JAF03 Lesson 12 CV and Job Application I. Discuss with a partner Have you ever applied for a job in science? Would you like to work in science? What skills and qualities would you need for such a career? If you are not interested in a scientific career, what kind of job would you like to apply for in the future? Can you think of any jobs that you would particularly hate to do? What jobs do you associate with the following words – challenging, stressful, well-paid, responsible, job satisfaction, variety? Things you might do at work. Choose some of the items and construct sentences. Example: If I had to keep a record of everything I do, I would be very frustrated. § work as a research assistant in the lab § be responsible for projects § do experiments § write laboratory reports § supervise more junior researchers § be out in the field § answer the phone § give presentations § write scientific papers § make photocopies § arrange meetings for your boss § take the minutes at the meetings § organize conferences § keep a record of everything you do (Adapted from: MCCARTHY, Michael, O\'DELL, Felicity. English Collocations in Use. 2005. 190 s. CUP. ISBN 0-521-60378-1. ARMER, Tamzen. Cambridge English for Scientists.2011. CUP) II. 1. The essential CV Have you ever written a CV, cover letter or application form in English? Do you think that the information you would include or the way you organise a CV in English is the same as in Czech? What would you say is the main difference between an academic and an industry CV? Complete the blanks, the first letter is given: 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__________ . 2. Sections of CV - Would you use all the heading (a-l) in your CV? Why/why not? - What kind of information would you include under each heading? Make suggestions for each heading. - 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 3. 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, achieved, acquired, acted, adapted, added, addressed, adjusted, administered, advanced, advertised, advised, aided, allocated, analysed, applied, appointed, approved, arranged, assessed, assigned, assisted Write as many power verbs as possible starting with another letter. 4. 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? (adapted from McCarthy, M.; O´Dell, F. Academic Vocabulary in Use. Cambridge University Press, 2008) 5. Whose CV? Study and comment on 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) Now imagine yourself in 50 years and review all your achievements. Use the collocations studied in this unit. III. Interview 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? 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? (more at http://www.resumagic.com/job_interviews.html)