Active vocabulary

1. to be de rigueur

2. to screen out the dead wood

3. to give smb baseline information

4. to ace one’s phone interview

5. to come across more upbeat and enthusiastic

6. to go off on a tangent

7. succinctness _n

8. to have throat lozenges handy

9. crib notes

10. to get the jitters

11. security blanket

12. voice timbre and inflection

13. a screening

14. follow-up questions

15. to feel formulaic

16. to pass smb on

17. in-person gig

18. embrace the opportunity

2. Answer the questions.

1. Why do companies conduct phone interviews?

2. How long is an average phone interview? Why?

3. In what way does a phone interview differ from a face-to-face one?

4. What kind of homework should be done before an interview?

5. What is a correct way to answer questions during an interview?

6. How can a person know, whether they have done well or not?

3. Replace the words and phrases in italics by those from the text.

1. Phone interviews are necessary in many organizations. 2. If you want to do well in your phone interview, you have to prepare thoroughly. 3. Remember, the interviewer has only your words and the sound of your voice with which to judge you. You will seem more optimistic and enthusiastic if you stand. 4. Use cheat sheets to have your answers written just in case of getting afraid. 5. The timbre and intonation of your voice is critical. 6. A phone interview is brief, sometimes 20 minutes or less. It is oftentimes a sorting-out rather than an interview. 7. When you get the chance for a phone interview, grasp the opportunity. It's practice for the main event.

Section III

Vocabulary exercises

1. Read the text below and select the best option from the words in brackets.

Most jobs are advertised as current ________ (position/application/vacancies). They appear in the local and national ________ (press/bodies/resource), trade ________ (contacts/journals/resource), and specialist career publications. In addition, many professional _________ (bodies/contacts/agencies) offer an appointments service which can help job seekers find a suitable _________ (position/application/vacancies) in a particular ________ (industry/ladder/schemes). Recruitment _________ (bodies/contacts/agencies) hold details of a wide range of vacancies, and possibly local training _________ (industry/ladder/schemes). The Internet is a valuable _________ (press/journal/resource) - not only for vacancies but to find background information on companies. Approximately one third of jobs are never advertised, but may be found by approaching a company directly. This is called a speculative ________ (position/application/vacancy), and is common among students starting at the bottom of the career ________ (industry/ladder/scheme). Finally, don't forget to use your personal ________ (bodies/contacts/agencies)!

2. Match the verbs (1-10) to the nouns (a-j) to make word partnerships.

to train	a vacancy / post
to shortlist	a short list
to advertise	the candidates
to assemble	a contract
to make	new staff
to check	applicants
to arrange	a job offer
to select	references
to draw up	an appointment
to sign	an interview panel

3. This text describes a typical selection process, but in the wrong order. Rearrange the sentences so that the paragraph makes sense.

• and applicants are interviewed.

• These are sorted

• After that a final short list is drawn up.

• and finally an employment contract is signed.

• Next, appointments are arranged

• and one of them is selected.

• Firstly, a vacancy is advertised

• The candidates on the list are interviewed again,

• and applications are received.

• A job offer is made to the successful candidate,

• and suitable candidates are invited for interviews.

4. Complete the text with the words and phrases from the box.

curriculum vitae (CV) / resume probationary period interview application form psychometric test covering letter

These days many applicants submit their (1) _________ speculatively to companies they would like to work for. In other words, they do not apply for an advertised job but hope the employer will be interested enough to keep their CV on file and contact them when they have a vacancy. When replying to an advertisement, candidates often fill in a / an (2) __________ and write a / an (3) _________. The employer will then invite the best candidates to attend a / an (4) ________. Sometimes candidates will take a / an (5) __________ before the interview to assess their mental ability and reasoning skills. These days it is normal for successful candidates to have to work a / an (6) _________ in a company. This is usually three or six months; after that they are offered a permanent post.

5. Complete the sentences with a suitable item from the box.

a financial package a reference applicant headhunter a shortlist a vacancy

1. The starting salary of the successful _________ will be decided on the basis of qualifications and experience.

2. Our company has ____________ for a graduate in economics.

3. The interview panel will draw up ___________ of only five candidates.

4. It is usual to ask your previous employer for ___________ when you apply for a job.

5. For high performers, a good _________ is not all that matters. They need a challenge as well.

6. They hired __________ to attract some executives from a rival company.

6. These words are often used in job advertisements. Match the words (1-7) with their definitions.

self-starters (proactive, self-motivated, self-driven)	naturally very good at what they do
methodical (systematic, organised)	good with numbers
computer-literate	people who work well with others
numerate	can work in a planned, orderly way
motivated	good with computers
talented	good at working on their own
team-players	very keen to do well in their job

7. Complete the extracts from job advertisements using words from ex. VI.

1. You’ll need to be very _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, as you’ll be working on financial budgets.

2. As part of our sales team you’ll be working independently, so you have to be self-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ and self-_ _ _ _ _ _.

3. We’re looking for someone who can work on ten projects at once. You must be _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ and _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.

4. We need _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ journalists who are very good at their job and extremely _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ to find out as much as they can.

5. You’ll be researching developments on the Internet, so you have to be _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. You must be _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ to work on your own initiative, and be a _ _ _ _- _ _ _ _ _ _ _. But as part of a team of researchers, you need to be a good _ _ _ _- _ _ _ _ _ _ too.

8. 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 and answer the questions.

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

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

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

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

5. Cristina is numerate and computer literate

Which candidate…

1. is good with figures?

2. co-operates with colleagues?

3. is good at working on his/her own?

4. can finish a job on time?

5. has a good rapport with clients?

6. has a history of success?

7. has a positive approach?

8. has IT skills?

9. can cope with several jobs at the same time?

9. Match the descriptions (1-10) to the adjectives (a-j)

able to come up with ideas	enthusiastic
respected and listened to by others	adaptable
able to see different points of view	methodical
can see how to put ideas into action	reliable
is determined to succeed in their career	ambitious
has lots of energy and often gets excited	objective
concerned with details and getting things right even if it takes time	creative
likes to assess and evaluate	analytical
able to change with new situations	authoritative
someone you can trust and depend on	practical

A. Look at these types of people. Which do you think are the most desirables for companies to employ?

B. Think and answer the questions:

1. Which three qualities listed above best describe you?

2. Which of the different types of people have you worked or studied with?

3. Which of the different types of people do you think are easy or difficult to work with?

10. Read the text below and select the best option from the words in brackets.

If you have _______ (gained/reached/arrived/achieved) the interview stage, your CV and letter of application must have been ________ (effective/important/impressive/significant)! The company now wants to know more about you. But there is still more work to do if you want to get that job! Make sure you have __________ (researched/discovered/inquired/examined) the company as thoroughly as possible - use the Internet, company reports, recruitment literature etc.  _________ (remember/remind/imagine/summarise) yourself of why you applied to this company. Make a list of the skills, experience, and interests you can   __________ (show/present/offer/demonstrate) the organisation. Finally, try to ________ (ask/suggest/give/predict) the questions you will be expected to answer - imagine you are the interviewer!

11. Here are some examples of quite common interview questions (1-6). Match them with suitable responses (a-f).

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

12. During the interview, always be positive about your previous experiences. Never offer negative information! Instead, sell yourself using active, positive words. In the exercise below, match words from the left to the right to make 'power phrases'.

Showing	Problems
presenting	ideas
solving	objectives
controlling	initiative
achieving	deadlines
motivating	information
meeting	budgets
creating	colleagues