Job Hunting and Applying for a Job

As soon as people find themselves out of work, they start job-hunting. Firstly, there are state employment agencies, whose services are free, but whose results are minimal. Secondly, there are similar private agencies, for whose services you must pay. Many people get jobs with the help of family and friends. However, the most common job-hunting approach is through advertisements. Companies which need to recruit or employ new people, usually advertise the job or position in a newspaper or on special web sites.

When you find a want-ad you are interested in, you can apply for the job. Employers or head-hunters ask for information about job candidates in a variety of ways.

Many have a standard job application form for all applicants to complete. They use this method to make sure that they have the same information about each applicant. But all employers ask for a CV or curriculum vitae or (US) resume which contains details of your education and experience. A letter of application or (US) cover letter can be as important as the CV as it often provides the first direct contact between a candidate and an employer. If this letter is not well written and presented, it will make a poor impression. Many employers ask applicants to mail these documents. Others will only accept these papers electronically. They use software that scans resumes and cover letters for key skills and experience.

Some employers will want additional material, like portfolios or references. Letters of reference are written evaluations of your work and can be written by your present or previous supervisor, manager, fellow team member, or teacher at your request. A portfolio, whichis a personalized collection of items that illustrates your skills and experience, might include work samples, letters of recommendation, awards and honors. It's up to you to show why you'd be a good fit for the job.

If the company’s Human Resources Department decides, after having read your papers, that you are the right person for the job, they will invite you to attend an interview.

Some twenty years ago, candidates could win a top job with the right look and the right answers to questions such as ‘Why do you want this job?’ With so little information about a candidate, most employers hired people they liked rather than the most competent person. Employers also looked for experience – had a candidate done this before? But having experience in a job does not guarantee that you can do it in a different environment.

Today companies are no longer satisfied with traditional job interviews. They put candidates, especially for many white-collar jobs, through a series of tests, role-playing exercises and long interviews by psychologists. The tests are not about mathematics or grammar, or any basic technical skills for which many candidates have long been tested. Rather employers want to evaluate candidates on intangible qualities. Is she creative? Can he lead people? Is he flexible and capable of learning? How will he function under pressure? Most important, will the potential recruit fit the corporate culture? These tests are all part of a new trend – companies are getting more careful about hiring.

The reason for such testing is clear: many hires work badly and the cost of bringing the wrong person on board is sometimes huge. The aim is to measure skills in communications, analysis, organization and management with special attention to personality traits and motivations.

LEARNING THE WORDS.

3.1 Match the following words from the text to their definitions. Suggest the Russian. Use the context of the text if necessary.