9- Recruitment

A. Recruitment

The process of finding people for particular jobs is recruitment or, especially in Am. English, hiring. Someone who has been recruited is a recruit or, in Am. English, a hire. The company employs or hires them; they join the company.

A company may recruit employees directly or use outside recruiters, recruitment agencies or employment agencies. Outside specialists called headhunters may be called on to headhunt people for very important jobs, persuading them to leave the organizations they already work for. This process is called headhunting.

B. Applying for a job

Fred is a van driver, but he was fed up with long trips. He looked in the situations vacant pages of his local newspaper, where a local supermarket was advertising for van drivers for a new delivery service. He applied for the job by completing an application form and sending it in.

Harry is a building engineer. He saw a job in the appointment pages of one of the national papers. He made an application, sending in his CV (curriculum vitae – the “story” of his working life) and a covering letter explaining why he wanted the job and why he was the right person for it.

•       Note: BrE: CV; AmE: resume. BrE: covering letter; AmE: cover letter.

C. Selection procedures

Dagmar Schmidt is the head of recruitment at a German telecommunications company. She talks about the selection process, the methods that the company uses to recruit people: “We advertise in national newspapers.

We look at the backgrounds of applicants: their experience of different jobs and their educational qualifications. We don’t ask for handwritten letters of application as people usually apply by email; handwriting analysis belongs to the 19th century.

We invite the most interesting candidates to a group discussion. Then we have individual interviews with each candidate. We also ask the candidates to do written psychological tests to assess their intelligence and personality. After this we shortlist three or four candidates. We check their references by writing to their referees: previous employers or teachers that candidates have named in their applications. If the references are OK, we ask the candidates to come back for more interviews.

Finally, we offer the job to someone, and if they turn it down we have to think again. If they accept it, we hire them. We only appoint someone if we find the right person”.

Quiz 1 (How to criticize)

•       Q1 Quite honestly I didn't think ....... of the standard of acting in the play.

(a) lot (b) few (c) little (d) much

•       Q2 If you want my ....... opinion, I thought the food tasted revolting.

(a) honoured (b) honourable (c) honest (d) honour

•       Q3 To come straight to the ....... I think the management team needs replacing.

(a) summit (b) top (c) topic (d) point

•       Q4 There are several matters on which I should like to take ....... concerning your report.

(a) outcome (b) outlook (c) issue (d) outing

•       Q5 There's really no virtue in me pussy....... around because I might as well tell you it's awful.

(a) treading (b) footing (c) walking (d) tripping

•       Q6 I have a long ....... of things I think are wrong, where shall I start?

(a) story (b) description (c) file (d) list

•       Q7 I'm afraid to tell you that your standard of work has fallen well below what we think is ........

(a) considerable (b) believable (c) acceptable (d) available

•       Q8 In all honesty if I said that everything was all right, I'd simply be ........

(a) lying (b) laying (c) loading (d) letting

•       Q9 If you can't improve your level of work, I'm afraid you'll have to look ....... for another job.

(a) anywhere (b) elsewhere (c) nowhere (d) somewhere

•       Q10 I'm sick and ....... of always having to put right your mistakes.

(a) weary (b) exhausted (c) fatigued (d) tired

Quiz 2 (Applying for that Job)

•       Q1 I would be very interested in ....... for that job.

(a) entering (b) working (c) applying (d) writing

•       Q2 Do you want to ....... as a candidate in the local elections?

(a) stand (b) sit (c) go (d) try

•       Q3 They are completely ....... up with all the noise in the centre of town.

(a) tired (b) fed (c) sick (d) ill

•       Q4 The reason there are no buses is because the drivers are on ........

(a) hit (b) stop (c) strike (d) leave

•       Q5 The government has changed its policy and had a complete change of ........

(a) view (b) opinion (c) mind (d) heart

•       Q6 This supermarket is trying to ....... young shoppers by offering fashionable clothes.

(a) target (b) persuade (c) encourage (d) trap

•       Q7 You should have ....... those shares when they were cheap.

(a) taken out (b) sold off (c) bought up (d) taken over

•       Q8 You must try and hurry up because my patience is ....... out.

(a) running (b) racing (c) pacing (d) turning

•       Q9 Have you ever tried your ....... at running a business?

(a) arm (b) finger (c) hand (d) leg

•       Q10 After all these years she has decided to take early ........

(a) leave (b) finishing (c) departure (d) retirement

A1 (d) much

A2 (c) honest

A3 (d) point

A4 (c) issue

A5 (b) footing

A6 (d) list

A7 (c) acceptable

A8 (a) lying

A9 (b) elsewhere

A10 (d) tired

A1 (c) applying

A2 (a) stand

A3 (b) fed

A4 (c) strike

A5 (d) heart

A6 (a) target

A7 (c) bought up

A8 (a) running

A9 (c) hand

A10 (d) retirement