Lekcja 10: ISO a job!

According to the Department of Labor, at the end of September the unemployment rate fell and is currently at 11.7 percent. If figures showed a decline, then why couldn’t I find a job?

My name is Tom and I’m a graduate of the Warsaw University. I majored in economics and political science. Having graduated with two diplomas I thought it would be easy finding a job. I had no idea how difficult it would be. The reality kicked in when I started applying. I sent my cover letters, CV’s and references to every classified ad that looked interesting and seemed in line with my field of study. During the first three months, when I received no replies, I didn’t worry too much. I kept sending even more CV’s and replying to all application forms. However, when six months passed and I was still unemployed I began to panic. What was I doing wrong, were my qualifications inadequate, didn’t I know enough languages? These questions and many more were occupying my mind and I felt quite helpless.

I decided to change my job searching tactics and seek help of a professional headhunter. He gave me some very interesting tips.

- He mentioned that recruiters and hiring managers are snowed under with resumes every day. Despite all those job ads the labor market is tight. You need to beat your competition by developing a sales pitch that would set you apart from the rest of the job seekers.

- Furthermore, you need to find the right company and get to the right person. Focus your research on identifying the companies most likely to hire you. Look for companies that either need someone with your expertise or are simply doing a lot of hiring.

- Lastly, do the search in a more old-fashioned way. Apart from e-mail communication, make a personal call. Don’t be discouraged if you’re turned down. Be persistent. You must convince the hiring manager that they need you. A positive attitude and self-confidence could be the key to success.

I decide to implement these tips and guess what, I got a job in less than a month! Now, I’m thinking of moving companies to gain more experience, but that’s a different story.

Vocabulary

Words-of-the-week

ISO – in search of (poszukuje)Other ‘job’ abbreviations:FT/PT – full-time work or part-time work (praca na pełny etat lub pół etatu)No exp req – no experience required (doświadczenie niewymagane)avail immed – available immediately (praca od zaraz)apply ASAP – apply as soon as possible (ubiegał się jak najszybciej)

Glossary:

majored in – to study something as your main subject at the university (specjalizował się w)cover letters – a letter you send with your CV in which you write why you want the job (list motywacyjny)inadequate – not good enough or of low quality (nieodpowiedni)snowed under – having too much of something (mieć pełne ręce roboty)resumes (American English) – CVtight – competitive (konkurencyjny)a sales pitch – a way of talking that persuades people to do things (język perswazji)persistent – doing something in a determined way (uparty, nieustępliwy)

Practice makes perfect

Complete the gaps with words from the text

1. What did you ………………. in? History.2. I can’t go out tonight. I’m ………………… with work.3. The shop assistant had a good ……………… I bought everything he recommended. 4. Be ………………! Don’t give up!

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