FINDING A JOB

1. Not so long ago almost any student who successfully completed a university degree or diploma course could
find a good career quite easily. Companies toured the academic institutions, competing with each other to recruit
graduates. However, those days are gone, even in Hong Kong, and nowadays graduates often face strong
competition in the search for jobs.
2. Most careers organizations highlight three stages for graduates to follow in the process of securing a
suitable career: recognizing abilities, matching these to available vacancies and presenting them well to prospective
employers.
3. Job seekers have to make a careful assessment of their own abilities. One area of assessment should be of
their academic qualifications, which would include special skills within their subject area. Graduates should also
consider their own personal values and attitudes, or the relative importance to themselves of such matters as money,
security, leadership and caring for others. An honest assessment of personal interests and abilities such as creative or
scientific skills, or skills acquired from work experience, should also be given careful thought.
4. The second stage is to study the opportunities available for employment and to think about how the general
employment situation is likely to develop in the future. To do this, graduates can study job vacancies and
information in newspapers or they can visit a careers office, write to possible employers for information or contact
friends or relatives who may already be involved in a particular profession. After studying all the various options,
they should be in a position to make informed comparisons between various careers.
5. Good personal presentation is essential in the search for a good career. Job application forms and letters
should, of course, be filled in carefully and correctly, without grammar or spelling errors. Where additional
information is asked for, job seekers should describe their abilities and work experience in more depth, with
examples if possible. They should try to balance their own abilities with the employer's needs, explain why they are
interested in a career with the particular company and try to show that they already know something about the
company and its activities.
6. When graduates are asked to attend for interview, they should prepare properly by finding out all they can
about the prospective employer. Dressing suitably and arriving for the interview on time are also obviously
important. Interviewees should try to give positive and helpful answers and should not be afraid to ask questions
about anything they are unsure about. This is much better than pretending to understand a question and giving an
unsuitable answer.
7. There will always be good career opportunities for people with ability, skills and determination; the secret
to securing a good job is to be one of them.

VOCABULARY:
able adj. capable, skilled, clever, bright, talented
1.In paragraph 3, 'their' refers to: account : DESCRIPTION a written or spoken description that says what
happens in an event or process: hesap verme. açıklama. söylenti. hesaba
(a) job seekers katma. göz önünde tutma
(b) abilities account of: He was too shocked to give an account of what had
happened.
(c) academic qualifications Assessment n: evaluation, judgment, judgment, the classification of
(d) special skills someone or something with respect to its worth
determination;: purpose; strength of mind; azim karar, sebat
2. 'them' in paragraph 2 refers to: Highlight: emphasize, draw attention to, draw attention to
Pretend: imagine, make believe, imaginary,
(a) careers organizations pretend v.: imagine, make believe, numara yapmak, rol yapmak
(b) three stages Prospective: potential, future, forthcoming
Recruit: sign up, enlist, seek to employ.
(c) abilities relative: comparative, qualified, virtual
(d) available vacancies Securing: making safe, fixing in a place
3. Which of the following sentences is closest in Seeker n.: hunter, searcher,
Vacancy: job, position,
meaning to the final paragraph? Various adj.: a variety of, numerous
(a) graduates should develop at least one of these areas
to find a suitable career
(b) determined, skilled and able people can easily find a good career
(c) the secret to a good career is to possess skills, determination or ability
(d) people with the right qualities should always be able to find a good career
4. In paragraph 1, 'those days are gone, even in Hong Kong', suggests that:
(a) in the past, finding a good career was easier in Hong Kong than elsewhere
(b) nowadays, everyone in Hong Kong has an equal chance of finding a good career
(c) it used to be harder to find a good job in Hong Kong than in other countries
(d) even in Hong Kong companies tour the universities trying to recruit graduates

1
5. 'relative' in paragraph 3 could best be replaced by:

(a) family (d) slight

(b) comparative
(c) considerable
6. 'prospective' in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to:

(a) generous (c) future

(b) reasonable (d) ambitious
7. In paragraph 6, the writer seems to suggest that:
(a) interviewees should ask a question if they can't think of an answer
(b) pretending to understand a question is better than giving an unsuitable answer
(c) it is better for interviewees to be honest than to pretend to understand
(d) it is not a good idea for interviewees to be completely honest in their answers
8. Which of the following does 'This' in paragraph 6 refer to?
(a) not being afraid to be unsure
(b) giving positive and helpful answers to the questions
(c) being prepared to ask questions about things they don't understand
(d) being unsure about the questions
9. 'Determination' in paragraph 7 is similar in meaning to:

(a) resolve (c) imagination

(b) finding out (d) intelligence
10. According to paragraph 4, graduates should:
(a) find a good position and then compare it with other careers
(b) ask friends or relatives to secure them a good job
(c) get information about a number of careers before making comparisons
(d) find out as much as possible and inform employers of the comparisons they want
11. The advice given in the first sentence of paragraph 4 is to:
(a) find out what jobs are available and the opportunities for future promotion
(b) examine the careers available and how these will be affected in the future
(c) look at the information on, and probable future location of, various careers
(d) study the opportunities and the kinds of training that will be available
12. According to paragraph 3, job seekers should:
(a) aim to give a balanced account of what the employer needs
(b) divide the time equally between listening to the interviewer and speaking
(c) discuss their own abilities in relation to what the employer is looking for
(d) attempt to show the employer they have balanced abilities
13. In paragraph 3 imply graduates should:
(a) only consider careers which are suited to them as people
(b) include information about personal attitudes and values in their job applications
(c) consider how lucky they are to be able to find careers that provide such things
(d) consider the values of their parents and families as well as their own wishes
14. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
(a) until recently it was quite easy for graduates to get good jobs in Hong Kong
(b) job seekers should consider as many as possible of the factors involved
(c) businesses used to visit the universities in Hong Kong to recruit graduates
(d) graduates sometimes have to take part in competitions to secure a good career
15. In paragraph 5, 'in more depth' could best be replaced by:

(a) more carefully (c) in greater detail

(b) more honestly (d) using more words
16. In paragraph 2, 'highlight' is closest in meaning to which of the following?

(a) emphasize (c) accept

(b) arrange (d) offer

2
 ANSWER KEY
1. a 5. b 9. a 13. a
2. c 6. c 10. c 14. d
3. d 7. c 11. b 15. c
4. a 8. c 12. c 16. a
FINDING A JOB
1. Not so long ago almost any student who successfully completed a university degree or diploma course could
find a good career quite easily. Companies toured the academic institutions, competing with each other to recruit
graduates. However, those days are gone, even in Hong Kong, and nowadays graduates often face strong
competition in the search for jobs.
2. Most careers organizations highlight three stages for graduates to follow in the process of securing a
suitable career: recognizing (2) abilities, matching these to available vacancies and presenting them well to
prospective employers.
3. (3) Job seekers have to make a careful assessment of their own abilities. One area of assessment should be
of their academic qualifications, which would include special skills within their subject area. (13) Graduates
should also consider their own personal values and attitudes, or the (5) relative importance to themselves of
such matters as money, security, leadership and caring for others. An honest assessment of personal interests and
abilities such as creative or scientific skills, or skills acquired from work experience, should also be given careful
thought.
4. The second stage is (11) to study the opportunities available for employment and to think about how
the general employment situation is likely to develop in the future. To do this, (10) graduates can study job
vacancies and information in newspapers or they can visit a careers office, write to possible employers for
information or contact friends or relatives who may already be involved in a particular profession. After
studying all the various options, they should be in a position to make informed comparisons between various careers.
5. Good personal presentation is essential in the search for a good career. Job application forms and letters
should, of course, be filled in carefully and correctly, without grammar or spelling errors. Where additional
information is asked for, job seekers should describe their abilities and work experience in more depth, with
examples if possible. They should try to balance their own abilities with the employer's needs, explain why they are
interested in a career with the particular company and try to show that they already know something about the
company and its activities.
6. When graduates are asked to attend for interview, they should prepare properly by finding out all they can
about the prospective employer. Dressing suitably and arriving for the interview on time are also obviously
important. Interviewees should try to give positive and helpful answers and should not be afraid to ask questions
about anything they are unsure about. This is much better than pretending to understand a question and giving an
unsuitable answer.
7. There will always be (3) good career opportunities for people with ability, skills and determination; the
secret to securing a good job is to be one of them.
RECRUIT:
1. recruit noun a recently enlisted soldier
2. recruit noun any new member or supporter (as in the armed forces)
See also: enlistee
3. recruit verb cause to assemble or enlist: "recruit an army"
See also: conscript , levy , raise
4. recruit verb register formally; as a participant or member
See also: enroll , inscribe , enter , enrol
5. recruit verb seek to employ: "The lab director recruited an able crew of assistants"
ASSESSMENT:
1. assessment noun the classification of someone or something with respect to its worth
See also: appraisal
2. assessment noun the act of judging or assessing: "they criticized my assessment of the situation"
See also: judgment , judgement
3
3. assessment noun the market value set on assets
4. assessment noun an amount determined as payable: "the assessment for repairs outraged the club's
membership"
5. assessment noun (variable noun) (n) An assessment of the amount of money that something is worst or that
should be paid is calculation or estimate of the amount.: The critic's assessment of the book is that it is
beautifully written.
See also: appraisal , rate , value for taxation
6. assessment noun (variable noun) (n) An assessment is a consideration of someone or something and a
judgement about them.: Heggie was remanded to a mental hospital for assessment by doctors.
See also: evaluation , judgement , appraisal , estimation
QUALIFICATION:
1. qualification noun the act of modification or changing the strength of some idea: "his new position involves
a qualification of his party's platform"
2. qualification noun (countable) an attribute that fits a person for something: "her qualifications for the job
are excellent"; "one of the qualifications for admission is an academic degree"
3. qualification noun (countable/ uncountable) a statement that limits or restricts some claim: Two
qualifications need to be made.
See also: reservation
4. qualification noun (uncountable) the act of passing the examinations you need to work in a particular
profession: Following qualification, he worked as a social worker
VACANCY: 1. vacancy noun an empty area or space: The vacancy between the walls was filled with rubble.
See also: void , emptiness
2. vacancy noun being unoccupied
3. vacancy noun(countable) (n)A vacancy is a job or position which has not been filled.: We have vacancies for
typists.
See also: unfilled position , available job , opening , situation , place
4. vacancy noun(countable) (n)If there are vacancies at a building such as a hotel, some of the rooms are
available to rent.: This year hotels that usually are jammed had vacancies all summer.
as
noun
5. vacancy rate noun the percentage of all rental units (as in hotels) that are unoccupied or not rented at a
given time
SEEKER
1. seeker noun (countable) someone making a search or inquiry: "they are seekers after truth"
searcher
INTERVIEWEE
interviewee noun (countable) a person who is being interviewed: "The reporter asked his interviewee many
questions."
PROSPECTIVE
1. prospective adjective Expected to be or to occur; future or possible.: prospective changes in law
See also: future , expected , coming , impending , approaching , close to hand , forthcoming
2. prospective adjective concerned with or related to the future: "prospective earnings"; "a prospective
mother"; "the statute is solely prospective in operation"
as adjective
(prenominal)
3. prospective adjective (prenominal) anticipated for the near future: "the prospective students"; "his
prospective bride"