Unit 3. Recruitment and Selection

Task 1. Match the following English words and phrases with their Russian equivalents:

1) recruitment 2) employment agency 3) situation vacant 4) to apply for a job 5) applicant form 6) CV 7) covering letter 8) to shortlist 9) referee 10) to turn down

a) включать в окончательный список b) набор (кадров), наем (сотрудников) c) бланк заявления d) поручитель e) отклонить (предложение) f) вакантные должности g) агентство по трудоустройству h) резюме i) сопроводительное письмо j) подавать заявление о приеме на работу

Task 2. Read the text.

Recruitment and Selection

Recruitment

The process of finding people for particular jobs is recruitment or, especially in American English, hiring. Someone who has been recruited is a recruit or, in American English, a hire. The company employs or hires them; they join the company. A company may recruit employees directly or use outside recruiters, recruitment agencies or employment agencies. Outside specialists called headhunters may be called on to headhunt people for very important jobs, persuading them to leave the organizations they already work for. This process is called headhunting.

Applying for a job

Fred is a van driver, but he was fed up with long trips. He looked in the situations vacant pages of his local newspaper, where a local supermarket was advertising for van drivers for a new delivery service. He applied for the job by completing an application form and sending it in.

Harry is a building engineer. He saw a job in the appointment pages of one of the national papers. He made an application, sending in his CV (curriculum vitae – the ‘story’ of his working life) and a covering letter explaining why he wanted the job and why he was the right person for it.

Selection procedures

Cindy Graham is the head of recruitment at an English telecommunications company. She talks about the selection process, the methods that the company uses to recruit people: ‘We advertise in national newspapers. We look at the backgrounds of applicants: their experience of different jobs and their educational qualifications. We don’t ask for handwritten letters of application as people usually apply by email.

We invite the most interesting candidates to a group discussion. Then we have individual interviews with each candidate. We also ask the candidates to do written psychometric tests to assess their intelligence and personality.

After this, we shortlist three or four candidates. We check their references by writing to their referees: previous employers or teachers that candidates have named in their applications. If the references are OK, we ask the candidates to come back for more interviews. Finally, we offer the job to someone, and if they turn it down we have to think again. If they accept it, we hire them. We only appoint someone if we find the right person.’

Task 3. Read the following sentences. Which ones are true and which ones are false?

1. The process of finding new people to join the company is recruitment.

2. Headhunters persuade people to leave the organizations they already work for.

3. Fred applied for the job by sending in his CV and a covering letter.

4. Cindy Graham says that they usually ask for handwritten letters of application.

5. After checking candidates’ references, they shortlist three or four

persons.

Task 4. Match the following words from the text with their definitions:

1) recruit 2) to headhunt 3) application 4) to advertise 5) psychometric test 6) reference

a) to make (something, such as a vacancy, article for sale, etc.) publicly known, as to possible applicants, buyers, etc b) a letter written by somebody who knows you, giving information about your character and abilities, especially to a new employer c) a person who joins a company or an organization d) a formal written request for something, such as job or permission to do something e) any test that measures somebody’s mental abilities, personality, attitudes, etc., often used when choosing somebody for a job f) to find somebody who has the right skills and experience for a senior job in a company or an organization and persuade them to leave their present job

Task 5. Complete the sentences using the following words from the text: recruit, headhunt, applied, turns down, appoint, hired, accepts.

1. The selection process has lasted three months, but we’re going to … someone next week.

2. A … is a new worker who has just finished university.

3. I hope she … because if she … the job, we’ll have to start looking again.

4. This job is so important I think we need to … someone.

5. When Mark left school, he … for a job in a local company.

6. They’ve finally … a new personnel manager.

Task 6. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form of Past Simple (active or passive). See Appendixes 1 and 4.

1. Tom … (look) for a new appointment.

2. This agency … (hire) some more employees.

3. The goods … (deliver) in time.

4. John and Greg … (apply) for jobs as sales representatives.