Unit 8 Applying for a Job
Unit Goals
What you should learn to do 1. Understand a job advertisement 2. Apply for a job 3. Take a job interview 4. Talk about a job 5. Write a resume
What you should know about
1. The way successful people start and run a business 2. How to apply for a right job 3. Supporting and concluding sentences Section I Talking Face to Face 1. Imitating Mini-Talks 2. Acting out the Tasks
3. Studying Email Information on the Internet 4. Following Sample Dialogues 5. Putting Language to Use Section II Being All Ears
1. Learning Sentences for Workplace Communication 2. Handling a Dialogue
3. Understanding a Short Speech / Talk Section III Trying your Hand 1. Practicing Applied Writing
2. Writing Sentences and Reviewing Grammar Section IV Maintaining a Sharp Eye Passage 1 :
Text Applying for a New Boss
When I went off to college, I got one piece of advice from my father: “It doesn’t matter what courses you take, just find the great professors.” Sure enough, I soon discovered that all kinds of subjects were interesting to me as long as good teachers presented them. In Professor Weinstein’s class, I could hear the tumbrels rolling through the streets of Paris during the French Revolution. And going back further, I can still recall things about the stars that I should have long ago forgotten if not for my
second-grade teacher, Miss Scorchiotti. To me, a great teacher is one who performs a subject in a way that makes it come alive.
A great boss does the same. They turn the day-to-day uninteresting jobs into a learning experience. They convince you that you and what you are doing actually matter. They give you confidence, which makes you more willing to ask a question, or assume responsibility, or even suggest a change in some age-old company process. In short, a great boss knows how to teach.
So my advice to anyone bound for the job market in the coming years and to anyone looking for a different work experience is: Don’t interview for the right job. Interview for the right boss. Not a best person, but someone who is willing and able to help you grow professionally.
What are some signs of the wrong boss? Well, anyone who:
● is surrounded by the same team year after year. If you’re such a good teacher, why aren’t these people moving on and getting promoted?
● is short of a sense of humor. Life is short. Work is hard. Let’s lighten up when facing something difficult.
● loves typing. Hates talking. Why are you emailing me when I sit across the hall?
Who are the best bosses I ever had? Angela, my first boss out of college, was very clever and outspoken. She ruffled feathers around the company but was eager to let
me in on what she thought and why.
My boss Tom used to say: “You can sleep when you’re dead.” Working for Tom was just a bit exhausting. But he was also unbelievably straightforward, and quick to ask advice and give it. We often had different opinions, yet our discussions helped both of us learn more about what we were trying to perform. A great boss both gives respect and earns it.
And how do you know when you’ve found the right boss? Be yourself with them and see if the self they are with you is someone you want to learn from for a couple of years. If that person is dull or dogmatic in an interview, guess what they’re going to be like Monday through Friday? Interviewees are on their best behavior in that setting, but so are interviewers. You don’t like what you see? The power is yours. Go out and interview another boss. Language Points
1 Explanation of Difficult Sentences
1. (Para. 1) And going back further, I can still recall things about the stars that I should have long ago forgotten if not for my second-grade teacher, Miss Scorchiotti ... Analysis: This is a complex sentence. That introduces a relative clause to modify the stars, followed by an if-clause of condition. Attention should be paid to the subjunctive mood used here: should have forgotten, ... with the latter part being an elliptical clause which can be assumed to be if it were not for ...
Translation: 再早些，我仍然记得有关星体的知识，若不是由于我二年级的斯高奇奥迪老师，我早就将其忘光了。
Example: If not for your help, we couldn’t have finished the experiment successfully.
2. (Para. 5) She ruffled feathers around the company but was eager to let me in on what she thought and why.
Analysis: Ruffle feathers is used here figuratively to mean become annoyed. The phrase let sb. In on sth. means to allow to share or to know a secret.