- •Е.В. Дводненко
- •Table of Contents
- •Введение
- •Section I. English for telephoning Useful vocabulary for successful telephoning in English
- •Text I. Business Telephoning Etiquette
- •The Business Etiquette of Transferring a Call
- •Appropriate greetings and endings
- •Gathering information
- •Listening skills
- •Suggesting and verifying a course of action
- •Taking notes
- •Dealing with difficult callers
- •Things to avoid when on the phone
- •Practice: Connecting
- •Messages
- •Wrong number
- •Appointments
- •Ordering
- •Text II. Business Telephoning Language
- •Practice:
- •Section II. English for meetings Useful vocabulary for successful meetings in English
- •Text I. Business Meetings Organization
- •Practice: agenda setting
- •Interruptions
- •Agreeing and disagreeing
- •Any other business (aob)
- •Text II. Business Meetings Language Etiquette
- •Practice:
- •Section III. English for negotiations Useful vocabulary for successful negotiations in English
- •Text I. The Art of Negotiations
- •Practice tricky conversations
- •Resolving difficulties
- •Asking for a pay rise
- •Difficult clients
- •Text II. Giving your personal viewpoint
- •Practice:
- •Section IV. English for presentations Useful vocabulary for successful presentations in English
- •Text I. Business Presentations & Public Speaking
- •Practice: Opening
- •Questions
- •Section V. English for business correspondence Useful vocabulary for writing business letters
- •Text I. Business Letter Etiquette
- •Practice
- •Text II. Notes on business correspondence Business Letter Contents
- •1St Check: Look at the text as a whole
- •2Nd Check: Check your text for detail
- •Marlene Leach
- •Layout of Envelopes
- •Practice
- •4. Match the beginnings and endings below and identify which letter a) is a letter of complaint, b) offers an apology, c) is an application for a job.
- •Text III. 20 Tips of Business Writing
- •Text IV. Resumes and Covering Letters
- •Summary
- •11 Tips of Success
- •Additional reading cross cultural business communication
- •Text I. What is Culture?
- •Text III. International Business Etiquette
- •Text IV. Intercultural Communication Tips
- •Text V. Cross Cultural Marketing Blunders
- •Text VI. More Results of Poor Cross Cultural Awareness
- •Text VII. Stereotypes: An Intercultural No-No
- •Involve
- •Text VIII. Business Meeting Etiquette
- •Informal Meetings
- •Text IX. Cross cultural negotiation
- •Text X. Techniques for Resolving Cross-Cultural Disputes
- •Techniques:
- •Text XI. The Business Lunch and Cultural Differences
- •Text XII. Business Card Etiquette
- •Text XIII. Cross Cultural Gift Giving Etiquette
- •Text XIV. Cross Cultural Presentations
- •Text XV. Intercultural Factors When Making International Presentations
- •Text XVI. Cross Cultural Advertising
- •Text XVII. Hurdles to Cross Cultural Business Communication
- •Text XVIII. Cultural Communication across Languages
- •Text XIX. Ten Strategies for Success Abroad
- •Text XX. Cultural Sensitivity in Business
- •Список литературы Основная
- •Дополнительная
- •Интернет-ресурсы
Text III. 20 Tips of Business Writing
Here are the basics of business writing – tips to keep your written communications sharp and effective. These tips provide the basics of good business writing and will always stand you in good stead.
Keep your writing simple, short and to the point.
Write positively. If you use a negative, try to find a solution or reason.
Spend time on your headline. Everybody reads a headline, so use an attention-grabbing statement.
Get to the point: put first things first. The opening paragraph should be particularly clear and easy to understand.
Stress the benefits to the reader in both your headline and text.
Make the text look both neat and interesting by breaking it up with paragraphs. In that way the letter will be much easier to read. If a paragraph contains more than three sentences, break it up.
Start sentences with the main clause and not with a subsidiary one. An example of putting the subsidiary clause first would be as follows: “To make the copy easier to read, break up the text with paragraphs.”
Aim your writing at the reader or customer by turning ‘I/we’ into ‘You’ wherever possible. The rule is to use 4 ‘you's’ for every ‘I’.
Put the reader’s wants and needs first. Even in a letter to your boss you are ‘selling something’ – yourself or an idea. People tend to buy what they want from people they know and like.
Write a powerful introduction and conclusion.
Mind your language – be sure you look for strong, active and attractive words. Also, keep adjectives and adverbs to a minimum. Go for one really good word rather than two or three woolly ones.
Watch out for clichés, jargon and popular phrases. They are blight on your business letters, so root them out.
Write actively – subject, verb, object.
Keep sentences short (maximum 15 words) and vary the length of sentences.
Make only one point per sentence: your reader does not want to be overwhelmed with information.
Be friendly and polite. Establish trust and credibility.
Keep the number of points to a minimum – between 3 and 5.
End the document by saying what will happen next, encourage the reader to take some action, make clear what action you will take and follow that up.
An excellent way of testing your business letters is to read them out loud to see how they sound.
Always show complicated business letters to other people for a second opinion. What you write may not be what is read – you may accidentally cause offence to the reader.
Text IV. Resumes and Covering Letters
When you apply for a job, most employers ask for 2 important documents:
A CV or resume
A covering letter
Your CV and letter are usually the first impression that an employer has of you. And because an employer may have hundreds of job applications to consider, you have about 15 seconds to make sure that first impression is a good one.
Your CV's job is to get you an interview. To do this, it must:
attract
inform
persuade
sell
A good CV is one of your most important tools in the search for employment.
WHAT A CV OR RESUME IS NOT
A CV is not a book.
A CV is not an obstacle.
A CV is not a tombstone.
A CV is not boring or difficult to read.
A CV is not your life story or autobiography.
A CV is not a catalogue of your personal opinions.
A CV is not a list of problems with past employers.
WHAT A CV OR RESUME IS
A CV is short.
A CV is seductive.
A CV is an important document.
A CV answers the question "Why?"
A CV is interesting and easy to read.
A CV is a list of benefits for the employer.
A CV is as much about the employer as about you.
Your covering letter must sell your CV.
When you send your CV to apply for a position, you should also include a short letter. This letter is called a covering letter or cover letter. A covering letter sent with a CV/resume is known as a letter of application.
Before looking at your CV, an employer usually reads your covering letter. If it is badly-written, or untidy, or difficult to read, your CV will probably go into the nearest bin. If it is well-written, attractive, easy to read and persuasive, the employer will turn to your CV.
The reader of your letter does not want to waste time on unnecessary details. You should therefore design your letter to be easy to read. It should be short, concise and relevant. It should not be too formal or complicated. Your letter should:
confirm that you are applying for the job
say where you learned about the job
say why you want the job
say why you would be a benefit to the company
request an interview
FORMAT
Put your address and telephone number, fax and/or email address at the top in the centre OR on the right. | |
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Do not write the date as numbers only, for two reasons:
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This is the name of the person to whom you are writing, his/her job title, the company name and address. This should be the same as on the envelope. |
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This is the reference number or code given by the employer in their advertisement or previous letter. You write the employer's reference in the form: 'Your ref: 01234'. If you wish to include your own reference, you write: 'My ref: 56789'. |
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A letter in English always begins with 'Dea...', even if you do not know the person. There are several possibilities:
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The subject of your letter, which for a job application is normally the Job Title (for example "Sales Manager"). |
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The letter itself, in 3 to 6 paragraphs |
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Sign in black or blue ink with a fountain pen. |
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Your first name and surname, for example:
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If you are using company headed paper, write your Job Title here. If you are using personal paper, write nothing here. |
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Indicate that one or more documents are enclosed by writing "Enc: 2" for two documents, for example. |
In the English-speaking world, an employer would usually prefer to receive a letter of application that is word-processed (that is, produced on a computer and printed). A hand-written letter could be considered unprofessional.
Covering Letter Sample 1
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Apartment 17, 5678 City Road, New York, N.Y. |
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914 925 260 ap@palace.net |
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Mr Richard Barron |
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Director of Human Resources |
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Orient Media, Inc. |
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777 Long Street |
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NEW YORK |
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28 April 2006 |
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Dear Mr Barron |
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Bilingual Personal Assistant |
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I wish to apply for the post of Bilingual Personal Assistant advertised in today's issue of the New York Times. |
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You will see from the enclosed resume that I have ten years' experience in the publishing field, the last seven as a bilingual secretary. I have also traveled widely, accompanying the vice president on trips to Asia. |
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I am fluent in French, which I studied while at university, and in Japanese, having spent two years working in a publishing company in Tokyo. |
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If you feel that my qualifications and experience are suitable, I can be available for interview at short notice. Thank you for your consideration. |
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Sincerely |
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[signature goes here] |
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Amanda Prince |
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Enc: |
Covering Letter Sample 2
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17 King's Terrace • Richmond • Surrey • UK |
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Tel: +44 208 123 456 • Email: tc@repu.com |
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Ms Jennifer Andrews |
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Managing Director |
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Micronet Technologies |
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Westminster Tower |
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LONDON EC7 7IT |
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17 August 2002 |
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Confidential |
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Dear Ms Andrews |
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European Sales Manager |
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I should like to propose my candidature for the position of European Sales Manager with Micronet Technologies as advertised in the latest issue of the Financial Times. As you know, I am currently National Sales Manager with Intelel where I have expanded sales by more than 50% annually. In total, I have twelve years' experience in information technology and sales to offer you. |
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As you can judge from my enclosed CV, I have consistently increased sales and profitability in each of the companies I have worked with. I have also become highly involved in Internet sales, which is one of the reasons for my particular interest in a forward-looking, network-based group like Micronet Technologies. |
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As European Sales Manager within your group, I would aim to strengthen your existing partnerships and oversee an aggressive policy of revenue growth, building on my extensive experience and contacts. |
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I know that you will understand the need for confidentiality and discretion. I look forward to calling you in a few days to arrange an interview at a mutually convenient time. |
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Yours sincerely |
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[signature goes here] |
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Thomas Crown |
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Your CV must get you an interview
CV stands for the Latin words Curriculum Vitae, which mean: the course of one's life. A CV is also called a résumé, resumé or resume (especially in American English). Your CV is a summary of your professional/academic life until now, and it usually concentrates on your personal details, education and work experience.
Your CV's job is very simple: to get you a job interview. To do this, your CV must be:
clear
well-organised
easy to read
concise
relevant to the job offered
You should include everything that is relevant to your employment or career and nothing that is irrelevant. There are usually 5 general headings of information to include:
Personal details: name, address, email and telephone number (and sometimes nationality, age/date of birth and marital status)
Objective: a headline that summarizes the job opportunity you are seeking
Work experience: your previous employment in reverse chronological order - with most detail for your present or most recent job
Education: details of secondary and university education - including the establishments and qualifications
Personal interests: demonstrating that you are a balanced, responsible member of society with an interesting life outside work
Sometimes, you may need to give additional information for a particular job or because you have special qualifications.
In general, 5 or 6 headings will be enough for most resumes or CVs. However, sometimes you will want to use more headings - when applying for a particular job for which additional information is appropriate. Here is a CV layout with most of the possible headings that you can choose from.
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Your name First name Surname (for example, John Brown) |
Include a good photo if you want or if requested
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Address
Telephone Fax |
17 Any Road, ANYTOWN, Anycountry
+44 171 123 4567 +44 171 123 4567 myname@anydomain.net |
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Personal Information Marital status:
Nationality:
Date of birth:
Age: Place of birth: |
French
State your date of birth in the form 1 January 1975 or January 1st, 1975
28 Town, Country |
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Objective: |
State the position or opportunity that you are looking for. (This must be short. One or two lines only.) |
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Summary of qualifications: |
Make a short list of the qualifications you have for this job. (This should be short. Your full qualifications will appear later under 'Education'). |
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Professional experience: |
List your jobs in reverse chronological order (last is first). |
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Education: |
List your university/school in reverse chronological order (last is first). |
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Specialized skills: |
Any additional special abilities you have (for example, computer programming) that may be of interest to the employer. |
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Patents and publications: |
List any relevant inventions you have made or books, articles and papers you have published. |
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Additional professional activities: |
List any relevant work activities not listed elsewhere. |
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Professional memberships: |
List any relevant professional associations or clubs of which you are a member. |
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Extracurricular activities: |
List any relevant activities that you have outside work. |
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Volunteer experience: |
List any relevant activities (present or past) that you have done unpaid. |
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Awards received: |
List any relevant awards or prizes. |
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Accreditations: |
List any official recognition of you by a relevant organization. |
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Security clearance: |
For certain jobs with government or companies contracted by government, it may be necessary to state your level of authorization to work on classified or confidential projects. |
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Civil service grades: |
If relevant, list your grades or levels as a civil servant (that is, state employee). |
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Community activities: |
List anything you do for your local community (for example church or school) if it is important or relevant for this job. |
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Languages: |
If necessary, list the languages you can speak. You can use the following descriptions:
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Travel: |
Details of travel and exposure to cultural experiences that may support your application. |
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Interests and activities: |
List things that you like or like doing (for example governor of local school, going to opera, drama or tennis). |
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Hobbies: |
List your favourite leisure-time activities (for example, stamp-collecting). You should include this only if you think it will be interesting for the employer. You may prefer to include this under 'Interests and activities'. |
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Additional information: |
Add any additional information that is necessary and relevant for a particular job. |
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References: |
If required, give the names and addresses of (two) people who can give you a reference. Alternatively, you can state 'Available on request.' |
FORMAT
Word-processed or hand-written?
Your CV should be word-processed, for several reasons. Firstly, in the English-speaking world a hand-written CV would be considered unprofessional. Secondly, many recruitment agencies and some employers like to electronically scan CVs. Thirdly, it will be much easier for you to update and modify your CV to target it to a specific employer.
How many pages?
It is usually best to limit your CV to a maximum of 2 pages. You can usually put everything you need to get an interview on 1 or 2 pages. If you put more than this, the employer has too much to read. In addition, if you put everything in the CV, you will have nothing new to say at the interview.
What size paper?
There are basically 2 standard paper sizes, depending on the part of the world:
A4 (297 x 210 millimetres) - used largely in Europe, including the United Kingdom
US Letter Size (8 1/2 x 11 inches) - used largely in the United States
What quality paper?
Remember that several people may read and handle your CV. It will also be an important document during your interview. Choose a good quality, fairly heavy paper so that it will remain in good condition at all times.
What sort of typeface?
Choose an easy-to-read typeface. Typefaces are designed for specific purposes. The standard typefaces Times New Roman or Arial are perfect for your CV. Not too small, not too large! A size of 10 or 12 point would be appropriate.
DO NOT USE ALL CAPITALS LIKE THIS! CAPITALS ARE VERY DIFFICULT TO READ AND MAY BE CONSIDERED IMPOLITE IN THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING WORLD. Do not use a lot of italic like this. Italic can also be difficult and irritating to read. Do not use a fancy typeface. It is not appropriate for a professional document.
CV Sample 1
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Name |
Amanda Prince | ||||||
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Address |
Apartment 17, 5678 City Road, New York, N.Y. | ||||||
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Telephone |
914 925 260 | ||||||
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ap@palace.net | ||||||
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Professional Experience | |||||||
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1995-present |
PanTransCo. Inc, New York, N.Y. | ||||||
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Bilingual Corporate Secretary | ||||||
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1992-95 |
ExpoSymbol, Washington, D.C. | ||||||
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Bilingual Secretary to Export Sales Manager | ||||||
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1990-92 |
Symnet, Tokyo, Japan | ||||||
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Office Assistant | ||||||
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Education & Qualifications | |||||||
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1989-92 |
State University of New York, New Paltz, N.Y.
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Professional Skills | |||||||
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Languages |
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Interests | |||||||
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Oriental culture, Internet, tennis | ||||||
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Referees | |||||||
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C.E.O., ExpoSymbol, PO Box 234, Washington, D.C. | ||||||
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Vice President, Interplat, 27 Patton Place, Atlantic City | ||||||
CV Sample 2
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Thomas Crown | ||
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Objective |
Seeking an International Sales Management position in Information Technology where my extensive sales experience will be used to the full | ||
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Experience |
1996- |
Intelel |
London, UK |
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National Sales Manager
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1991-95 |
Teletrona Systems |
Edinburgh, UK |
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Northern Sales Manager
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1989-90 |
ESS Holdings |
Cambridge, UK |
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Senior Sales Representative
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1986-89 |
ESS Holdings |
Cambridge, UK |
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Sales Representative
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Education |
1982-86 |
London University |
London, UK |
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1978-82 |
St Andrew's School |
Plymouth, UK |
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Interests |
St Andrew's Board of Governors, rugby, drama, chess | ||
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17 King's Terrace, Richmond, Surrey, UK Tel: +44 181 123 456 Email: tc@repu.com | |||
POWER WORDS
Certain words are used frequently by recruiters in their job descriptions. You can study recruiters' advertisements and job descriptions and try to use these words in your CV and covering letter. The most powerful words are verbs. And the most powerful verbs are action verbs. (Action verbs describe dynamic activity, not state).
So you should use plenty of action verbs matched to your skills, and use them in the active form, not the passive form. Which of these two sentences do you think is the more powerful?
Active form: I increased sales by 100%.
Passive form: Sales were increased by 100%.
Here is a list of typical action verbs categorized by skills:
Communication skills: address, arbitrate, correspond, draft, edit, lecture, mediate, motivate, negotiate, persuade, present, publicize, reconcile, speak, write
Management skills: assign, attain, chair, co- ordinate, delegate, direct, execute, organize, oversee, plan, recommend, review, strengthen, supervise, train
Research skills: collect, critique, define, detect, diagnose, evaluate, examine, explore, extract, identify, inspect, interpret, investigate, summarize, survey
Technical skills: assemble, build, calculate, devise, engineer, fabricate, maintain, operate, overhaul, program, remodel, repair, solve, upgrade
Creative skills: conceptualize, create, design, fashion, form, illustrate, institute, integrate, invent, originate, perform, revitalize, shape
Financial skills: administer, allocate, analyse, appraise, audit, balance, budget, calculate, control, compute, develop, forecast, project
Sales skills: sell, convert, close, deal, persuade, highlight, satisfy, win over, sign
Teaching skills: advise, clarify, coach, elicit, enable, encourage, explain, facilitate, guide, inform, instruct, persuade, stimulate, train.
BRITISH AND AMERICAN ENGLISH
There are sometimes differences between British and American English and conventions. Here are some of the most important differences for your CV/resume and covering letter.
UK: CV/curriculum vitae
US: resumé, resume
UK: covering letter
US: cover letter, covering letter
UK: A4 (210 x 297 millimetres)
US: Letter (8 1/2 x 11 inches)
UK: Mrs, Miss
US: Ms
UK: Dear Sirs
US: Gentlemen
UK: Yours faithfully
US: Yours truly
UK: Yours sincerely
US: Sincerely, Sincerely yours, Yours truly
UK: Managing Director (MD)
US: Chief Executive Officer (CEO), General Manager
UK: DD/MM/YY example: 30/12/99 30 December 1999
US: MM/DD/YY example: 12/30/99 December 31st 1999