Деловой английский язык

UNIT 1

FINDING THE RIGHT JOB

Office Careers

Every day, large companies receive hundreds of letters from job seekers. Unemployment statistics make headlines. Behind unemployment hides another, more personal kind of employment crisis: underemployment.

Underemployment can involve full- or part-time work. The term refers to the type of work you are doing: the heart surgeon working as a salesperson or the professor sorting mail. Are these examples exaggerated? Unfortunately not. Especially when you consider the lives of many adults who have moved from their country of birth to another part of the globe.

Underemployment

Why do so many people settle for underemployment? Perhaps because of the need to find a job quickly, any job. Unfortunately, the best job is not often the easiest to find. In modern, industrial nations underemployment is alarmingly common; studies in the United States, for instance, have shown that as many as 80 percent of adults are underemployed. That's almost everybody! So if you share in the frustration of underemployment you are hardly alone. In fact, you're in good company!

Taking underemployment personally, a person may feel singled out. Yet underemployment differs from failure. Underemployment is temporary and can be overcome in time. To develop a career means setting long-term employment goals.

Finding the Right Work

Finding employment takes hard work in itself; so does finding a better position once employed. Competition for good jobs – those that are challenging, interesting, and well paid – is here to stay. Landing the right job is a major step in launching a successful career. But career planning only starts there.

Career development involves long-term planning. The search continues over the years as a person moves from one position to the next, developing skills which include the use of language.

A wide variety of skills is required for almost any job, anything from taking instructions to giving them, from being supervised to supervising. In order to signal what you can do and what you have done, it is useful to think of your skills and experience in terms of action verbs.

Job Search

How can you make basic decisions about the choice of jobs and career? Most people go to the openings. If you read the want ads in the newspaper, for example, you learn who is offering employment. This is only one way to go about finding work.

Another strategy is to do some long-range planning. This involves determining your abilities, interests, and needs. What have you already learned by education and experience to do well? There are your ski/Is, or abilities. What is it that you most enjoy doing? There are your interests. What kind of income will you need to support yourself and your family? These are your needs.

In addition to the development of language and vocational skills, a successful career depends on learning how to look for work. Success is not guaranteed by seeing experts at an employment agency. While professionals may give valuable assistance, success in the long run depends on doing some thinking on your own – for instance, naming personal interests and abilities on a resume.

Developing a resume begins with listing the skills a person has already gained. In addition, a resume specifically how and where those skills were acquired. All told, the resume states the qualifications and work history of an applicant. A well-written resume sent with a letter of application can win the interview of a lifetime.

Often what makes a prospective applicant stand out is the attitude that comes through in the cover letter. Qualities such as initiative, self-control, and a sense of responsibility are highly regarded by employers today.

Employment in Market Economy

In market terms, an individual can increase his income by working harder (taking a second job, say) or working smarter (for example, acquiring new, more wanted skills). In the United States, according to statistics, education has a direct and powerful effect on earnings; a person with university degree, or 16 years of education, will over a lifetime earn more than twice what someone with only eight years of education will earn. But still many persons entering the working world lack adequate training in such areas as leadership, communicating ideas and needs, and working successfully as a member of a team. Employees must be skilled in allocating time, money and other resources needed to carry out a job. They are to be able to evaluate and use new information. They must understand how one task may affect other related tasks. Finally they have to be able to learn new skills and adapt to changing technology.

Exercise 1. Перефразируйте предложения, используя выделенные слова:

land a job, in good company, qualifications, singled out, take things personally, resume

1. After the interview was finished I felt sure that I'd be hired.

2. When I was called in for a second interview, I knew that I had been selected as a finalist.

3. Even if I don't get hired, I know I am just one of many qualified applicants.

4. Despite her excellent background, another applicant was offered the position.

5. After all, when it comes to looking for work, one shouldn't blame yourself.

Exercise 2. Переведите следующие предложения:

1. On his resume it said that she's got to have a steady job.

2. Alice personally believes that in-service training is one of the utmost importances.

3. It's best to follow up on all correspondence promptly.

4. Although his first choice was a steady service position, he said he'd settle for less.

5. The receptionist's responsibilities are as follows: answering telephone calls, guests' accommodation, greeting clients, making all the office work (typing, sending/ receiving faxes, etc.)

При написании резюме используются глаголы активных действий, например:

Например, можно описать свой опыт работы таким образом:

• prepared daily deliveries

• delivered on a daily basis to customers

• maintained accounts on customers

• collected customer fees on a monthly basis

• solicited new subscriptions

• responded to customer complaints and concerns

• utilized two word processing systems

• typed and proofread sales letters

• handled telephone inquiries

Exercise 3. Используя перечисленные выше глаголы, ответьте на следующие вопросы:

1. What work have you previously done?

2. What skills were involved?

3. What types of duties did you have?

4. What relationship with people was involved?

5. What responsibilities did you have?

Exercise 4. Приведите в соответствие термины и их определения:

Exercise 5. Describing ability

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.

• John has a can-do attitude and is able to meet deadlines

• Lis is a self-starter who can work on her own initiative

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

• Alex 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 a good 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?

Exercise 6. For all of the verbs below, select the correct noun partner

Exercise 7. Job advertisements

The following nouns describe an ideal candidate's abilities. Can you change them into adjectives?

How many of these adjectives describe you?

Exercise 8. These abbreviations often appear in job advertisements.

Match them to their meanings

1. per week

2. thousand

3. negotiable

4. reference number

5. per annum, yearly

6. stamped addressed envelope

7. as soon as possible

8. approximately

9. inclusive

10. according to time worked

Exercise 9.

The words in the column on the right are phrases that use the word career. For each definition on the left, match it to the correct phrase on the right:

√ Форма резюме на английском языке

Составление удачного резюме на английском языке часто является одной из самых сложных задач при поиске работы за границей или в западной компании. Резюме должно отвечать всем необходимым требованиям, но при этом выгодно отличать вас от других претендентов на данную должность.

В США резюме принято называть Resume, в Европе – CV (Curriculum Vitae).

Стандартная форма резюме европейского уровня включает в себя 6 основных частей:

1. Личная информация (Personal Information)

2. Цель (Objective)

3. Опыт работы (Work Experience)

4. Образование (Education)

5. Специальные навыки (Additional Skills)

6. Рекомендации (References)

Рассказывая о себе, используйте больше прилагательных, это сделает текст более ярким и иллюстративным, вот краткий перечень наиболее употребимых слов:

· directed, led managed, supervised;

· achieved, delivered, drove, generated, grew, increased, initiated, instituted and launched;

· cut, decreased, reduced, slashed;

· accelerated, created, developed, established, implemented, instituted, performed, pioneered, planned, produced, re-engineered, restructured, saved and transformed.

Избегайте таких клише, как:

Dynamic, people-oriented, results-oriented, self-motivated, hands-on leader, visionary

Объем резюме молодого специалиста не должен превышать 1 страницы, если же у вас за плечами большой стаж работы, информацию о себе нужно разместить не более чем на двух страницах.

Сделайте ваш документ удобным для чтения. Сформировав общий план резюме, убедитесь, что в нем есть достаточно чистого пространства. Верхнее и нижнее поля должны быть не менее 1,5 сантиметров высотой, а боковые поля не менее 2. Между отдельными частями резюме оставляйте пробелы. Жирным шрифтом выделяйте названия пунктов, а также названий компаний и имена. Не подчеркивайте слова и не используйте курсив, для придания выразительности. Не применяйте редкие шрифты для привлечения внимания читателя, используйте такие стандартные шрифты, как Arial, Garamond, Helvetica, Tahoma or Times Roman. Не начинайте каждое предложение одинаковыми фразами и не вводите личные местоимения. Чтобы сделать текст более выразительным используйте разнообразную лексику.

Цель написания резюме – получить конкретную должность в определенной компании. Поэтому рассказывать следует о том, что будет важно на новом месте работы. Пропускайте то, что не представляет большого значения. Чем меньше вы будете упоминать незначительные факты, тем большое значение приобретет самое главное.

Структура резюме

Пример резюме

Объявление о вакансии

Резюме

The candidate's resume must catch their attention upon first glance. Below are some helpful tips to get your candidate's resume noticed:

1) Keep the resume to one or two pages only. This is most important as the HR director usually does not have time to read through several pages on each candidate. The one page resume will pique interest just enough for them to ask for more.

2) Fonts type and sizes. Use fonts "Times New Roman" or "Arial". Also you must use small font sizes such as 10 or 12 points. Remember: you should keep your resume to one or two pages only.

3) Do not use text boxes, frames, backgrounds, etc. Your resume should be clear and professional.