Do You Know How to Get Experience?

1. I won’t be able to get a job because I don’t have any job experience.

False. You don’t need job experience to get a job. You may not have a lot of job experience, but you have participated in all types of activities such as internships, work study, service learning, student government, and the student newspaper or radio station. While most of these activities (except for internships) do not offer pay, they do demonstrate your skills and abilities and should be placed on your resume.

2. It’s important to have a good attitude during an internship.

True. An internship is a privilege, and you need to show your company that it made a good decision when it picked you. You should be enthusiastic and friendly at all times, and always be willing to take on extra tasks or stay late to help with a project that is on deadline. Interns that demonstrate these traits are often the ones who get hired for full-time positions.

3. Volunteer positions usually pay a salary.

False. Volunteer opportunities do not pay a salary, but they provide excellent experience that you can list on your resume. And if you can’t get an internship, volunteering is one of the next best options to help you gain experience.

In summary

• Internships provide practical experience to people who are seeking to enter a career. They are an excellent way to get your foot in the door at a company, gain experience, and build your network of contacts. Internships typically last from 10 weeks to 12 months and are designed primarily for college students. Some internships offer a salary and/or academic credit, others are unpaid.

• A quality internship provides you with the opportunity to receive hands-on experience at a company in a variety of departments rather than simply doing monotonous clerical tasks or getting coffee for staff members.

• You can find internships through programs at your college or by cold-contacting companies, conducting research at libraries and on the Internet, making contacts at job fairs or other networking settings, or by contacting professional associations.

• To apply for an internship, you typically have to submit a cover letter, resume, application, and personal references, and then participate in an interview.

• It is wise to apply for internships as early as possible, since competition is strong for the best internships.

• Successful interns realize that an internship is a privilege and opportunity, not a right. They are punctual, have a good attitude, are good listeners, are enthusiastic, and are willing to make the extra effort on the job.

• The main types of internship programs include cooperative education, externships, practicums, service learning, field experience, and apprenticeships.

• Volunteering is another way to gain job experience. Most volunteer opportunities do not offer academic credit or pay.

Exercise

Ask your friends or family if they have ever participated in a cooperative education opportunity, externship, practicum, service learning experience, field experience, or apprenticeship to help you understand which internship learning experience might be the best fit for you.

Match

1) Skilled a) contract

2) Hire b) strong

3) Robust c) prepared

4) Unemployed d) applicant

5) Labour e) jobless

6) Candidate f) work

7) Search g) a small number

8) Few h) look for

9) Lose momentum i) organize something that is mixed up

10) Sort out j) stop developing

11) Expansion k) growth

19. Translate from English into Russian:

1) A secretary actually has to compose letters rather than type out letters dictated by her boss.

2) Work helps us develop a sense of responsibility and self-esteem. It also provides us with our own money.

3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family adequate social protection.

4) In case of job hunting, it is convenient to read the classified ads in newspapers consult the job pages on the Internet and send CVs to prospective employers.

5) Cold calling means phoning a company to enquire about job opportunities which have not been advertised.

6) Social networking sites such as Facebook are increasingly being used by people in the nursing field to search for job openings.

7) Mailing lists have been around since the early days of the Internet and are most popular in research- and academic-oriented professions.

8) Networking (career fairs, social networking sites, trade and professional association meetings, friends, etc.) is, of course, one of the best ways to learn about “hidden” jobs, but there are several other approaches you should use to learn about unadvertised positions.

20. Fill in the gaps with the proper words and phrases:

Agency annum clean current curriculum driving earnings experience licence of on per per point sale target vitae week

Employers usually try to squeeze as much information into their job advertisements as possible. However, because advertising is expensive and space limited, they tend to use abbreviations to describe roles in as few words as possible. Write the full meanings of the following abbreviations using the word in the box.

1. CCDL current clean driving licence

2. CV __________________________

3. EXP _________________________

4. AGY _________________________

5. OTE _________________________

6. PA __________________________

7. PW __________________________

8. POS _________________________

21. Fill in the right word from the table:

I assisted in organizing and managing 12 ___ events…

In September 2012 I ___ completed an eight-person expedition to Austral Andes in Argentina…

Three month of training and fundraising preparation resulted in the ___ crossing of the remote central part of the Southern Patagonian ice cap…

I devised a number of sporting tournaments for the summer school students and motivated the children and staff to get ___ involved, culminating in an ___ volleyball competition.

I handled a ___ variety of tasks and projects throughout the six-month project…

The ___ approach was adopted by the ___ team across the country.

I researched ___ international universities for my degree courses.

I am currently completing ___ research on reforestation techniques…

Research for my dissertation includes ___ use of the Internet…

I have an ___ command of Microsoft Office Suite.

Complete the phrases for demonstrating transferable skills using the correct verbs in brackets.

1. Analytical skills (analyse / conduct / identify)

a identify a mistake

b ____ data

c ____ a survey

2. Creativity (invent / solve / suggest)

a a machine

b ____ an alternative

c ____ a problem

3. Communication skills (explain / give / write)

a a report

b ____ an idea

c ____ a presentation

4. Interpersonal skills (listen / resolve / work)

a a dispute

b ____to a point of view

c ____ with difficult people

5. Leadership skills (chair / delegate / motivate)

a a meeting

b ____ a team

c ____ tasks

6. Organisational skills (decide / implement / meet)

a deadlines

b ____ on priorities

c ____ a plan

7. Teamworking skills (contribute / discuss / support)

a an issue

b ____ to a meeting

c ____ a colleague

8. Negotiation skills (change / convince / negotiate)

a someone’s mind

b ____ with someone

c ____ someone to do something

The perfect interview

1. Some pieces of advice will help you to bear your job interview successfully

Investigate: what company is like before you apply for the job. Are they really the kind of organization you want to work for?

Write an effective CV. Keep it brief arid simple - a badly written one will lose you the job before you get to the interview stage.

Discover as much as you can about the interview. This means finding out exactly who will be conducting the interview, what position they hold, and whether it's an informal chat or a formal interview, possibly in front of a whole panel of interviewers.

Dress the part. Even if the job is in a modern company where the code is casual, you should dress formally for the interview - a suit is always safe. Never keep your overcoat or mac on during the interview - this will make you an outsider from the start. If possible take it off outside the interview room.

Think positively and confidently about yourself. From the moment you decide to apply for the job think about (and write down) all qualities you have to offer the company as well as the reasons you would suit the job. Use the interview to discover as much about the job as possible. Even if they offer it to you on the spot ask for some time to consider their offer. Is it right for you and them?

Be aware of your body language. Most interviewers don't realize it but they are influenced by your body language the moment you walk into the room. Be assertive, smile, look the interviewer in the eye, and give a firm handshake. Don't lean too far over the desk or slump in the chair with your arms crossed. Practice your «entrance» at home with a friend so you feel comfortable.

Keep a balance of power throughout the interview. From a psychologist's point of view this is what interviews are all about! Don't be too timid or allow the interviewer to dominate you because an interview is a two-way process, and you are to decide whether you want the job. It's as important for you to ask questions about your potential job as it is for the interviewer to question you. But don't be over-confident and cheeky. No one likes a «difficult» candidate however good your qualifications are.

Keep calm before and during the interview. Three-quarters of people feel anxious about job interviewers and their nervousness often lets them down. The key is to learn interview skills which are important as job skills, and control your nerves. Remember the interviewer may be nervous as well.

Find out in the job interview. The exact title that you are applying for; the responsibilities you would have in the new job; the reporting structure - one boss or two; the salary for this position.

Vocabulary

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