UNIT 11. STRATEGIES FOR KEEPING YOUR JOB
Task 1. Match the following English words and phrases with their Russian equivalents:
1) on the contrary |
a) сокращать |
2) to cut |
b) жаловаться |
3) to volunteer |
c) наоборот |
4) to find out |
d) хвалить |
5) to complain about |
e) добровольно взять на себя |
6) to praise |
f) ценный, полезный |
7) casually |
g) выяснить |
8) valuable |
h) неофициально |
Task 2. Read the article. According to the article, which employee fits each description? Choose the correct name. What information helped you determine this?
1. The employee whose job is least likely to be cut:
a)Alice, who is always bringing problems in her department to her boss’s attention
b)Betty, who is always finding something good to say about her department
c)Carol, who always keeps her opinions about the department to herself 2. The employee whose job is most likely to be cut:
a)Albert, who puts his extra time into doing his job well
b)Bill, who puts his extra time into training in new areas
c)Carl, who puts his extra time into taking on different responsibilities
Strategies For Keeping Your Job
After six years with the company, Bob Congers lost his job. Bob hadn’t done anything wrong. On the contrary, he was a good worker, but his company was cutting its workforce. In response, career experts developed strategies for holding on to a job:
Make sure everyone knows you. Being a good worker is sometimes
less important than making sure that people know you’re a good
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worker. Volunteer for new responsibilities, push your ideas, and generally make yourself visible.
Learn everything that could help you do your job better. If the company buys new computers, learn how to use them. If learning more about marketing could help you, take a short course in marketing.
Make sure you know everything about the company. And use this knowledge. If you find out that sales is becoming the most important department, try making a move to sales.
Be positive. People who find things to complain about are a lot less popular than people who find things to praise.
Improve your speaking and writing skills. Having good ideas isn’t enough. You need to be able to communicate your ideas.
Impress your boss. You can often impress a boss by arriving early and working late and by dressing in a businesslike way even if others dress casually.
In the end, it all comes down to one basic strategy: Make yourself so valuable that the company won’t want to lose you.
Task 3. Talk about these questions.
1.Are the strategies given in the article useful for places where you’ve worked or places you’ve heard about? Would you follow these strategies?
2.Which of the strategies seem most important? Which seem least important?
3.What other strategies for keeping a job can you think of?
Task 4. Find synonyms and antonyms for the following words in the text. The words are given in the same order as in the text:
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SYNONYMS |
ANTONYMS |
to reduce |
right |
to purchase |
bad |
division |
unimportant |
to beef |
invisible |
chief |
ignorance |
Task 5. Match the following words from the text with their definitions:
1) marketing |
a) to become better than before; to make sth better |
|
than before |
2) course |
b) a particular ability, especially one that needs |
|
training and experience to do well |
3) to improve |
c) to make an impression on; have a strong, lasting, |
|
or favorable effect on |
4) skill |
d) the activity of presenting, advertising and selling a |
|
company’s products in the best possible way |
5) to impress |
e) a complete series of lessons or talks on a particu- |
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lar subject |
Task 6. Give your opinion of each job by choosing information from columns A, B, C. (Gerund phrases). See Appendix 6.
|
A |
B |
C |
1. |
Working as a top manager |
sounds |
fantastic |
2. |
Being a politician |
seems |
fascinating |
3. |
Teaching students |
must be |
really rewarding |
4. |
Being an astronaut |
could be |
very challenging |
5. |
Operating on people |
would be |
pretty difficult |
6. |
Working as a lawyer |
|
nerve-racking |
7. |
Being a secret agent |
|
boring |
8. |
Being wealthy and not having to work |
|
awful |
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Task 7. Translate the following text into English using the dictionary:
Интервью с менеджером Менеджер: Ну, я обычно работаю в офисе, конечно. Я
провожу много времени на телефоне и работаю с почтой. Я должен каждый день докладывать генеральному директору, о том, что я делаю и почему. Я также должен встречаться с финансовым менеджером - два раза в неделю - чтобы обсудить цифры. Данные о продажах в каждом из наших филиалов поступают ежемесячно, поэтому каждый месяц я должен очень тщательно проверять их, чтобы убедиться, что мы достигли наших целей. Если мы ниже цели, как это иногда бывает, то я посещаю филиал и говорю об этом с менеджером филиала. Я также иногда выезжаю за границу, когда у нас проходят международные торговые ярмарки или важные встречи с нашей головной компанией.
Репортер: Вы когда-нибудь встречаетесь с клиентами? Менеджер: О, да. Довольно часто. Важные клиенты, та-
кие как правительство, всегда имеют дело непосредственно со мной.
Репортер: Чем еще вы занимаетесь?
Менеджер: Ну, мы должны готовить квартальные финансовые отчеты, и раз в год мы проводим наше Ежегодное Общее Собрание, на котором мы обсуждаем прошедший год и определяем цели на следующий год.
Репортер: Как часто ежегодные продажи компании падают ниже целевого показателя?
Менеджер: О, никогда!
UNIT 12. SEVEN SURPRISING STAY-HOME SALARIES
Task 1. Match the following English words and phrases with their Russian equivalents:
1) to telecommute |
a) понимать |
2) to be prone to something |
b) пересекаться |
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3) bachelor’s degree |
c) активы |
4) to require |
d) быть достаточным |
5) to figure out |
e) работать на дому |
6) accounting |
f) быть склонным к чему-либо |
7) to lend itself to something |
g) степень бакалавра |
8) endowment |
h) бухгалтерский учет |
9) assets |
i) окупиться |
10) to intersect |
j) подходить, годиться для |
|
чего-либо |
11) to suffice |
k) требовать |
12 to pay off |
l) вклад |
Task 2. Read the text and say which jobs appeal to you most.
Seven Surprising Stay-Home Salaries
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that at last count, 13.7 million Americans were telecommuting. Only one in four had a formal agreement in place with their employers. The vast majority simply arrange with a supervisor to spend a day or two a week out of the office.
The BLS advises telecommuting hopefuls to seek out employers with established telework programs. Certain jobs and industries are more prone to this arrangement, and some of them pay really well. Here are seven stay-home jobs with standout salaries.
Sales Representatives
According to the BLS, one in five sales reps telecommutes. The highest paying sales jobs usually involve technical and scientific products. These sales jobs are more likely to require a bachelor's degree. Studying marketing, business, or communications can be excellent preparation for this line of work. Stay-home salary: $68,270
Financial Analysts
Financial analysts help large companies and non-profit organizations figure out how, when, and where to invest their money. Often employed by investment banks, mutual funds, and insurance companies, the independent nature of the work lends itself to working from the home office. You'll need a bachelor's degree in finance, business
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