Job seekers, ill-suited for interviews
Today we are going to do an exercise based on a Times article about “job seekers”. Just the opposite of what the protagonists of this song does.
You must choose which of the paragraphs A-G match the numbered gaps in the extract from a newspaper article (From the Times). There is a one extra paragraph which does not belong to any of the gaps.
Job hunters are abandoning the suit and dressing in outrageous clothes in order to stand out from the other candidates.
1______________________________
Another candidate, determined to show the prospective employer how desperately he needed the job had large holes in his shoes.
2______________________________
“Examples of odd interview attire offered by managers taking part in a survey we conducted varied from the merely inappropriate to the provocative, and even revolting: earrings, pony tails, shorts, bright yellow suits and pink corduroys were listed. And that was just for men.”
3______________________________
In a slightly different approach, another man tried to unsettle the interviewer by refusing to take off his overcoat although it was a sweltering hot day and the interview room was warm.
4______________________________
One woman showed how much she felt at home in the office by finishing off her interview attire with a rather delightful pair of gold slippers. Laddered tights, loud and revolting ties, sunglasses and tattoos were cited as pet hates on the interview circuit.
5______________________________
‘In creative environments such as advertising, people can get away with more unconventional dress than within, say, accountancy,” he explained.
6_____________________________
‘You are likely to score more points in that crucial time by looking smart and professional rather than by trying to stand out from the crowd with a style of dress that may be alien and ridiculous to the interviewer.’
A)
Mr Grout said: ‘To increase your chances of getting a job at the interview stage, you need to play the interview game and ensure that you are appropriately dressed for the profession and the position.
B)
Jeff Grout, Managing Director of Robert Hall, the financial recruitment specialist, said: ‘Many interview candidates are abandoning the conservative suit and sensible shoes for a look that is bound to get them noticed – but for the wrong reasons.
C)
While the men tended to be unconventional or just plain scruffy, the women dressed to kill.
D)
Another female candidate, who was extremely thin, managed to turn up in a suit which she had apparently borrowed from a friend several sizes larger.
E)
‘However, as the decision to hire is made within the first five minutes of the meeting, possibly before the candidate has spoken, dress and personal presentation are the key to the decision-making process.
F)
One young hopeful sped into the interview room on a skateboard.
G)
Other male candidates made their mark at important interviews by turning up in a boiler suit, baseball boots or different colour socks.
Vocabulary
Outrageous: extravagant (ES: escandaloso, vergonzoso, atroz)
ill-suited: not suitable; inappropriate (ES: inapropiado, mal vestidos)
Attire: clothes (ES: vestimenta, atuendo)
Revolting: repulsive, disgusting (ES: horrible, asqueroso, repugnante)
Corduroys : type of cotton fabric (ES: de pana)
To stand out: to be much better than other similar things or people or to be very noticeable (ES: destacar)
Turn up == show up (ES: Aparecer)
Speed into (ES: entrar corriendo)
Unsettle: trouble, make uneasy (ES: desconcertar, inquietar, perturbar)
Skateboard (ES: monopatín)
Scruffy: untidy person (ES: desaliñado)
Ensure (ES:asegurar)
Slippers: (ES: zapatillas de andar por casa)
Finish off : complete, perfect (ES: rematar)
Laddered tights (ES: pantys con carreras)
Pet hates: something that annoys you a lot (ES: cosas odiosas)
Maths is my pet hates
Swelter: be uncomfortably hot (ES: hacer un calor sofocante,)
Boiler suit: (Es: mono de trabajo)
Be bound +to + infinitive (ES: muy probable que) == Be certain == Be like + to + infinitive (ES: es probable que)
They are like to buy a new car
She is like to get married next summer
Keys
1) F
2) B
3) G
4) C
5) A
6) E