10.

Employment as an art

Employment plays a major part in most people’s lives. People of all sorts
work in business, and the terms businessman and businesswoman reflect this,
referring to a wide range of individuals, from the rich and famous to small
company owners, from people in large organization to those who work for
themselves.

Many people choose to be self-employed (to have their own business) or to

work freelance for several employers.

As the labour market become more flexible, many employers respond by

increasing the number of fixed-term contracts and part-time workers.

In large organizations, administration of people is done by the personnel

department, although this expression is new sometimes rejected. Companies talk
instead about their human resources department or (HR).

The Human Resources department is responsible for planning, recruitment

of the new people, staff training and development, staff appraisal, welfare,
pensions administration and industrial relations. It works to ensure that the right
people are available to meet the company’s needs.

Recruitment is the process of employing new people. This process will vary
from one organization to another.

When a company needs to recruit or employ new staff, it may advertise the
vacancy in newspapers, or may contact an employment agency, a private company
that matches jobseekers with job. Companies looking for senior staff may approach
people working for another company, a practice known as headhunting.
Headhunters are specialist consultants who search for high-level executives and try
to persuade them to leave their current job in order to go to work in another
company. Executives may be persuaded to move company by the promise of a
golden hello: a large sum of money or some other financial enticement offered by
the company they move to.

If you are a jobseeker (a person who is looking for a job) and you are
interested in a particular post, you may decide to apply for the job. The first step is
to get an applicant form and job description from the company. The next step is to
complete the form and return it with your curriculum vitae (CV BrE) or resume
(AmE). The company’s Human Resources department will select the most suitable
applicant and invite them to attend an interview.