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Reading module 5 the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City. Business English Major Year: 2022 2023 Practice file for students. Not including key answer READING 1: IT’S NOT WHAT YOU KNOW Activity 1: Discussion What do you understand by the expression ―It‘s not what you know, but who you know that council?Do you think networking is more important in some of these professions than others?
UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS HO CHIMINHCITY SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES FOR ECONOMICS READING (Module 5) Focus on Learning UNIT 1: FIRST IMPRESSIONS READING 1: IT’S NOT WHAT YOU KNOW Activity 1: Discussion What you understand by the expression ―It‘s not what you know, but who you know that counts‖?Do you think networking is more important in some of these professions than others? Activity 2: Vocabulary Vocabulary Part of Definition and Example speech Bump into Aggregate Dilemma Manipulative Generate Apropos of nothing Strategist Networker Referral Accelerate Selfless Altruistic It’s not what you know by Mike Southon It is often said that your personal value is not what you know, but who you know This is powerful motivation for recent graduates to build their personal networks But some of us may conclude that we already have enough friends and contacts - the challenge is making the best use of those that we already have Mathematics supports this argument If you have been in business more than 20 years, you probably have more than 150 close contacts - people you like and respect and would recognise if you bumped into them out of their work context If you add to this all the people in their close networks, this aggregates to potentially more than 20,000 agreeable and interesting people It is not a problem to identify other networking prospects We all have a drawer full of business cards and often a large number of online connections The dilemma is how to successfully leverage existing contacts without appearing sleazy and manipulative The most important lesson to learn from the best-connected individuals is that little of their networking activity is carried out with any specific business goal in mind They concentrate their effort on people they most like and who seem to like them back Even for the shyest individual, all that is required to leverage their network is to generate a list of people whose company they enjoy and invite them to a private dinner This would be apropos of nothing in particular other than the pleasure of good company The tools for engineering a mutually successful outcome of such events are well explained by one of Europe‘s leading business networking strategists, Andy Lopata His website explains that connecting is not enough; it is important also to determine how well your contacts understand what you andthen how inspired they might be to provide a referral Lopata provides networking training and is always amazed to discover how few companies have an effective referral strategy One investment bank merely had a system for asking for two referrals at the end of every meeting, regardless of whether they had built up any trust with the client Lopata says the chances of receiving a referral are greatly increased if they understand exactly what you and the problems you solve, have a high level of trust and understand how you help people Your chances of receiving a referral are increased if you are also perceived to have a wider purpose to your working life Lopata recommends making a detailed assessment of your best contacts, the people they know, their willingness to refer you to them and how you might inspire them to make that introduction, for free While some people offer direct financial rewards for referrals, seasoned net- workers mostly make introductions on the basis that everyone gains a benefit, including the prospect of referrals in return While high-level networking is primarily a face-to-face activity, Lopata agrees that online tools accelerate the process Expert networkers work on the basis that if you connect with your network on this mutually beneficial basis, the financial rewards will flow Successful networking should be selfless and altruistic, giving referrals without remembering your simple favour, and receiving them without forgetting their kind gift Activity What are your views on networking? To what extent you agree with these statements? Compare and discuss your answers strongly partially disagree agree agree Networking just means socialising with my colleagues and friends Networking is all about finding lots of useful business contacts Networking with business contacts is insincere and manipulative Online social networking is as useful as face-to-face networking Networking involves getting lots of manipulative help from others Activity Read the article and compare the writer’s views on networking with your own What points does he make in relation to the five statements in activity 3? Activity Read the article again and find words and expressions which mean the following met someone you know when you were not expecting to (paragraph 2): develop and use fully (paragraphs and 5): morally doubtful (paragraph 3): not related to anything previously mentioned (paragraph 5): when you recommend someone to another person for work (paragraphs and 7): move from one place to another in large amounts (paragraph 10): caring about other people more than about yourself (two expressions) (paragraph 10): Activity Look at these extracts from the article and indicate where the adverbs in brackets should go Sometimes more than one answer is possible 1.We have enough friends and contacts (already) 2.You have more than 150 close contacts, (probably) 3.The dilemma is how to leverage existing contacts (successfully) 4.It is important to determine how well your contacts understand what you do.(also) 5.One investment bank had a system for asking for two referrals, (merely) 6.The chances of receiving a referral are increased if they understand what you (greatly, exactly) 7.High-level networking is a face-to-face activity.(primarily) 8.If you connect with your network on this beneficial basis, the financial rewards will flow, (mutually) Activity Which of the networking strategies mentioned in the article you find most useful? Which you think you will probably never use? Why?/ Whynot? READING 2: BUSINESSES URGED TO KEEP INTERVIEW STANDARDS HIGH Activity 1: Discussion What was your first impression of the organisation that you work for or the educational institution that you study at? Activity : Vocabulary Vocabulary Part of Definition and Example speech Sexism Racist Butt in Encounter Rate Hygiene Turn down Values On the line Read this article from the Financial Times by John Willman and the exercises that follow Businesses urged to keep interview standards high by John Willman A third of job applicants come away from their interview with a bad impression of the business, having faced questions unrelated to the job, poor interview preparation, sexism and bad personal hygiene, a survey has found In some cases, applicants complained of racist questions and interviewers who were drunk Kevin Moran, a 29-year-old ITworker who went for a job in theCity, said he had been surprised tofind it was held in a bar "I had toshout over the noise, and one of the interviewers kept going to the barwhen I was still speaking, butting inrudely and talking about things thatwere completely unrelated," MrMoran said The survey of more than 2,000people, by Ipsos Mori for T-Mobile,found that applicants judged apotential employer on their impressions of the working environmentand the people employed Theyexpected intelligent questionsrelated to the job, and a clear careerprogression plan However, 40 percent of those who judged their interview experience as bad said thequestions asked were nothing to dowith the job, while a third said theinterviewer was unprepared Morethan 31 per cent of those finding theencounter disappointing had neverheard from the company again Among the complaints aboutinterviewers' behaviour by thosewho rated their encounter a badexperience were lateness ( 18 percent), sexism (16 per cent) and badpersonal hygiene (7 per cent).Another complaint was that theinterviewer ate during the process(5.2 per cent), while 11 of the 662disappointed applicants said theinterviewer was drunk Almost 30per cent complained they had notbeen offered any refreshments,while 10 per cent said the buildingwas dirty As a result, almost halfthose who had experienced a badinterview turned down the job whenit was offered "Interviewees are always underpressure to create a good firstimpression, but it seems that businesses need to feel a bit of thatpressure as well," said Mark Martin,Human Resources Director atT-Mobile UK "Candidates arebeginning to place a company'sculture and values at the top of theiragenda, so businesses need to thinkabout how these are expressed in aninterview situation - or their reputation and brand could be onthe line." Activity Read through the whole article Matcheach of these headings (a-e) to a paragraph (1-5) a) Businesses should think more about the firstimpressions that they create b) Job candidates' bad first impressions of potentialemployers c) One candidate's bad experiences d) Particular complaints about job interviews e) What people expect at interviews, and what manyactually get Activity Relate what these interviewees said with thecomplaints in paragraphs and a) 'The guy looked as though he hadn't shaved for aweek.' b) 'He started slurring his words.' c) 'She didn't really know anything about the job.' d) 'They asked me, an experienced female executive,if I'd be willing to make tea for the boss!' e) 'I was talking about my previous job in IT, andsuddenly he asked me which football team Isupport.' f) 'It was crowded, and I couldn't hear a word hewas saying.' g) 'They didn't let me finish my sentences when Iwas speaking.' Activity Decide whether these statements aboutparagraphs and are true or false The survey a) was carried out by Gallup b) covered more than 2,000 people c) found that interviewees were only interested intheir first job in the organisation, not their latercareer there d) found that 40 per cent of those surveyed said thatthe questions at the job interview had nothing todo with the job e) found that about 33 per cent of those surveyedthought that the job interviewer had not preparedproperly for the interview f) found that nearly a third of those who had had abad experience did not hear anything again fromthe company Activity Complete this table with words fromparagraphs and and related words Verb Noun Survey …………………1 ……………… applicant, employ employment, 4, 5………… expect ……………….6 interview ………… 7,……………….8,……………… ……………… 10 encounter Activity Match the nouns in activity to these definitions a) an informal meeting, often between two or just afew people b) an organisation that givespeople jobs c) someone who asks for a job d) an occasion when someone is asked questions tosee if they are suitable for a job e) the person who is asked the questions f) the person who asks the questions g) someone who works for an organisation h) the act of asking for a job i) the process of asking people about their opinionsand publishing the results j) what you think will happen Activity Choose the best alternative (a, b or c) to completethese statements to reflect how the expressionsin italic are used in paragraphs and If you are disappointed, you feel unhappybecause something you a) expected did not happen b) expected did happen c) did not expect happened If you turn an offer down, you a) accept it b) think about it c) refuse it If you feel under pressure to something, you feel a) pleased to it b) obliged to it c) worried about doing it A company's values are a) its profits in the previous year b) its physical assets c) the ideas, ways of behaving, etc that it thinksare important If something is at the top of your agenda, it is the thing a) that you think is most important b) that is the most urgent c) in your diary that you have to next A company's reputation is people's a) good opinion of it b) opinion of it, whether good or bad c) bad opinion of it If something such as your reputation is on the line, it is a) unchangeable b) at risk c) unpardonable Activity Discussion Make a list of five key pieces of advice for each of a) interviewers, and b) interviewees in your country 62 63 64 65 66 TEST 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76