JAF03 Lesson 12 CV and Job Application
I. Discuss with a partner
1. Have you ever applied for a job in science? If not, what kind of job would you like
to apply for in the future?
2. Have you ever written a CV, cover letter or application form in English?
3. Do you think that the information you would include or the way you organise a
CV in English is the same as in Czech?
4. What would you say is the main difference between an academic and an industry
CV?
II. The essential CV – complete the blanks:
1. There is no single correct f__________ of a CV.
2. Emphasise the skills, accomplishments and experience most r___________ for the
reader and position.
3. Your strongest qualities should s__________ out when skimmed.
4. Arrange the information into categories in order of i_______________ .
5. The information within the categories should be in r__________ chronological order.
6. A_________ pronouns and jargon.
7. Do not include personal information, such as marital status, g_______ or date of
birth.
8. Use bullet points rather than full s__________ .
III. Sections of CV
1. Would you use all the heading (a-l) in your CV? Why/why not?
2. What kind of information would you include under each heading? Make
suggestions for each heading.
3. How would you organise the sections in your CV? Put the list if headings in the best
order.
a) Computer skills
b) Dissertations
c) Education
d) Grants and awards
e) Personal information
f) Presentations
g) Publications
h) Research experience
i) Study abroad
j) Teaching experience
k) Technical skills
l) Travel
IV. Improve your CV with power verbs
The following list of power verbs is to help you think of your skills, experience and
achievements. Using "action verbs", as they are often called, will help you create a
more powerful resume. Try not to use the same word over and over. Use a
synonym instead.
A: accelerated, accomplished, accounted for, achieved, acquired, acted, adapted, added,
addressed, adjusted, administered, advanced, advertised, advised, aided, allocated,
analysed, applied, appointed, approved, arranged, assessed, assigned, assisted,
attained, attended, audited
Write as many power verbs as possible, all starting with the same letter.
V. Research collocations. Read these descriptions of their research by academics and then
answer the questions below.
a) Dr. Janeja: “We wanted to see if we could explain the fact that the expansion of the universe
is accelerating.”
b) Dr. Finstein: “Our research questioned the notion that larger mammals only appeared long
after the dinosaurs had died out.”
c) Prof. Li: “We carefully restricted our sample to people born within ten kilometres of the lake.”
d) Prof. Simons: “We wanted to build on existing research and offer new insights into the effects
of stress.”
e) Dr. Andreas: “We really wanted to put into practice some of the research on e-learning to
improve our present system.”
f) Prof. Horza: “We were hoping to instigate a new type of investigation.”
g) Dr. Tadeus: “ We had no detailed plan at the outset; things developed as we went along.”
1. Whose team took a deliberate decision to do something?
2. Whose team wanted to further the understanding of something?
3. Whose team did not have a strategy for their research?
4. Who wanted to start something that had not existed before?
5. Whose team was interested in the application of something?
6. Whose purpose was it to establish a reason for something?
7. Whose research challenged an existing idea?
VI. Rewrite the sentences using the expressions given.
1. We aimed to define and evaluate a new approach to urban planning. (We had as our goal … )
2. I did not intend to become a scientist when I began my studies. (I had no … )
3. A methodology based on hypothesis does not work in some cases. (A hypothesis- … )
4. Our project is located in the area where sociology and psychology meet. (Our project is
located at the … )
(adapted from McCarthy, M.; O´Dell, F. Academic Vocabulary in Use. Cambridge University Press, 2008)
VII. Whose CV? Study the CV of a distinguished scientist.
Date and Place of Birth
29 May 1929 at Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumbria, United Kingdom
Childhood
• Birmingham 1930-1941, Bristol 1941-1946
University Education
• King’s College, University of London 1947-1954
Degrees
• BSc (First Class Honours) in Physics 1950, MSc 1951
• PhD 1954
Professional Career
• Reader in Mathematical Physics, University of Edinburgh 1970-1980
• (On leave at CERN, Geneva) (Oct-Dec 1976)
• Professor of Theoretical Physics, University of Edinburgh 1980-1996
• Professor Emeritus, University of Edinburgh 1996 -
Fellowships
• Fellow of the King's College London 1998
• Honorary Fellow of the Institute Of Physics 1999
Prizes
• DSc University of Cambridge 2012
• Rutherford Medal, Institute of Physics (with T W B Kibble) 1984 etc.
Publications
“Spontaneous Symmetry Breakdown without Massless Bosons” Phys. Rev. 145 1156 (1966)
(http://www.ph.ed.ac.uk)
VIII. Now imagine yourself in 50 years and review all your achievements. Use the
collocations studied in this unit.
IX. Preparing for an interview
What do you have to do before an interview?
How would you prepare your presentation – would you read it from a script, memorise it
or use only notes?
Phone and video conferencing are common for interviews nowadays. What do we have
to remember before attending a conference call interview?
X. With a partner, go through the list of job interview questions and identify those that
are particularly tricky or even illegal. Which question would take you by surprise?
Job Interview Questions
1: Tell me about yourself.
2: Where do you see yourself in five years?
3: Are you willing to relocate?
4: Are you willing to travel?
5: Are you willing to work overtime?
6: What book are you currently reading?
7: What is the last movie that you saw?
8: What are your hobbies and interests outside of work?
9: What do you like to watch on television?
10: What jobs did you have as a teenager?
11: Who are your references?
12: May I contact your references?
13: Will you take a lie-detector test?
14: How do you feel about air travel?
15: Have you ever owned your own business?
16: How is your health?
17: What do you do to maintain your health?
18: Do you have any physical problems that limit your abilities?
19: What organizations are you a member of?
20: How do you balance career and family?
21: What is your greatest strength?
22: What is your greatest weakness?
23: Do you work better alone or as part of a team?
24: Do you consider yourself to be organized? Manage time well?
25: Are you a risk-taker?
26. Are you a self-starter?
27: How do you react to criticism from supervisors?
28: How well do you handle change?
29: Are you opposed to doing a lot of routine work?
30: How do you resolve disputes with co-workers?
(more at http://www.resumagic.com/job_interviews.html)