Answers

3 Recruitment and orientation

Answers to Test yourself questions
3.1, page 55
Q1 Any 5 of the following factors (questions she should ask herself
are in brackets): Career interest (Is this the type of career I want?
Will I enjoy doing this work?); job description (What duties and
responsibilities are listed? How does this fit with the skills I have?);
personal taste (Is the size of the place appropriate for me? Is it
the type of job I want to do?); training and qualifications (What
training and qualifications are required? How does this match
the qualifications I have now?); salary/fringe benefits (Is the
salary enough to live on? Are the fringe benefits good or poor?);
location (How long will it take me to get there? How much will
I have to spend on travel?); image of the firm (Has the firm got
a good reputation for treating staff well? Will I be proud to say
I work there?); career advancement (Are there any prospects of
advancement? Does it fit my long-term career plan?).

3.2, page 57
Q1 No definitive answer is possible. Ask your teacher or someone
older, whose opinion you respect, to check it over with you.

3.3, page 61
Q1 No definitive answer is possible. Ask your teacher or someone
older, whose opinion you respect, to check it with you. However,
note that you should have started ‘Dear Mr Jones’ and ended
‘Yours sincerely’. You should have thanked him for his support
and said that you will keep in touch and let him know about the
trip and how much money you raise.

3.4, page 63
Q1 Any 6 of:
Decide what to wear ✓
Find out where the organisation is located and how to get there ✓
Find out how long to allow for the journey ✓
Find information about the organisation ✓
Prepare questions to ask ✓
List my skills/knowledge/experience and link these to the facts ✓
I have discovered about the organisation
Prepare a portfolio/gather my certificates to substantiate ✓
qualifications
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Unit 3 Ans.indd 10 11/01/12 5:43 PM

 Answers

3.5, page 65
Q1 Any 5 key differences from the following (behaviour changes are
suggested in brackets): Always being punctual (setting alarm,
getting enough sleep); organising my own work and working to
deadlines (good planning and time management); planning my
own self-development (identifying areas of weakness and areas I
want to develop and discussing these with my manager); being
discreet (never discussing sensitive work-related matters with
friends or family); abiding by company rules and regulations
(knowing what these are and respecting them); coping with
difficult colleagues (being patient, thinking before I speak,
talking to my manager if there is a serious issue); being treated
as an adult (proving I am an adult by taking responsibility for my
own actions).

Practice exam questions

SECTION 1: Multiple-choice questions
1 d; 2 b; 3 c; 4 a; 5 c; 6 c; 7 a; 8 d; 9 d; 10 b.

SECTION 2: Short answer questions

1 Any 4 of: Newspapers; an employment bureau or agency;
electronic media (for example, websites); personal contacts
(for example, friends and family); trade journals; company
newsletters and magazines.
2 All of the factors listed are beneficial: Additional training would
mean that you could improve and increase your skills; career
advancement means it is not a dead-end job and there is
the potential for promotion if you work hard; fringe benefits
means there are other non-monetary incentives; a central
location means it is easy to get to. These things would probably
influence you to apply for the job. A further consideration
would be either the salary, the image of the firm, or the job
description plus personal tastes and preferences.
3 Any 4 of: Personal details (that is, name, address, cellphone
number, email address); school information and qualifications
gained; previous work experience, if any; other achievements;
personal interests and hobbies; additional skills.
4 A job application letter is written when no CV or résumé
is requested, so it provides full details about the applicant.
A cover letter is written when a CV or résumé is also

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 Answers

enclosed, so it does not repeat the basic information (about

qualifications, etc.) that is in those documents.
5 No specific answer is possible. Check that your letter is set
out correctly and you have started with ‘Dear Mr Barnes’ and
ended with ‘Yours sincerely’. You should have referred to your
earlier application, explained how keen you still are to work
for the station and why, and offered to resend any documents,
if necessary. If possible, ask a teacher, or someone whose
judgement you respect, to assess your letter and give you
feedback.
6 Any 5 of: Location; what it does; how many people work there;
whether it is global, regional or local; its mission statement;
how long it has been in existence; how it promotes itself; if it
has been in the news recently.
7 Any 3 of: Health and safety; equality of opportunity and
treatment; industrial relations and trade union recognition;
conditions of employment, including the minimum wage.
8 No definitive answer is possible. Ask your teacher or someone
older, whose opinion you respect, to check it over with you.
9 Any 6 of: Take a photocopy to practise on; read it through
before you start; collect essential information (for example,
certificates and diplomas); use the right type of pen; use
block capitals where it says to do so; check spelling/grammar/
punctuation; write neatly; use the space wisely and carefully;
ask someone to check it with you afterwards.
10 Any 4 of: Working hours are different/longer; you get paid at
work to do your best work; you are expected to be discreet and
keep sensitive items confidential; you are responsible for your
own time management and output; you should be responsible/
committed to your own self-development; you must always
abide by all company rules; you must never take unauthorised/
unnecessary absences; you must work productively alongside
everyone, whether you like them or not; you are expected to
act like a responsible adult.

Case study
1 Serafina should wear a smart skirt or trouser suit, loose
fitting, with a blouse. Her suit should be in a muted colour
with matching low-heeled smart shoes and minimal jewellery.
Serafina would need to look smart for any interview, but

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 Answers

particularly for this one. The interviewers are an architect and

interior designer, so they will probably be very stylish and will
expect their staff to look the same.
2 Any 2 of: Serafina should have researched the company to find
out as much as she could about them, perhaps by looking at
adverts to see the type of work they have done and looking on
the company website. She should have also collected together
a portfolio with evidence of her qualifications. She should
have thought about questions that she might be asked and
how she would answer, as well as questions she might ask the
interviewers.
3 Any 3 of: Serafina was so thrilled with the idea of being a
secretary and working in a glamorous job that she forgot to
consider other important factors. She did not ask questions that
would have told her about this aspect of the job. She probably
did not realise until she was on her own that she has a personal
preference to work with other people. She either was not
given, or did not read, the job description about her duties and
responsibilities. She never thought about the implications of the
fact that her bosses would often be away.
4 Examples include the following, but there are several other
acceptable options. Any 3 of: ‘How many other people work
in the company?’ ‘How often are you away on business trips?’
‘Do you usually travel abroad at the same time?’ ‘How do you
keep in touch with the office in your absence?’ ‘What tasks will
I be responsible for in your absence?’ ‘Can I please see the office
where I would be working?’
5 Check that you have used the correct business layout for both
letters and have dated these. Start the first ‘Dear Mr Marchant’
and end it ‘Yours sincerely’. The second should start ‘Dear Mrs
Rivers’ and end ‘Yours sincerely’. Ideally in the heading there
should be reference to the job of administrator in the registry.
The letter to Mr Marchant should offer her resignation and give
reasons (for example, that she actually prefers working in a large
organisation with more people). It should thank him for the
opportunity he gave her. The second should thank Mrs Rivers
and confirm the start date and salary. Ideally ask your teacher, or
someone whose opinion you respect, to check your letters for you.

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Unit 3 Ans.indd 13 11/01/12 5:43 PM