Are you a person we are looking for?

THE ROLE

We are looking for a talented person for thisposition. In this exciting job, you will need to:

……………………….¹ a team of 25 (be in charge of)

……………………….² a new branch in Amsterdam (start)

……………………….³ new staff (teach)

……………………….⁴ sales in all markets (make more)

……………………….⁵ new products (create)

……………………….⁶ communication between our head office and local branches (make better)

THE PERSON

In your present job, you

……………………….⁷ a large department in the clothing industry (control)

……………………….⁸ budgets (think about the future)

……………………….⁹ sales conferences and trade exhibitions (arrange)

……………………….¹⁰ customers, suppliers and their problems (take action)

 

2 Look at Svetlana Vlasova’s CV (curriculum vitae). Put the headings from the box in the correct place in the CV:

Education Interests Key skills References Work Experience

CURRICULUM VITAE

Name:	Svetlana Vlasova
Nationality:	Russian
Address:	17 Lime Grove, Harborne Birmingham B17 5T
Telephone:	0121 272 0064
E-mail:	Svetlana.Vlasova@mail.uk

Education:1
2006-2007	Business Administration Graduate Diploma, University of Birmingham
1998 - 2001	Degree in Business and Commerce, Faculty of Economics and Management, St Petersburg, Russia
1994-1997	Secondary School: School №1, St Petersburg, Russia
……………..2
2004-2005	Regional Branch Manager, LMO Instruments, St Petersburg, Russia - set up a new sales office in St Petersburg - trained a team of sales staff - developed new selling methods to increase sales
2002-2003	Technical Sales Specialist, Dertov Instruments, Omsk, Russia - sold a wide range of instruments, including software - organized and presented customer seminars
…………....…3
Fluent in Russian, English, German
Computer skills: Microsoft Word, Power Point, Java, Linux systems
………………4
Cinema, travel, skiing, aerobics
………………5
Professional and personal references available on request

 

3 Decide whether these statements are true or false:

1 Svetlana Vlasova studied in Russia.

2 She has worked for three different companies.

3 She gave seminars when she worked for LMO Instruments.

4 She was a manager when she worked in St Petersburg.

5 She has been responsible for staff training.

6 She can speak more than two languages fluently.

 

4 Svetlana Vlasova is applying for a job as an overseas team leader in Germany. Listen to part of her interview. Complete her answers.

Reasons for applying	First of all, I like meeting1 people and getting people to work together as a …………….2. And then, I like ………………..3 and ……………….4 my languages.
Strengths	I’m ……………….5 in German and English. I get on well with people. I’m also good at ………………6 people and at getting them to achieve ……………….7 together. I love organizing events for ………………..8.
Weaknesses	I’m not really ………………9 when people don’t meet deadlines.
People you work well with	The people I like best are those who work …………………..10 and who are …………………11.
Interests	I like travelling, and I like discovering new …………………12.
Questions	If I get the job, when would you like me to ………………….13.

 

5 Listen to the interview again and check your answers.

I=Interviewer, SV= Svetlana Vlasova

I: Why do you want this job?

SV: First of all, I like meeting people and getting people to work together as a team. And then, I like travelling and using my languages. I really want to work for this organization. It has an excellent reputation. I think with my experience in sales and in team-building, I can contribute to its success in Western Europe.

I: What are your strengths?

SV: I’m fluent in German and English. I get on well with people. I’m also good at managing people and at getting them to achieve results together. I love organizing events for clients, and I think I’m very good at that.

I: What mistakes have you made?

SV: Well, I’m not really patient when people don’t meet deadlines.

I: What kind of people do you work well with?

SV: As a team leader, I have to work with all kinds of people. But the people I like best are those who work hard and who are reliable.

I: What are your interests?

SV: I have a lot of different interests. As I said before, I like travelling, and I like discovering new cultures. I also like aerobics and skiing.

I: Do you have any questions to ask us?

SV: If I get the job, when would you like me to start?

6 Write a paragraph about yourself answering the questions:

What are your strengths and interests? What kind of people would you like to work with?

Which of the following would you like or not like in a job?

- a lot of telephone work

- writing lots of reports

- working with the same people

- working with a lot of different people

- working on your own

- sharing an office

- using English at work

- working flexible hours (including weekends)

- casual dress

- uniforms

-

GRAMMAR FOCUS 2 – Past Simple and Present Perfect

i We use the Past Simple to talk about completed actions that happened in the past.

e.g. I worked in Moscow in 2005. (I now work in another place.)

ii We use the Present Perfect to talk about actions that continue from the past to the present.

e.g. He has worked in Berlin since 2007. (He still works there.)

ASSIGNMENTS

A Complete the sentences with the Past Simple or Present Perfect form in italics.

1 I went / have been to Rome in 2005.

2 Did you ever play / Have you ever played tennis?

3 Jack hasn’t visited / didn’t visit the Delhi office last month.

4 Have you sent / Did you send your CV to Ardis yesterday?

5 We’ ve never been / gone to Mumbai.

B Complete the telephone conversation with the items in brackets. Use the Present Perfect or the Past Simple.

Rose:	Hi, Michelle. I’m calling about our adverts for the post of personal assistant. Has anybody expressed (anybody / express) 1 any interest yet?
Michelle:	Yes, it’s all going very well. We ………………….. (receive)2 thirty – one applications so far. And yesterday alone about ten people …………… (phone) 2 for further details on the job.
Rose:	Excellent. So how many applicants ………………………… (you / select) 4?
Michelle:	Well, I …………………….. (start) 5 working on the selection as soon as I ……………….. (arrive) 6 this morning. I’m afraid I …………………… (not/finish)7 yet, but I …………………………. (already/select)8 eight candidates, all witht the right qualifications and experience.
Rose:	Very good. ………………….. (you / invite)9 them for interview yet?
Michelle:	Well, no. I …………………. (think)10 you’d like to have a look at all the applications yourself first.
Rose:	I won’t be back in the office till Friday, I’m afaid, so just go ahead, Michelle. You know I trust you 200%!
Michelle:	Thanks. OK then. I’ll finish selecting candidates and invite them for the interview as soon as I …………………. (finish)11 the conference programme. I ……………… (not/have)12 time to deal with it yesterday, with all those phone calls.

C Underline the Past Simple or the Present Perfect form of the verbs to complete this extract.

I think I had / have had ¹ an interesting career. I studied / have studied ² at Oxford University from 2002 to 2005. Then I applied / have applied ³ for jobs abroad. I worked / have worked ⁴ in Hong Kong for a year, and then I went / have been ⁵ to Japan in 2007.

I did / have done ⁶ a number of different jobs. I sold /have sold ⁷ computer software in Hong Kong. I taught / have taught ⁸ English in Japan. I wrote / have written ⁹ a book, and I ran/have run ¹⁰ my own business.

 

D Tick the expressions you can use to complete this sentence.

The manager has been here before.

 

before √ twice last year since 2 o’clock two weeks ago

often for two hours this afternoon at 2 o’clock recently

 

 

VOCABULARY BOOSTER

A Complete the job advertisements with the best words.

Sales / Account Manager Salary:£24,000 per year Edinburgh – based company is seeking a person with sales experience to ……………..1 sales worldwide and to ………………2 a large department in the clothing industry. The person will also need to ……………3 communication between our production, sales and marketing departments. Background in clothing manufacturing essential. Please contact: Sarah Atkinson atkinson@btinternet.com or fax: 0131 123 7650   Telesales Executive Salary:£20,000 per year Our Telesales Executive will have the ……………..4 to make effective phone calls to marketing contacts and to ……………..5 business meetings for our clients.	Bebop offers excellent training and promotion ………………6. Call Paul Glover on 0204456 1090 or e-mail: beboprecruit@easynet.co.uk   Sales Manager Salary:£26,000 per year Conference and Events Company urgently requires a Sales Manager to ………………7 a team of 8 telesales executives. You will ………………8 the team and ……………….9 all sales staff and their problems. In addition, you will ………………10 future marketing campaigns and ………………..11 a new marketing strategy. Background of the candidate: experience in telesales and direct sales; at least 3 years’ management experience. Location: Cheshire Contact: Karen Poulson, tel. 01260 271288, e-mail: cec@events.co.uk
1 a) increase	b) set up	c) lead
2 a) manage	b) train	c) direct
3 a) create	b) plan	c) improve
4 a) interest	b) ability	c) responsibility
5 a) work	b) organize	c) communicate
6 a) opportunities	b) facilities	c) qualities
7 a) boss	b) lead	c) drive
8 a) apply	b) practise	c) train
9 a) set up	b) deal with	c) look for
10 a) train	b) control	c) plan
11 a) improve	b) develop	c) increase

 

 

B Study the examples and the tip, and complete the sentences. Use for, as or in.

Examples:

Stephen works for an engineering company.

Gerhard works as a receptionist.

Sandra works in education.

Isabelle works in a French restaurant.

Tip:

- Use work for when you talk about the company or organization where someone is employed.

- Use work as + job.

- Use work in + kind of activity.

-Also, use work in with words like bank, hotel, hospital or factory.

 

1 He has worked … as … an air traffic controller.

2 Have you worked ……… the food industry?

3 At the moment, he is working ………… a travel agency.

4 Would you like to work ………….. mechanical engineering?

5 Sandra’s husband works …………. the BBC.

6 Are you going to work …………… a clothing company in Edinburgh?

7 Rachel is going to work ……………. a consultant for a design company.