Chapter Four: Human Resources

The following lines are from a consultant talking about the recruitment process:
“Well, what usually happens is that an employer will advertise vacancy or
new post – sometimes both inside and outside the company. Then, after they have
received all the applications, they will screen them – go through and shortlist the
candidates for interview – choosing those who appear to meet the criteria for the job.
Next, they will assemble an interview panel, which is perhaps as many as four or five
people in some cases, and then call the candidates to interview. Some employers
choose to check references at this stage to avoid delays later, while others wait until
after the interview when they have chosen one of the candidates. Provided the panel
is happy, the employers will make a job offer, and the successful candidate starts
work. Often he or she will attend induction sessions or be given a mentor who helps
to train new staff”.

Application for job or job application

An application letter is the one you write to apply for a job. It should be written
with great care. A well-written letter could lead to an interview; whereas a badly written
one will almost certainly lead to your application being rejected. The person or
organization to which you send your application is likely to have many others to read
and consider, and it is therefore important that your application conveys the necessary
information neatly and succinctly. Unless the advertisement for the post you are
applying for specifies that the application should be in your own handwriting, the letter
should be typed. You should sign the letter in your own hand. The following
instructions need to be found in such a letter:

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  Refer to the job offered:
E.g.: I refer to…/ With reference to…/ Referring to…/ Your advertisement of…
(date) in… (Newspaper) for the job of a/n … has attracted my attention.

 Offer your service

E.g.: I wish to apply for the vacant post of…/I wish to apply for this post.
 Give information about yourself, that means:
Introduce yourself (give your age) / Your education (I am now completing my study
in…, I hope to get my diploma this year) / Your experience (I am now employed
as…in…, I have been working as… with…for…, I have a three years’ experience
in…

 Special abilities
For example, giving your mother tongue if it is necessary to the kind of job vacancy:
My mother tongue is…; I have a fair knowledge of both spoken and written English;
I speak… fluently; An x years’ stay in… has given me an opportunity for improving
my practical knowledge of English, …

 State reasons for applying

 Give references
E.g.: X is willing to…; X is ready to…; Messrs… have allowed (giving) (to give)
their names as a reference; I enclose a copy of the characters granted by my former
employers…

 Mention the salary you require (if necessary)

E.g.: I agree to the salary/I am ready to accept the salary you mention in your
advertisement.
 Express the hope of being given the job
E.g.: I hope you will consider my application; Hoping to be your future employee…

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Useful expressions

When you apply for a job, you may want to give information about yourself
in chronological order. You may use some of the following phrases for that purpose:

After I had finished College, I started…

On leaving school, I went to…
Having gained a diploma in…
Since leaving College, I have been…
Since leaving school, I have worked as a/an…
While I was living in…, I studied…
While I was working there, I took a course in…
During my employment with this company, I continued to study…

Note: The information about yourself is usually given apart in Curriculum vitae as
an enclosure of the application itself. The following is information you would include
in your CV

 Name
 Addresses: physical, telephone number(s), e-mail,
 Personal details:
o date and place of birth: [3rd May 1995, Likasi/Haut Katanga/RDC]
o marital status: [Single, one child],
o availability for employment: [Present employer requires one month’s
notice],
o mobility: [I am able to travel, but would prefer not to be away from
home longer than four weeks; I am free to go everywhere I will be sent],
…

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  Qualifications: Professionals: diploma in…; Language: Fluent English,
French, Italian, …; Education: schools and universities where you have
studied
 Career details: Where you have worked and which position you have
occupied from x year to y year
 Referees/References

The Cover or covering letter

It is now common for job advertisements to state that applicants should write,
in the first instance, a brief letter enclosing their CV (curriculum vitae) or ‘résumé’
(in American English). Because your CV/Résumé will include all your personal
details and work history, it is not necessary to duplicate all this information in the
letter which accompanies it. Keep in mind that the aim of the covering letter is to
give only enough information to engender interest and to encourage your reader to
offer you an interview. Here are some useful points to remember when writing the
covering letter:

o The covering letter should be handwritten if this is specified in the

advertisement. Otherwise it may be typed;
o It should be written on a single sheet of good quality white paper.
Ideally, the paper used for the covering letter should be of the same size
as that used for your CV/Résumé;
o Remember to include your home address, telephone number, and the
date;
o Take care to get the name and title of the person or organization you are
writing to exactly right;
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 o Begin the letter with a short paragraph saying where you saw the post
advertised and mentioning that you are enclosing your CV/Résumé;
o The first paragraph may be followed by a single sentence or short
paragraph drawing attention to qualifications or experience that you
consider are particularly relevant or giving any other reason why you
believe you are a suitable candidate for the post;
o Conclude with a short paragraph offering availability for interview;
o Remember to sign a typed letter in your own hand.

A sample of an application letter

The sender’s name

And address(es)

1July 2021
The receiver’s name and address(es)

Dear Mrs Hobbs

I wish to apply for the position of… which

was advertised in … I enclose my
Curriculum Vitae. Please let me know if
there is any further information you require.

Yours sincerely

Enc. Curriculum vitae

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Language review: -ing forms and infinitives

 We sometimes use one verb after another verb. Often the second verb is in
the infinitive.
We can’t afford to increase their pay.
He intends to sign the new contract next week.
 Sometimes the second verb must be in the –ing form. This depends on the
first verb.
My job involves monitoring sickness levels.
 Some verbs can be followed by the –ing form or the infinitive without a big
change in meaning.
I started working there last month. / I started to work there last month.
 With other verbs, however, the meaning changes.
We stopped to have lunch. (We stopped what we were doing in order to
have lunch.)
We stopped having lunch. (We stopped our habit of having lunch.)