2015-07-03
821
1. Match the words in Column A with their definitions in Column B.
| A | B | |
| A | An applicant | 1. a person or company that other people work for |
| B | Versatile | 2. a person who is paid to work for a company or for another person |
| C | An employer | 3. a strong feeling that you are especially suitable to do a particular job, any trade, profession or occupation |
| D | An employee | 4. summary of training and experience |
| E | Vocation | 5. a person who applies for a job |
| F | Resume | 6. to be able to do various things equally well |
| G | To pad one’s resume | 7. something that has come with no effort |
| H | Silver platter | 8. to exaggerate one's accomplishments in a resume |
| I | Sideline | 9. a job that you do in addition to your main job |
2. Fill in the gaps with the words given in the brackets below:
1) Coming across an advertisement for a job you may like, you should write a....
2) If you are a..., you first make an appointment with personnel manager of the company that interests you.
3)... or candidates are usually nervous when they arrive for the....
4) The interviewer wants to find the weaknesses and the... of the aspiring....
5) The job-seeker is recommended to ask some serious questions about the job at the company; if the questions are intelligent, they will... the interviewer....
(interview, letter of application, job-seeker, impress, employee, favorably, assets, applicants)
3. Here is the list of words which you may need while evaluating a job or part-time work.
Which words evaluate positively and which ones evaluate negatively?
boring creative dead-end
frustrating nerve-racking overpaid
stimulating stressful taxing
demanding exhausting underpaid
(un)rewarding soul-destroying
tedious useful
4. Find the explanation for the words in the box in an English-English dictionary. Find their Russian equivalents.
| to drive oneself too hard to be overworked to kill oneself not to pull one’s weight not to do a stroke of work to goof off to slack to malinger |
5. Below there are the descriptions of some professions. Guess what they are!
1) Being a... is a "thankless" position and therefore frequently underpaid. The workload is often much more extensive than anticipated and can be frustrating if the boss is not understanding. Full-time clerical work can become very mindless and mechanical especially for people who need variety in their lives. Project deadlines for the writing of letters, proposals and other papers can also make this position somewhat nerve-racking.
2) The exploration of various world destinations by way of a computer make up the profession of a... Since customers are eager to be understood and to get the most inexpensive price for their trip, the... might have to deal with some impatience and irrationality. One major bonus of this type of work is the extensive discounts and fare reductions typically available for employees.
3) The job of a... is to install or maintain the water pipe system of a structure. He usually works for a company or has a small business of his own. The days are long and may seem unrewarding, but many... enjoy the contact time with people.
Now describe a job without naming it and let your fellow students guess what it is.
6. Study the list of occupations bellow. Do you picture a man or a woman when you think of these occupations? Explain why.
Interior designer, chemist, dress-maker, guide, corporate executive, lawyer, flight attendant, secretary, supermarket cashier, plumber, day care worker, hair stylist, fashion model, reporter, bricklayer, pilot, bank teller, barber, truck driver, judge, florist, police officer, teacher, doctor, engineer, shop assistant.
7. There is a "catch" phrase almost in every profession. Read the following questions and statements and tell which occupation and situation you associate with each phrase.
1. Please, stay with us. We'll be back after back in a minute.
2. Tax and gratuity not included.
3. Fasten your seat belts.
4. Priority, first class or Federal Express?
5. Would you like the receipt in your bag or with you?
6. Paper or plastic?
7. What is the aim of your visit to …?
8. Hold on, please, I'll be the commercial break.
9. The check-out hour is 12 o'clock.
10. Take twice daily with lots of water.
11. Good evening, how may I direct your call?
12. Would you like a refill on that beverage?
13. And now for our weekend forecast.
8. Cultural focus. Study the list of phrases embedded in American culture. Look up their explanations in the Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture and be ready to discuss them in class. Are there any similar notions in Russian culture?
White collar; glass ceiling; social security; workmen's comp; blue-collar; welfare; work-study program; pink-collar; food stamp; work ethic.
9. Have you ever met a person who has two left feet? Add occupations to the list of jobs below for which such a person should not apply: salesperson in an antique shop; tight-rope artist; dance teacher; ski instructor.
10. Write down a list of jobs for which a person who is all thumbs would not be recommended.
11. Read and paraphrase the following as much as possible. See the useful vocabulary in the brackets.
1) Mike Greenberg and Jill Smith struck it rich in the plant business. Their nursery of exotic plants is just huge. Jill has a very outgoing, assertive and analytical personality style, so she deals with the finances and the people outside the business. She is a fast-talker and convinces customers to purchase unnecessary things. Mike takes care of all the plants and spends hours in the greenhouse and in his shop arranging flowers. (to become successful, to have a golden touch, to deal with customers, to have a knack for doing something)
2) Nick is a real slacker at work which really angers his boss. He is forever making mistakes and fooling around. (to waste time at work, to goof off)
3) Jack starts work at 7 am on the dot and leaves at 8 pm. He is such a workaholic and some days skips his breaks and lunch even to keep working. (to be busy all day, not to take a break, to work like a dog)
4) During a job interview, Jane made it clear that although she was interested in working for the company, she would have to resign after a year because she would be moving across the country. She thought it was important to lay her cards on the table. (to be sincere, to be upfront about something, to quit a job)
5) With all of her experience, Deborah is the jack-of-all-trades in her company and keeps tabs on everything that is going on with her responsibilities. If she ever leaves, her boss will be up a creek. (to know the ropes, to be hard to replace)
6) Mark wants to get a promotion, but he's frustrated because he suspects that he won't even be looked at. (to get a raise, not even be looked at, has a feeling that)
7) Lucy would like to ask her boss for a raise even though she knows that business hasn't been good lately. In other words, she knows her request is a long shot. (to risk asking for something, to figure out the answer)
12. Have you ever met a workaholic? The text below is about one of them. Read it and think up its ending.
It seems that Maria Lucia is always studying. She works as a Portuguese tutor in addition to her responsibilities as a graduate student in business. She often appears ready to pull hair out at the end of the day since her time is so busy and she has few opportunities to unwind and just let her hair down. Everyone is worried that Maria might completely burn out if she doesn't stop running for a while.
Her stress-level really came to a head when her computer crashed on the day before a 20 page paper was due. The computer manual was much too confusing to absorb when she was already freaked out, so she called her neighbourhood computer repair centre for help. Unfortunately, the work load at the computer centre was already too high. Mike, the staff person, said that even though he knew what the problem was, he had no way of fixing it in a flash like Maria wanted. This complicated matters pushed Maria over the edge physically and emotionally, to the point where she burst into angry tears on the phone and begged the repairman to come over as soon as he could!...
