details, Profile, Additional skills, Interests, Professional experience)

BBC Learning English. http://bbc.co.uk

VI. A Human Resources Manager has drawn up a shortlist of applicants he feels would be suitable for a vacancy in his company. Look at the descriptions of the candidates he plans to invite for interview.

· Hamed has a can-do attitude and is able to meet deadlines

· Tomoko is a self-starter who can work on her own initiative

· Ivan is able to multi-task and has a proven track record

· Li is an effective team player with a customer-focused approach

· Cristina is numerate and computer literate

which candidate...

is good with figures?

co-operates with colleagues?

is good at working on his/her own?

can finish a job on time?

has a good rapport with clients?

has a history of success?

has a positive approach?

has IT skills?

can cope with several jobs at the same time?

BBC Learning English

http://bbc.co.uk

VII. It's always a good idea to try to predict what questions you will get asked in an interview and prepare some answers before you go in. Here are some examples of quite common interview questions. Match them with suitable responses.

Why did you choose this company?	I always support my colleagues and believe we should work toward a common goal.
What are your strengths/weaknesses?	I have excellent time management, but I can be impatient for results.
How would your friends describe you?	Because I think I will find the work environment both challenging and rewarding.
What is your greatest achievement?	Leading the University football team to the national championships.
How well do you work in a team?	People say I’m sociable, organised, and decisive.
Where will you be in 5 year’s time?	My aim is to have a position in the Management Team.

BBC Learning English

http://bbc.co.uk

VIII. Working in pairs make a dialogue using the questions from the exercise 7 and perform it to the class.

Grammar

Study the information about the Future Continuous Tense in Appendix for self-study.

Listen to the explanation of the difference between the Future Simple and the Future Continuous from BBC Learning English (04:39 min).

SPEAKING PRACTICE

I. Discuss the problem of being nervous at an interview. How can you avoid being nervous? For this task you should use the previous and this lesson new vocabulary and its explanation.

II. Working in pairs. Acting an interview. One student plays a role of an interviewer and another student – a role of an interviewee. You should take into account the logical structure of an interview.

Homework

Refresh vocabulary from the first 4 lessons of the section.

Refresh grammar information about the Future Simple Tense and the Future Continuous Tense.

Lesson 5

LEAD-IN

Discuss the following questions:

- Have you ever written a letter of application? Was it difficult for you?

- Are there stylistic rules for letters of application? What are they?

The letter of application

The letter of application you send with your СV is sometimes called a covering letter. It is usually the first direct contact between a candidate and an employer, so make sure it is well-written and presented. It should normally contain 3-4 paragraphs.

Here is a list of points you should include:

- Say that you would like to apply.

- Say where you found out about the job.

- Say why you would like the job.

- Say why you are qualified to do the job.

- Say you can provide more information if necessary.

- Say when you would be available for interview.

Look through the following application letter example. Does it contain all necessary information?

1707 Guernesey LaneAustin, TX 787596 June 1997John G. HollowayBrackenridge Hospital 4505 W. Tom Thumb Ave. Austin, TX 78703Dear Mr. Holloway:I am writing in response to your classified ad in the Austin-American Statesman for Assistant Director of Materials Management. Based on my experience and continuing education, I believe that I am qualified to fill this position.For the past four years, I have been employed in the materials divisions with two different manufacturing companies, XETEL Corporation and Fisher Controls International. My experience there has ranged from controlling, buying, analyzing, to planning materials.Currently, I am attending night school at Austin Community College where I lack only nine hours to complete my Associate Degree in Business Administration. When I complete this degree, I hope to return to St. Edward's University to complete my course work for a degree in Technical Business.Brackenridge Hospital and the Children's Hospital supply such a vital service to the Travis county area that I would be proud to be a part of your team. I hope to get a chance to discuss my qualifications and goals with you. I can be reached at (512) 877-0991 after 5 p.m.Sincerely yours,John M. OwensEncl.: resume

This information is owned and maintained by David A. McMurrey.

Select the correct words in the brackets so that this covering letter is in good English.

Dear Mr Saleh,

I am writing to (apply, ask, request) for the position of Editorial Assistant which was (shown, advertised, presented) in the latest edition of Gulf News.

I am currently (worked, employed, used) by a Market Research company as a research assistant, but am keen to (want, pursue, take) a career in publishing, because I enjoy reading and write my own poetry.

As you will notice on the (included, mentioned, attached) CV, I graduated in European Literature. At University I gained considerable (experiment, expression, experience) working on the student magazine, so I am (familiarised, familier, familiar) with editing techniques. I work well under (anxiety, demands, pressure) and enjoy working in a team. In addition, I speak English (excellently, fluently, strongly).

I would be (available, around, accessible) for interview from next week. Meanwhile, please do not (hesitate, wait, stop) to contact me if you require further information.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

BBC Learning English. http://www.bbc.co.uk

Here are some common phrases you might use when applying for a job. However, the prepositions are missing – type out the correct ones choosing words from the table below.

under

for

I would like to apply ….

the position ……

If you would like to discuss this …….

more detail

I enjoy working ……..

pressure

I was …….

charge

I was responsible …….

With reference ……..

WRITING PRACTICE

Write a CV and a letter of application and submit them for class consideration.

You have read in the press about the vacancy for a chief manager.

You are now battling your way to the top of your career ladder. This vacancy is an excellent opportunity for you.

You should write a CV and a letter of application paying attention to the discussed rules. Try to interest your future employer.

GROUP DISCUSSION

Finding a job is not an easy task! However, learning the skills now will allow you greater opportunities to access the career of your dreams. It is time to begin dreaming, evaluating, and considering possible career choices which take careful consideration.

Working in groups, you are going to identify your personal career interests and research a career from the provided list.

With this information you will:

· Identify your career interest

· Research one of the careers (given below)

· Create a job description

· Present information to the class

Select a career from the following list.

Television or Newspaper Reporter
Member of the Armed Services
Nursing
Teacher
Lawyer
Computer Technician/Webmaster
Law Enforcement
Travel Agent
Chef

Discuss what career to choose and prove to your partners that you are right and then present your conclusion to the class.

Homework

Prepare a task.

MY FUTURE CAREER

Introduction

There are hundreds and hundreds of careers to choose from. How do you understand which careers you might like to try? It takes some thought, creativity and research. In the following problem-based task you will have the opportunity to learn about yourself and the world that surrounds you.

The Task

Learn about yourself. Research a career field and make a presentation to your group-mates.

You should find what work is interesting to you, what abilities you have and what's important to you in a job. After analyzing this, choose one career that you want to learn more about. For this career, find the answers to these questions:

What do you do in this job? What is a typical day like?
What skills are necessary?
What training and/or education are required?
What kinds of job opportunities exist? What is the employment outlook?
What is the average salary? How much can you expect to earn?
Describe the work conditions (indoor/outdoor, travel required, work with people or machines, etc.)

Describe how the above information relates to you personally:

Do you feel you have the skills needed or could learn them? Is the training/education required consistent with your future plans? Will the salary and work conditions support the kind of life style you envision for yourself?

Imagine yourself in the career you researched. Prepare a presentation that will illustrate your career to the class. Include in your presentation what employment trends may affect your business or field. It can include imaginary:

resumes
brochure or ad selling your company's services
a web page or Power Point presentation

Resources recommended

Career Assessment Tools - http://www.jobweb.org/Catapult/Assess.htm
Career Planning Site on the Mining Company - http://careerplanning.about.com/mlibrary.htm?PM=61_707_T&cob=home

Process

One fourth of your grade will be on your use of references. You are required to use a minimum of 3 to 5 different sources of information to do your career research.

Find and take at least 2 different career interest surveys. Analyze the results and summarize. What general career clusters predominated (i.e. scientific, social services, management, clerical, etc.)? What skills or abilities were suggested? What did the surveys tell you about your personality traits and work values? Based on the careers suggested by the interest inventories, choose one to investigate further.
Picture yourself in the future employed in the career that you researched. Prepare a presentation to explain your career to the class. As part of your presentation, include an assessment of how employment trends will affect your career field.

Conclusion

Successful career planning requires knowledge about the many careers that exist in today's world and insight into what your interests, abilities, and work values are. The more you know about the world around you and about world within you, the easier it will be to make wise choices about your future.

Lesson 6

LISTENING

Knowing how to behave at the interview is very important in your future career. Listen to the text THE INTERVIEW and discuss it with your partner.

Test on homework

The presentation on the given task MY FUTURE CAREER

What do you do in this job? What is a typical day like?
What skills are necessary?
What training and/or education are required?
What kinds of job opportunities exist? What is the employment outlook?
What is the average salary? How much can you expect to earn?
Describe the work conditions (indoor/outdoor, travel required, work with people or machines, etc.)

Describe how the above information relates to you personally: