BUSINESS COMMUNICATION / UNIT 4

UNIT 4 Career building skills MODULE A:

A1: Background information and class activities (SPEAKING) A2: Testing material

MODULE B:
B1: Language skills B2: Written test question format and testing material

Essential resources (dictionaries)

Longman: http://www.ldoceonline.com/ Oxford: http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/ Macmillan: http://www.macmillandictionary.com/ Cambridge: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/ Cobuild: http://www.mycobuild.com/free-search.aspx Merriam-Websters (American English): http://www.learnersdictionary.com/

Extra resources
British English / grammar (BBC ENGLISH): http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/askaboutenglish/ British English / reading, listening and vocabulary (BBC ENGLISH): http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/ British English (news, BBC): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/ American English (news, VOA): http://www.voanews.com/ American English (learning English, VOA): http://learningenglish.voanews.com/

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION / UNIT 4

MODULE A1 Background info and class activities (SPEAKING)

#1 GOAL PLANNING As with all aspects of communication, from personal or professional relationships, all the way up to speech making or conducting negotiations, the first and foremost step in career planning is to set workable goals. Goal planning gives people a sense of self-responsibility. We can plan our strategies and envisage our communication behaviour as logical sequences that are in a process of constant improvement. Goals also provide a benchmark that enables us to measure personal achievements and open doors to fresh opportunities. Incidentally, benchmarking, according to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, amounts to using a companys good performance as a standard by which to judge the performance of other companies of the same type. More generally speaking, benchmarking may refer to establishing your objectives based on a high quality standard you look up to and want to emulate. In order to set realistic and viable goals, youd have to first know yourself. Understanding the position where you are now can provide a benchmark against which you can plan your own future career a handy guide would be starting with a few simple questions: What are my skills? What are my strengths and weaknesses? What would I enjoy doing the most? What extra preparation would I need? What part of my work would I like best? What kind of work would I hate?

Your sincere answers to questions like these could help you decide what to focus on. In other words, benchmarking where you are now is crucial, because if youre unaware of your current accomplishments, theres no way to know whether youve actually made any improvement as regards your professional aptitudes, hard and soft skills. Next, try to visualise your future. Where do you want to be? Use all your senses to picture your ideal workplace. Is it inside or outside? What would you like your office to look or feel like? Quiet or noisy? Then, just go on and research jobs that meet your personal criteria. An essential step in planning personal goals is networking. A basic definition of networking would be meeting the right people who could help, somehow, in furthering your career. For example, at a conference or presentation, ask questions to be remembered; during coffee breaks, try a bit of socialising and exchange views on similar business interests and dont hesitate to give your business card to the people you talk with! Dont overdo it by too much shop talk, but try to use your charisma both personally and professionally whenever you have a chance to meet more or less influential people who could serve your interests of course, ethically! By attending meetings of professional associations relevant to your area, you can meet people who have similar jobs to the ones youve already identified as interesting for you! Talk to these people and try to get something useful from their own experience! You could ask them questions like the following: What do you do in your job? What do you have to do? How did you get there? Do you like it? Whats your work-life balance? What kinds of skills does this sort of job require? 2

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION / UNIT 4 Your interlocutors answers could help you chart a career path that encompasses the skills you already have and also the ones you may need to acquire. Dont forget that surfing the Internet is another good way to discover career opportunities! But take those with a pinch of salt!

1. In your own words, define SELF-RESPONSIBILITY. 2. If you were to do some BENCHMARKING now, what companies would you see as having a high quality standard based on which you would start looking for a job? Explain. 3. If you were to start looking for a job right now, what specific strengths and weaknesses would you think you have? 4. What kinds of jobs would you avoid at all costs? Why? 5. Do you think you are a charismatic person? How do you think ones charisma can help one to find a good job? #2 YOUR CAREER PLAN In planning a possible career, its important for you to first identify the critical success factors. These are the things you must do or have such as technical skills in order to be successful. Dont forget that they should be viewed as baseline requirements and not as an end in themselves! People landing good jobs are the ones with the technical skills, plus the interpersonal communication and management skills! Second, determine your current performance levels. Try to figure out which of the critical success factors you master and which you need to polish or further acquire. Where are you now, in comparison with where you were? Third, try to set personal goals that are humanly possible and for which youd be willing to make the necessary sacrifices; make sure youre passionate about these goals but also that they are realistic ones, leading to a desired result in a predictable way. To put it differently, make sure your objectives are practical, viable and achievable. Dont forget about setting targets and deadlines for travelling your career path, as well! And last but not least, keep track of where you are now and what youve accomplished along the way! Measuring your progress can give you closure regarding past achievements and also lots of encouragement in terms of future endeavours!

6. In your own view, what is a successful career? Explain and exemplify. 7. Do you think there is a good balance between your technical / hard skills and your communication / soft skills? Why (not)? 8. How can you make sure that the career goals you set yourself are realistic enough to be achieved?

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION / UNIT 4 #3 GETTING THE JOB YOU WANT Mapping your career plan is only the first step. Further on, youll have to search for the right job. Landing a good job is both a science and an art and there are countless ways to do it. Classified ads are a complicated and difficult route for any job seeker, as when jobs are advertised in newspapers, they get thousands and thousands of CVs. An alternative would be to go to executive job placement firms, which can help you match your talents to an available vacancy. However, the best way to find a position that suits you is by networking. Call everyone you know. Get everybody else out there to look for a job for you as well!

9. Which of the 3 ways of looking for a job (mentioned above) would you prefer and why? [i.e. classified ads; job placement firms; networking]

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION / UNIT 4 #4 WRITING EMPLOYMENT DOCUMENTS Employment documents include CVs or resumes, application letters and any other business message concerning employment. In any piece of writing it is important to keep your audience in mind. Ask yourself, who will read my documents? When you tailor a document to a specific audience, you are basically adapting your writing in relation to your targeted readers. Its quite important to consider what you want your message to convey to that particular audience. If you write without a specific audience in mind, your document might be too general and vague, or it may include too much irrelevant information, so, it could end up as being rather redundant or verbose. According to some researchers, there are two kinds of readers that an employment document should be customised for: the skimmers and the skeptics. Skimmers are readers that are typically very busy. Generally pressed for time, they often skim employment documents in a rather short period of time. Should you tailor your documents to a skimmers style, you should state the main point clearly and up front and place the most important information at the beginning or ending of paragraphs. You must also make sure that you properly highlight key facts and figures. The second type of reader is the skeptic. These are readers that are cautious and doubtful. In order to meet a skeptics needs, its necessary for you to support your statements with adequate details and evidence. Make sure you provide specific examples, numbers, dates, names and percentages to meet the needs of the skeptical reader poring over your application file! Next, determine your specific audience. Ask yourself, who am I writing to and what is their position in the organisation? Believe it or not, you can gain a surprising amount of information about your reader simply from reading job ads! Also, try to recognise and use key words. Whenever youre going through job ads, the key words are those which signal what an employer considers important or essential in hiring someone. Not least, evaluate your own writing and consider whether or not youve effectively addressed your reader. This is part of the proofreading process. Ask yourself questions like the following: Is my main point stated clearly in the first paragraph? Have I included enough details and examples to support my main point? Have I used language that the reader will understand? Is my language correct in terms of spelling, grammar and usage? Does my message have a sincere and appropriate tone?

10. Have you ever had to write any kind of employment document mentioned above? If so, explain. Were you successful in finding a job? 11. How important do you think it is to write the employment documents you need to assist you in finding a good job? Would you think you need special writing skills? If so, how could you acquire such skills?

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION / UNIT 4 #5 YOUR CV / RESUME In order to prepare your CV, you could use the following guidelines: Keep your CV current. It should be updated every year, whether or not youve changed jobs. This ensures that youre ready for openings and opportunities at short notice. Omit the section on unrelated skills. Anything relevant to your ability to perform a job, such as computer skills or languages spoken, should be included. Always tell the truth and dont exaggerate! Try to account for all your time. If you have gaps in your employment record, build in an explanation. The first thing a legitimate employer looks for is the sequence of your life and work. Make sure its perfect. Spelling and punctuation should be flawless!

When writing your CV, you will have to take into account your current position: are you a recent graduate or an experienced professional? If youre an experienced professional changing jobs, you will have to write a functional resume. This dwells more on your work experience, rather than on your education. Should you be a recent graduate, with little work experience, youll be writing a skills resume. This is well suited to all students who have gained valuable experience through a number of unrelated jobs or courses. It emphasises what you can do, and not where youve worked! Applicable skills can be established through any activities that you feel will demonstrate the qualifications you hold: your courses, work, volunteer activities, personal interests and so forth. In either case, try to match your skills to the position youre applying for.

12. Do you think there is a difference between a CV and a RESUME? Explain. 13. Have you written a CV / resume yet? Are you pleased or displeased with it? Have you used it so far? 14. If you were to write a CV / resume right now, how would you describe your computer and language skills? Do you think they are important? 15. Why would you think that a lot of employers would like to see that your CV / resume also contains data about your extracurricular or volunteer activities?

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION / UNIT 4 #6 YOUR APPLICATION LETTER Quite often, you need to accompany your CV with an application letter. When writing such a document, you should consider the following. First, draft your letter to show how your individual qualities can contribute to the organisation. Strive to make your letter represent your individuality and your capabilities. When people write letters of application to a company, they often talk about why they want the job and how it will benefit them, as opposed to how it will benefit the company. Instead of talking about how the job meets their career objectives, they should talk in terms of what they have to offer the company! Second, your introduction should get the readers attention, stimulate interest and be appropriate to the job youre seeking. For example, you may want to begin with a reference to an advertisement that prompted your application. If youre answering an ad, name the position stated there and identify the source for example, your advertisement for a graphic artist, which appeared in the Chicago Sun Times, May 15, 2010, . Additionally, in your first paragraph, you should provide a preview of the rest of your letter. This tells your reader what to look for and lets them know immediately how your qualifications fit the job requirements. Then, organize the middle paragraphs in relation to the qualifications that best suit you for the job and the organisation. That is, if your on-the-job experience is your strongest qualification, discuss it in detail and show how you can apply it to the needs of the company. Or, if you happen to be president of the Marketing Club and youre applying for a position in marketing or sales, elaborate on the valuable experience youve gained and how you can put it to work for them! Be specific, use numbers, names or equipment youve used! Also, be sure to refer to your enclosed CV at the most appropriate point in your letter, for example, in the discussion of your qualifications or in the closing paragraph. You should conclude with a clear, courteous request to set up an interview and suggest a procedure for doing so. The date and place for the interview should be convenient for the interviewer. Be specific about how your reader should contact you. If you ask for a phone call, give your phone number and the days and times of the week when you can be reached. Dont forget that your letter should be professional in format, organisation, style, grammar and mechanics. Maintain a decorous tone throughout the letter and eliminate all errors. Remember that readers often deselect applicants because of the appearance of the letter!

16. An APPLICATION LETTER is more or less a generic term. To be more precise, you may have to write a COVERING LETTER (= British English) or a COVER LETTER (= American English). Why do you think this is called COVERING / COVER LETTER? 17. Have you ever had to write an application letter (job / scholarship)? Were you successful? Explain.

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION / UNIT 4 #7 YOUR INTERVIEW THE BASICS Once your CV is complete and your networking efforts have led to a job interview, you should immediately begin to prepare in order to increase your odds of success. There are several steps to this. First, find out exactly where the interview will take place and make sure youll be able to get there on time. Then, research the company. The best candidates are the ones who walk in, knowing about the industry and the company. Learn all you can about the organisation. The more you know about where youre going, the more powerful the impression youll make! Get ready to sell yourself. In addition to being on time, you should be well-groomed and appropriately dressed. So, dress exactly the way the job requires. Be enthusiastic! Making a good first impression is crucial. Start with a firm handshake and look your interviewer in the eye. You may also say something like Thank you for the time youre giving me today. Im really excited about interviewing for this job! This projects confidence as well as interest in the outcome. Youre a masterpiece of everything youve done to this date and youre now presenting yourself to someone who becomes a critic of that. You need to understand how they interpret all this. Be prepared. After youve researched the company, think again about your goals and the career path youve charted. Anticipate the kinds of questions the interviewer might ask. Imagine what issues are likely to preoccupy the person youre going to be speaking to and customise your answers accordingly. Try to anticipate the tough questions! Some of the toughest and most common questions that interviewers ask are Tell me about yourself!, or What are your strengths and weaknesses?, or Why do you want to work for our company?, or What do you look for in a job?, How long would it take you to make a contribution to our firm? Have your responses ready and be honest. Incorporate what youve learnt into your research and avoid glib, cookie-cutter answers. Keeping in mind what you already know about persuasion, try to give people the information theyre listening for! Interviewing is a two-way process. While theyre deciding if they want you, you must decide if you want to work for them! Be alert to questions that have to do with family status, lifestyle or personal beliefs! Only questions that directly apply to a persons ability to do a job or perform a task are legal and appropriate. During the interview, its important to pay close attention to the work culture that is being communicated back to you. Finally, dont forget to make a mental note of the surroundings including family pictures, sports and vacation photos, personal mementos, professional awards, diplomas, artwork or posters. You can talk about these things and show them what you have in common. Even a conversation that may not be directly related to the interview can build a bridge and reap significant benefits!

18. Have you ever taken part in a job interview? Describe your experience. 19. If you were to attend a job interview next week, how would you get ready for it? 20. Do you think job interviews are usually fair to all candidates or not? Explain.

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION / UNIT 4 #8 YOUR INTERVIEW POSSIBLE PITFALLS While attending a job interview, make sure you can avoid some possible pitfalls. When companies were surveyed about why candidates do poorly in job interviews, the most common responses had to do with personal appearance. Another frequent reason was speaking badly of a former employer. Potential employers wont give you the benefit of the doubt! Its too risky for them to hire someone who could be a potential troublemaker! Other reasons for poor interview performance include being late, limp handshakes, failure to make eye contact, indefinite responses, emphasizing money rather than qualifications, a lack of manners or courtesy, indecision or a lack of willingness to participate fully in all aspects of the workplace.

21. What aspect of a job interview would you consider the most difficult and why? 22. Think of how you would answer some of the following interview questions: a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) i) j) k) l) m) n) o) p) q) r) s) t) u) v) w) x) y) z) Considering your CV, what are your weaknesses in relation to this job? Describe your personality beneath the professional image. Do you believe youre overqualified for this position? Give me some proof of your persuasiveness. How do you manage stress in your daily work? How do you manage your work week and set realistic deadlines? Tell me something about yourself. There are quite a lot of applicants interviewing for this position. Why should we take a closer look at you? What are your strengths and weaknesses? What colour is your brain? What computer systems and software can you use? What do you do when things dont go according to plan? What do you know about this company? What do you think about your former boss? What salary would you expect? What were the most rewarding aspects of your most recent position? What would motivate you in this job? What would you do if one of our competitors offered you a position? What would your friends tell me about you? Whats your dream job? Where would you like to be in five years from now? Why do you want to leave your current job? Why do you want to work in this industry / field? Why should I hire you? Why would you be particularly good at this business / in this job? Would you be able to travel extensively as part of this job?

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION / UNIT 4 #9 AFTER GETTING THE JOB Once youve got the job, learn how to communicate with not only the people you work with, but also with the people you work for. Set up a process for continuous improvement by asking how you can communicate more effectively and what your employer would like you to do differently. Continue to develop your skills and improve your education. The most important ingredient in a successful business career is passion. Find something you care about. People who thrive and live a life of wellbeing care passionately about something other than just themselves, something other than their own feelings and egos. Using your newly acquired communication skills, youre ready to achieve your success as leaders in the business world!

23. Do you think your formal education so far (c.f. your undergraduate university courses) has adequately equipped you with the skills needed for the job market? Explain. 24. If you were to supplement your current preparation with more skills / knowledge, what would your needs be from this point of view? 25. Is a university diploma (e.g. BA degree / MA degree) sufficient to start a successful career? 26. Why do you think some university graduates are still jobless or that they have a job that doesnt necessarily require the skills provided by their formal education? 27. Would you be prepared to accept a job that doesnt suit your needs? If so, under what circumstances? Explain. Input texts adapted from Margareta Petru, Eugenia Irimia, STEPS TO EFFECTIVE BUSINESS COMMUNICATION, Argonaut, Cluj-Napca, 2008. Questions by Adrian Ciupe, 2012.

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BUSINESS COMMUNICATION / UNIT 4

MODULE A2 Testing material

#1 GOAL PLANNING As with all aspects of communication, from personal or professional relationships, all the way up to speech making or 1____ ____conducting negotiations, the first and foremost step in career planning is to set 2____ ____workable goals. Goal planning gives people a sense of 3____-____selfresponsibility. We can plan our strategies and 4____envisage our communication behaviour as logical 5____sequences that are in a process of constant improvement. Goals also provide a benchmark that enables us to measure personal achievements and open doors to fresh 6____opportunities. Incidentally, benchmarking, according to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, 7____ ____amounts to using a companys good performance as a standard by which to judge the performance of other companies of the same type. More generally speaking, benchmarking may refer to 8____establishing your objectives based on a high quality standard you 9____ ____look up to and want to 10____emulate. In order to set realistic and 11____viable goals, youd have to first know yourself. Understanding the position where you are now can provide a benchmark against which you can plan your own future career a 12____ ____handy guide would be starting with a few simple questions: What are my skills? What are my 13____strengths and weaknesses? What would I enjoy doing the most? What 14____extra preparation would I need? What part of my work would I like best? What kind of work would I hate?

Your sincere answers to questions like these could help you decide what to 15____ ____ focus on. In other words, benchmarking where you are now is crucial, because if youre 16____unaware of your current 17____accomplishments, theres no way to know 18____whether youve actually made any improvement 19____ ____as regards your professional 20____aptitudes, hard and soft skills. Next, try to 21____visualise your future. Where do you want to be? Use all your senses to picture your ideal 22____workplace. Is it inside or outside? What would you like your office to look or feel like? 23____Quiet or noisy? Then, just go on and research jobs that meet your personal 24____criteria. An essential step in planning personal goals is networking. A basic definition of networking would be meeting the right people who could help, somehow, 25____ ____in furthering your career. For example, at a conference or presentation, ask questions to be remembered; during coffee breaks, try a bit of 26____socialising and exchange views on similar business interests and dont hesitate to give your business 27____card to the people you talk with! Dont 28____overdo it by too much 29____ ____shop talk, but try to use your 30____charisma both personally and professionally whenever you have a chance to meet more or less 31____influential people who could serve your interests of course, 32____ethically! By attending meetings of professional associations 33____ ____relevant to your area, you can meet people who have similar jobs to the ones youve already 34____identified as interesting for you! Talk to these people and try to get something useful from their own experience! You could ask them questions like the following: What do you do in your job? What do you have to do? How did you get there? Do you like it? 11

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION / UNIT 4 Whats your 35____-____work-life balance? What kinds of skills does this sort of job 36____require?

Your interlocutors answers could help you 37____chart a career path that 38____encompasses the skills you already have and also the ones you may need to 39____acquire. Dont forget that surfing the Internet is another good way to discover career opportunities! But take those with a 40____pinch of salt! #2 YOUR CAREER PLAN In planning a possible career, its important for you to first identify the critical 41____ ____ success factors. These are the things you must do or have such as 42____technical skills in order to be successful. Dont forget that they should be viewed as 43____baseline requirements and not as an 44____end in themselves! People 45____landing good jobs are the ones with the technical skills, plus the 46____interpersonal communication and management skills! Second, determine your 47____current performance levels. Try to 48____ ____figure out which of the critical success factors you 49____master and which you need to 50____polish or further acquire. Where are you now, in comparison with where you were? Third, try to set personal goals that are 51____ humanly possible and for which youd be willing to make the necessary 52____sacrifices; make sure youre passionate about these goals but also that they are realistic ones, leading to a desired result in a 53____predictable way. To put it differently, make sure your objectives are practical, 54____viable and achievable. Dont forget about setting targets and deadlines for travelling your 55____ ____career path, as well! And last but not least, 56____ ____keep track of where you are now and what youve accomplished 57____along the way! Measuring your progress can give you 58____closure regarding past achievements and also lots of encouragement in terms of future 59____endeavours! #3 GETTING THE JOB YOU WANT 60____Mapping your career plan is only the first step. 61____Further on, youll have to search for the right job. 62____Landing a good job is both a science and an art and there are 63____countless ways to do it. 64____ ____Classified ads are a complicated and difficult 65____route for any 66____ ____job seeker, as when jobs are advertised in newspapers, they get thousands and thousands of CVs. An alternative would be to go to executive 67____ ____job placement firms, which can help you match your talents to an 68____ ____available vacancy. However, the best way to find a position that suits you is by 69____networking. Call everyone you know. Get everybody else out there to look for a job for you as well! #4 WRITING EMPLOYMENT DOCUMENTS Employment documents include CVs or resumes, application letters and any other business message concerning employment. In any 70____piece of writing it is important to keep your audience in mind. Ask yourself, who will read my documents? When you 71____tailor a document to a specific audience, you are basically adapting your writing 72____ ____in relation to your 73____targeted readers. Its quite important to consider what you want your message to 74____convey to that particular audience. If you write without a specific audience in mind, your document might be too general and 75____vague, or it may include too much 76____irrelevant information, so, it could end up as being rather 77____redundant or 78____verbose. According to some researchers, there are two kinds of readers that an employment document should be 79____customised for: the skimmers and the skeptics. Skimmers are readers that are typically very busy. Generally 80____ ____pressed for time, they often skim employment documents in a rather short period of time. Should you 12

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION / UNIT 4 81____tailor your documents to a skimmers style, you should state the main point clearly and 82____ ____up front and place the most important information at the beginning or ending of paragraphs. You must also make sure that you properly 83____highlight key facts and figures. The second type of reader is the skeptic. These are readers that are 84____cautious and 85____doubtful. In order to meet a skeptics needs, its necessary for you to support your statements with 86____adequate details and evidence. Make sure you provide specific examples, numbers, dates, names and 87____percentages to meet the needs of the skeptical reader 88____ ____poring over your application file! Next, determine your specific audience. Ask yourself, who am I writing to and what is their position in the organisation? Believe it or not, you can 88____gain a surprising amount of information about your reader simply from reading 89____ ____job ads! Also, try to recognise and use key words. Whenever youre 90____ ____going through job ads, the key words are those which signal what an employer considers important or essential in 91____hiring someone. 92____ ____Not least, evaluate your own writing and consider 93____whether or not youve effectively addressed your reader. This is part of the 94____proofreading process. Ask yourself questions like the following: Is my main point stated clearly in the first paragraph? Have I included enough details and examples to support my main point? Have I used language that the reader will understand? Is my language correct in terms of spelling, grammar and 95____usage? Does my message have a sincere and 96____appropriate tone?

#5 YOUR CV / RESUME In order to prepare your CV, you could use the following 97____guidelines: Keep your CV current. It should be 98____updated every year, whether or not youve changed jobs. This ensures that youre ready for 99____openings and opportunities at 100____ ____short notice. Omit the section on 101____unrelated skills. Anything relevant to your ability to perform a job, such as computer skills or languages spoken, should be included. Always tell the truth and dont 102____exaggerate! Try to 103____ ____account for all your time. If you have 104____gaps in your employment 105____record, build in an explanation. The first thing a legitimate employer looks for is the sequence of your life and work. Make sure its perfect. Spelling and punctuation should be 106____flawless!

When writing your CV, you will have to take into 107____account your current position: are you a recent 108____graduate or an experienced 109____professional? If youre an experienced professional changing jobs, you will have to write a 110____functional resume. This 111____dwells more on your work experience, rather than on your education. Should you be a recent graduate, with 112____little work experience, youll be writing a 113____skills resume. This is 114____ ____well suited to all students who have gained valuable experience through a number of 115____unrelated jobs or courses. It 116____emphasises what you can do, and not where youve worked! 117____Applicable skills can be established through any activities that you feel will demonstrate the qualifications you 118____hold: your courses, work, 119____volunteer activities, personal interests and 120____ ____so forth. In 121____either case, try to match your skills to the position youre applying for. #6 YOUR APPLICATION LETTER

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BUSINESS COMMUNICATION / UNIT 4 Quite often, you need to accompany your CV with an application letter. When writing such a document, you should consider the following. First, 122____draft your letter to show how your individual qualities can 123____ ____contribute to the organisation. Strive to make your letter represent your individuality and your 124____capabilities. When people write letters of application to a company, they often talk about why they want the job and how it will 125____benefit them, 126____ ____as opposed to how it will benefit the company. Instead of talking about how the job meets their career objectives, they should talk 127____ ____in terms of what they have to offer the company! Second, your introduction should get the readers attention, 128____stimulate interest and be 129____ ____appropriate to the job youre 130____seeking. For example, you may want to begin with a reference to an advertisement that 131____prompted your application. If youre answering an 132____ad, name the position stated there and identify the source for example, your advertisement for a graphic artist, which appeared in the Chicago Sun Times, May 15, 2010, . 133____Additionally, in your first paragraph, you should provide a 134____preview of the rest of your letter. This tells your reader what to look for and lets them know immediately how your qualifications 135____fit the job requirements. Then, organize the middle paragraphs in relation to the qualifications that best suit you for the job and the organisation. That is, if your on-the-job experience is your 136____ ____strongest qualification, discuss it in detail and show how you can 137____apply it to the needs of the company. Or, if you happen to be president of the Marketing Club and youre applying for a position in marketing or sales, 138____ ____ elaborate on the valuable experience youve gained and how you can put it 139____ ____to work for them! Be specific, use numbers, names or 140____equipment youve used! Also, be sure to refer to your 141____enclosed CV at the most appropriate point in your letter, for example, in the discussion of your qualifications or in the closing paragraph. You should conclude with a clear, 142____ ____courteous request to 143____ ____set up an interview and suggest a 144____procedure for doing so. The date and place for the interview should be convenient for the interviewer. Be specific about how your reader should contact you. If you ask for a phone call, give your phone number and the days and times of the week when you can be 145____reached. Dont forget that your letter should be professional in format, organisation, style, grammar and 146____mechanics. Maintain a 147____ ____decorous tone throughout the letter and eliminate all errors. Remember that readers often deselect applicants because of the 148____appearance of the letter! #7 YOUR INTERVIEW THE BASICS Once your CV is complete and your 149____networking efforts have 150____led to a job interview, you should immediately begin to prepare in order to increase your 151____odds of success. There are several steps 152____to this. First, find out exactly where the interview will take place and make sure youll be able to get there on time. Then, 153____research the company. The best candidates are the ones who walk in, knowing about the industry and the company. 154____ Learn all you can about the organisation. The more you know about where youre going, the more 155____ powerful the impression youll make! Get ready to 156____sell yourself. In addition to being on time, you should be 157____-____well-groomed and appropriately dressed. So, dress exactly the way the job requires. Be 158____enthusiastic! Making a good first impression is crucial. Start with a 159____ ____firm handshake and look your interviewer in the eye. You may also say something like Thank you for the time youre giving me today. Im really excited about interviewing 160____for this job! This 161____projects confidence as well as interest in the outcome. Youre a 162____masterpiece of everything youve done 163____to this date and youre now presenting yourself to someone who becomes a 164____critic of that. You need to understand how they interpret all this. Be prepared. After youve researched the company, think again about your goals and the career path youve 165____charted. Anticipate the kinds of questions the interviewer might ask. Imagine what issues are likely to 166____preoccupy the person youre going to be speaking to and customise your answers 167____accordingly. Try to anticipate the 168____tough questions! Some of the 169____toughest and most common questions that interviewers ask are Tell me about yourself!, 14

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION / UNIT 4 or What are your 170____strengths and weaknesses?, or Why do you want to work for our company?, or What do you look for 171____in a job?, How long would it take you to make a contribution to our firm? Have your 172____responses ready and be honest. Incorporate what youve learnt 173____into your research and avoid 174____glib, 175____-____cookie-cutter answers. Keeping in mind what you already know about persuasion, try to give people the information theyre listening for! Interviewing is a two-way process. While theyre deciding if they want you, you must decide if you want to work for them! Be 176____ ____alert to questions that have to do with family 177____status, lifestyle or personal beliefs! Only questions that directly apply to a persons ability to do a job or perform a task are legal and appropriate. During the interview, its important to 178____pay close attention to the 179____work culture that is being communicated back to you. Finally, dont forget to make a 180____ ____mental note of the surroundings including family pictures, sports and 181____vacation photos, personal 182____mementos, professional awards, diplomas, 183____artwork or posters. You can talk about these things and show them what you have in common. Even a conversation that may not be directly related to the interview can build a bridge and 184____reap significant benefits! #8 YOUR INTERVIEW POSSIBLE PITFALLS While attending a job interview, make sure you can avoid some possible 185____pitfalls. When companies were 186____surveyed about why candidates 187____ ____do poorly in job interviews, the most common responses had to do with personal appearance. Another frequent reason was 188____ ____speaking badly of a former employer. Potential employers wont give you the benefit of the 189____doubt! Its too risky for them to hire someone who could be a potential 190____troublemaker! Other reasons for poor interview performance include being late, 191____ ____limp handshakes, 192____failure to make eye contact, indefinite responses, 193____emphasizing money rather than qualifications, a lack of manners or 194____courtesy, indecision or a lack of willingness to participate fully in all aspects of the workplace. #9 AFTER GETTING THE JOB Once youve got the job, learn how to communicate with not only the people you work with, but also with the people you work for. 195____ ____Set up a process for continuous improvement by asking how you can communicate more effectively and what your employer would like you to do differently. Continue to develop your skills and improve your education. The most important 196____ ingredient in a successful business career is passion. Find something you care about. People who 197____thrive and live a life of 198____-____well-being care passionately about something other than just themselves, something other than their own feelings and 199____egos. Using your newly 200____acquired communication skills, youre ready to achieve your success as leaders in the business world! Input texts adapted from Margareta Petru, Eugenia Irimia, STEPS TO EFFECTIVE BUSINESS COMMUNICATION, Argonaut, Cluj-Napca, 2008. Questions by Adrian Ciupe, 2012.

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BUSINESS COMMUNICATION / UNIT 4

MODULE B1 Language skills (WORD BUILDING)

#1 Use the words given in capitals to form words that fit in the gaps go through the 4 logical steps described earlier. Individual linguistic ability is also important. The use of difficult or 1____ APPROPRIATE words in communication can prevent people from understanding the message. 2____ UNDERSTAND messages can also result in 3____ CONFUSE . We can all think of situations where we have listened to something explained which we just could not grasp. http://www.rsc-ne-scotland.ac.uk/ie/Who%20Am%20I%203/Who%20Am%20I%203-590.htm #2 Use the words given in capitals to form words that fit in the gaps go through the 4 logical steps described earlier. 1____ ATTITUDE barriers come about as a result of problems with staff in a(n) 2____ ORGANISE. These may be brought about, for example, by such factors as poor management, lack of 3____ CONSULT with 4____ EMPLOY, personality conflicts which can result in people delaying or refusing to communicate, the personal attitudes of individual workers which may be due to 5____ SATISFY at work, brought about by 6____ SUFFICE training to 7____ ABLE them to carry out particular tasks, or just resistance to change due to entrenched attitudes and ideas. http://www.rsc-ne-scotland.ac.uk/ie/Who%20Am%20I%203/Who%20Am%20I%203-590.htm #3 Use the words given in capitals to form words that fit in the gaps go through the 4 logical steps described earlier. Communicaid's Communication Skills courses are designed to meet the needs of 1____ ORGANISE seeking to 2____ OPTIMUM their ability to communicate 3____ PROFESSION within an international environment. Combining 4____ FLEXIBLE with a 5____ PERSON approach, Communicaid's communication skills courses will assist you with the language and communication skills necessary to 6____ SURE that you not only relay your message and ideas 7____ EFFECT but that it carries the impact you desire. http://www.communicaid.com/communication-skills/index.php

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BUSINESS COMMUNICATION / UNIT 4

MODULE B2 Written test question format (WORD BUILDING) Testing material

TIPS AND STRATEGIES: Before building each word, read the entire sentence and decide (1) what part of speech is needed, (2) what form of the part of speech is needed, (3) what meaning is logical (positive / negative); step (4) = exactly the word needed, based on the prompt word. Remember you will only need to form nouns (singular? / plural?), verbs (-ed? / -ing? / 3 rd person singular?), adjectives and adverbs (remember the special problems regarding ly words!). Pay attention to spelling problems! Check your answers at the end.

#1 QUICK TEST Some workers with 1____ are allowed to work from home. ABLE His 2____ to take her side in the argument led to her dismissal. ABLE This course will 3____ students to communicate more effectively in a business setting. ABLE She was shy and 4____, working all day in a remote corner of the office. COMMUNICATE Lack of intercultural awareness can often lead to such a(n) 5____ in business. UNDERSTAND

#2 QUICK TEST Finding out how much hed been overcharged, he stared at the waiter in 1____. BELIEVE Hes 2____ stingy! He wouldnt give a penny to a beggar! BELIEVE She was rather 3____ in her attempts to save the company from bankruptcy now shes looking for another job. SUCCESS Obviously, 4____ workers are paid much less. SKILL The Arts Society is holding an exhibition of new 5____. ACQUIRE

#3 QUICK TEST They have yet to discover the 1____ causes of their failure. LIE Obviously, good 2____ with your co-workers is essential. ACT All these figures in the report are 3____ if no solutions are suggested. MEAN Signing those papers was just a matter of 4____ for us. FORM Disregard for other cultures can lead to 5____ business communication. EFFECT

#4 QUICK TEST Grahams very 1____ about wines. KNOW She received a special award in 2____ of all her hard work. KNOW We provide 3____ services, suitably adapted to each clients needs. CUSTOM In some cultures it is 4____ for the bride to wear white. CUSTOM There was considerable support for the latter suggestion from private 5____ in all types of firms and from local law societies. PRACTICE 17

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION / UNIT 4 #5 QUICK TEST Holding total monopoly on telephone services, they thought of themselves as virtually 1____. DESTROY Her boss admonished her for 2____ her colleagues and subordinates. IRONY All 3____ must be paid for. BREAK In Britain the weather is rather 4____ - you can expect sun or rain within one hour! CHANGE Many countries have little regard for the 5____; unemployment benefit hardly covers day-to-day expenses. JOB

#6 QUICK TEST The 1____ of the market has led to wildly fluctuating prices. STABLE Our food products are free from artificial 2____. ADD We must act in 3____ with the contract provisions. ACCORD Risk is usually 4____ during an economic recession. AVOID Many 5____ commercials fool unsuspecting customers into paying too much for too little. LEAD

#7 QUICK TEST A 1____ is someone who helps a group of people discuss things with each other or do something effectively. FACILE What are the basic 2____ for this job? REQUIRE The study proved highly 3____. INFORM Parents were left anxious, 4____ and isolated. INFORM Whether you stay or leave is a matter of total 5____ to me (= I do not care). DIFFER

#8 QUICK TEST Any manager needs a set of 1____ skills. ORGANIZE She was a rather 2____ secretary; all sorts of paperwork lay scattered on her desk. ORGANIZE Your lack of essential skills does not, unfortunately, make you a(n) 3____ candidate. EMPLOY Some of the temporary 4____ were later hired as permanent staff. EMPLOY Im having trouble finding another job everyone says Im 5____; it seems I have too many diplomas and certificates. QUALIFY

#9 QUICK TEST She was rather 1____ with the work conditions so she decided to hand in her resignation. SATISFY Due to his 2____ test results he decided that he should re-take the exam at the earliest opportunity. SATISFY Dont give me that 3____! You know better than that! SENSE The only 4____ thing to do was to take early retirement, under the circumstances. SENSE Dont you think youre too 5____ to criticism? I only wanted to suggest a slight change to the programme! SENSE

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BUSINESS COMMUNICATION / UNIT 4 #10 QUICK TEST I must go and make myself 1____ I have an important appointment at 2 oclock. PRESENT The NOKIA 2____ of the Cluj (Romania) branch proved amenable to the trade unions suggestions. REPRESENT The telephone, therefore, saves time and gives you the opportunity to be more 3____, if that is appropriate. BUSINESS Because she was 4____ with the small print in the contract, the deal fell through. ACQUAINT Its not a bad idea to 5____ your feelings from time to time, if you want a good working relationship with your colleagues. VERB

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