Ex.1 Read the text.Translate it into Ukrainian.
Applying for a Job
Tomorrow's the interview. And since you're a job-search veteran, you've already got your well-pressed suit, spare pair of panty hose, extra resume, reliable alarm clock. You've also got a ton of nervous energy. Call it performance anxiety, and put it to good use by doing what actual actors do: rehearse.
Get a friend to take.you through a mock • interview, suggests Julie Adair King, author of The Smart Woman's Guide to Interviewing and Salary Negotiations (Career Press, 1995).
If your pals say, "It's midnight! You're out of your mind!" make do with an electronic stand-in:
Record a few select phrases, then rewind, play back and assess: Do you speak clearly? Loudly? And with enough - but not too much - enthusiasm? (If you don't have a tape recorder, practice in front of a mirror so that you can check out your gestures and body language.) (see Interview Winners and Killers, below). And if, despite the careful prep, you still experience mental meltdown, we've devised a few on-the-spot rescues to bail you out.
Interview
- Sit down, please, Mr. Sloan. We have your letter in answer to our advertisement. I'd
like to talk with you about your qualifications for the position.
- (Mr. Sloan, taking a seat) I suppose you have received a great many replies to your
advertisement.
- I haven't counted the exact number of replies, but I would say that at least fifty persons
answered. Naturally, many who wrote don't have the qualifications we require -- but we have
picked out the ten or twelve best replies and plan to interview these applicants. Your letter was
among the ten or twelve we picked out.
- I am very glad to know that my letter was acceptable. It is sometimes very difficult to
answer a newspaper advertisement well.
—As to your letter, Mr. Sloan, I would say that it was one of the best we received. I am always amazed at the poor letters most people write when applying for a position. They use any old kind of writing paper that seems to be handy. They write illegibly and include many personal factor's which are not important. At the same time they fail to state simply and clearly their qualifications for a job. Incidentally, you mentioned in your letter that you had already done considerable work in selling.
- I was Field Representative for five years of one of the large commercial schools. I
enrolled new students for the school.
- What did your work consist of exactly?
The school supplied me with leads, which were generally simply the names of prospective students who had telephoned or written to the school requesting information. I had to visit such students in their homes, talk with their parents, etc. The job also involved some public relations work, since I had to visit high schools and talk with student groups about the advantages of commercial training.
- This job for which we are interviewing applicants is somewhat similar -- except, of
course, you would be selling typewriters rather than commercial courses. We pay a straight
commission often per cent on all sales, with a drawing account of fifty dollars a week to start.
Your school experience would be very useful, since in this job you would also call upon
schools and colleges. You would visit typewriting classes, demonstrate new machines, and talk
with school officials and commercial teaches in an effort to interest them in buying our
typewriters. The job occasionally involves some travelling.
- I'm prepared to travel if necessary. As I started in my letter, I have my own car.
- That is essential. We give you an allowance for all automobile and travelling expenses.
I am sure that I could do the work well. I also feel that I have the necessary qualifications.
- Frankly, Mr. Sloan, I was very favourably impressed by your letter. Since talking with
you I feel even more strongly that you are perhaps the right man for the job. However, we
naturally want to interview the remainder of the applicants before we make any final decision.
- I included the names of several references in my letter. I can also send you copies of
personal recommendations from my last two employers.
- Incidentally, in that connection, the young man whom I interviewed just before you sent
along two letters of reference with his application. One was from the minister of his church and
the other, from his Sunday School teacher. I told him that the two references proved that he was
a good person on Sundays but I was more interested in his conduct on weekdays. He laughed
and thought it was a good joke. If we decided to hire you, Mr. Sloan, when could you start
working?
- I could start almost immediately. I would like to give my present employer a week or ten
days' notice, but otherwise I would be free to begin my time.
-That's fine. (Rising to indicate end of interview). You'll no doubt hear from us, Mr. Sloan, within the next five days. As soon as we have interviewed the remainder of the applicants we will make our final decision. We can telephone you or send you a telegram. Thank you very much for coming to see us. It has been a real pleasure to talk with you.
-Thank you, Sir! Then I'll wait to hear from you. (from magazine "Lifelines ")
See Interview Winners and Killers, below and find in the text the sentences referring to them.
Interview Winners:
a) Do speak with confidence
b) Do be specific
c) Do talk positively
d) Do research the company/industry
e) Do sound ambitious
Interview Killers:
f) Don't be cocky
g) Don't offer irrelevant information
h) Don't sound negative
i) Don't show up unprepared
j) Don't be vague
2.Comprehension check:
1. What are your actions in the morning just before you go to the interview?
2. About what does the interviewer want to talk with Mr. Sloan?
3. What was the reason for choosing Mr. Sloan as a candidate?
4. What’s wrong with the remainder letters?
5. What did Mr. Sloan for living?
6. Are the working conditions favorable?
3.Read out the following facts from the text:
-the beginning of the conversation
-reasons for picking out the right man for the job
-working conditions
-benefits
