JOBS & CAREERS I. DISCUSSION: Looking for a job (class work) Work in pairs/small groups and discuss the questions below. Imagine you are looking for a job. a) Where do you start to look? b) What kinds of resources are available? c) Who are the best people to talk to? II. READING & VOCABULARY: Job advert (homework) Look up an advert for a job (in English) that you would like to do. Check the meaning of any new words/expressions and write them below. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ III. LISTENING & WRITING: CV (homework) a) Watch and listen to the video on how to write a good CV. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG2aEh5xBJE b) Write your own CV, print it out and bring it to your next class. IV. LISTENING & WRITING: Cover letter (homework) a) Watch and listen to the video on how to write a good cover letter. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wR4X-sAAFYI b) Study the following examples of good cover letters. Source: https://www.theguardian.com/careers/covering-letter-examples c) Write your own cover letter, print it out and bring it to your next class. V. LISTENING, NOTE TAKING & SPEAKING: INTERVIEW (class work) a) Watch and listen to the following job interview and spot the mistakes the job seeker is making. Write down the questions the interviewers are asking. Source: https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/youre-hired/episode-04 b) Your class will now be divided in groups consisting of a job applicant and interviewers. The interviewers read your CV and cover letter and then interview you for the job (using the questions from the video and/or their own ones). VI. READING & DISCUSSING (homework & class work) Read the following article and discuss the questions below. Not their parents' generation Part-time work: A growing number of Americans are choosing to work part-time, not because they have to, but because they want to. Many are young and university-educated, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Rather than working the long hours typical of their parents' generation, these young people are earning money with part-time jobs, while spending their free time doing things and developing skills they really enjoy. Andria Caruthers, 27, is one of the new part-timers. Caruthers is a graduate of the University of Missouri with a degree in journalism and public health. Her parents lost their jobs in 2009 during the financial crisis. “My parents kind of dedicated themselves and were loyal employees for a really long time and kind of had stressful lives,” Caruthers told Bloomberg News. “And looking back, I see them, the way they really threw themselves at their careers, and it kind of turned on them. I want more of a balanced life. I want to have a healthy work-life balance.” According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 20 million Americans work fewer than 35 hours a week for “non-economic reasons”. This means that they could find fulltime jobs, but choose not to. For two thirds of that number, working part-time allows them to care for families or to attend school or university; some of them are semi-retired. About six million Americans – mainly young people – work part-time because they do not want to depend on one job or employer.Alex Stuart, 24, has two part-time jobs and spends the rest of his time as a talent scout for Major League Soccer, the top professional football league in North America. Stuart, who has a degree in history from Duke University, lives with four other young men in New York, walks to work and makes his own meals to save money. “I'm making a sacrifice lifestyle-wise to do what I want,” he explains. “As time goes on, and my generation gets older, I think this path could become more commonplace.” Mike Preston, chief talent officer at Deloitte Consulting, predicts that up to 40 per cent of the US workforce could be working part-time by 2020. In 2014, just over ten per cent of Deloitte's 70,000 global employees worked part-time. The company's Open Talent Network was established to make contact with employees who are looking to work flexible hours. “The workforce of the past was organized around the company,” says Chauncey Lennon of J. P. Morgan. “The workforce of the future is organized around the worker. If we can't find the right people, it's going to hurt our bottom line.” Questions 1. Do you observe similar trends in your country? 2. Are there any ideas expressed in the article you quite agree/disagree with? If so, why? 3. What do you think the future employment trends will be? Source: http://www.business-spotlight.de/careers/trends/not-their-parents-generation (accessed on 13 March 2016) VII. LISTENING (class work) Listen and complete the gaps. Americans are apparently becoming more dissatisfied with the daily ______. A survey has found that worker dissatisfaction has been ______ ______ ______ for more than two decades. In 1987, about 60% of workers said they were satisfied, but today the figure is ______ to 45%. Dissatisfaction is growing in relation to all aspects of jobs, including job security, ______, ______, bonuses and potential for growth. Some economists believe that this dissatisfaction could ______ innovation, and hurt ______ and ______. Source: http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2011/09/ielts-listening-job-satisfaction.html