Самохина Т.С. Дианова Е.М. Upgrade Your Language Skills. Unit 3 (тексты)

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recommend that you use your sense of humor whenever possible. You will possibly

agree that when you are applying for a job as an instructor in a traditional Russian

school or university with your interviewer being a highly respectable authority in

education, ifyou start cracking jokes and smiling every other minute you may look

familiar, shallow and even ill-mannered. Every organization has its own culture,

tradition, folklore and signs of deference. But there are some things to consider that

may help everyone.

Ifyou were a successful student and passed your examinations well, you probably

used a time-honored rule: "To earn higher grades, study the teacher not just the

subject." For an interview, you will not have time to study the interviewer in advance,

but you can try to assess who's interviewing you and adjust your own style and level

of formality accordingly. If your style matches the interviewer's, you can establish

chemistry. It is only natural that employers want to hire people in their own image:

if your interviewer speaks slowly, slow down your rate of speech, if he/she is an

aggressive active person, boost your own energy, if he/she talks shop, show that you

understand them. In other words, ifyou look and act as ifyou fit in, and know what

you are talking about, you will be taken seriously.

It has been mentioned above that a broad smile will not always bring you credit in

a Russian office. Nevertheless, in a more reserved manner, you need to project a

reasonable degree of positivism and enthusiasm about the job you are trying to get.

Surprising as it may seem, many young graduates who made top grades at the

university assume that they are hot stuff and will be an adornment to any organization.

Since they were treated kindly or even mothered by their professors, they tend to treat

their potential employers as peers, but not as superiors, forgetting about the proper

level of formality. That tells immediately in their body language and speech, which

may be colloquial and casual. Just as you took pains to come to a job interview, you

must now do your best to show your potential employer that you respect their

company, want to be one of them and are ready to work hard to deserve it.

Another problem is closely connected with the preceding advice: especially when

you are young, it is difficult not to be self-centered. Your own priorities may stand so

high that you forget that the company wants somebody whom they need and your

task accordingly is to prove that this somebody is you. Your interest in the company,

and not in yourself alone, can be manifested in polite questions about the company's

plans and policies, but most of all is reflected in how you present your abilities and

qualifications. Ifyou manage to show that you can do what they want you to do, and

that you like it, you will be miles ahead of other candidates.

You know that in many positions your lack of experience is a big disadvantage.

However, everyone has experience of a kind: even your social activities at the

university in case they are presented correctly, can prove your abilities and potential.

You can also compensate for your lack of experience with your qualifications,

enthusiasm, ability to learn quickly, and most of all your sense of responsibility. What

most of the employers are afraid of when seeing a young person, is getting a spoiled

kid who expects to be babied every step of the way, and then leaves the company with

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a bang at the most inappropriate moment, if the job does not give him/her instant

gratification. It's natural therefore that if you really want to get this job you must

show yourself as a mature individual who is not acting on impulse, but is quite

serious about his/her choices. Fight for your place in life: change a negative into a

positive: you are young, but you are strong and can learn fast!

Many young graduates are frustrated by questions about their strengths and

weaknesses. After the personal evaluation that you had in this unit, you are probably

better equipped to answer, but mind: never be tempted to lie! Surprising as it is.

young people very often claim to possess qualities that they don't have and fail to see

what is on the surface. An experienced interviewer, meanwhile, can figure out the

kind of person you are fairly quickly. Another thing to be remembered is that when

you score your strengths or weaknesses, you are not required to make a personal

confession, but to concentrate on the qualities which are important for the kind of

work you are applying for. Thus being self-contained and introverted is not a

weakness if you are going to work in a research laboratory, but is a distinct minus for

a receptionist position.

Russian job-seekers are always confused by money questions. The reaction to the

question: '"How much do you expect to earn?" can be absolutely irrational. The

reason for it is that we are not prepared for choices in this area. In western

companies, just as in some Russian ones, salaries can be negotiated, especially if you

are really a valuable employee. For a young graduate, sad as it may be, it is more

likely that you will have to begin with a fixed entry-level salary for your position. In

case you were not informed about it before the interview, it is all right to ask the

interviewer at an appropriate time. If the amount quoted is absolutely unacceptable

you don't have to accept. But even if you think it's too little, don't refuse

immediately. Especially if you see that the interviewer likes you, ask if there is an

opportunity to get a raise in the near future, and then ask for some time to think.

After the interview. Hopefully, the interviewer told you when the final choice of a

candidate would be made. If there is no call from them and time passes by, it is

absolutely all right to call and ask about their decision. Unfortunately, some

companies just like to keep you hooked while banking on another candidate. The

good news is that you don't have to sit waiting idly: in case they are playing for time,

go on with your job search: a screening interview is not a life commitment! Even if

you are rejected, don't take it as a personal tragedy: rejection is part of life and very

often it is the beginning rather than the end!

Tasks

1. Read the text and make a list of "do's" and "don't's" at a job interview in writing.

Preserve the wording of the text.

2. Study the list you have made and arrange the recommendations in order of their priority:

place the most important ones at the top of the list and the least important at the

bottom.

3. Find below some more "do's" and "don't's" for a job interview. Grade each of them as

"very important", "culture-biased" or "unimportant."

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PART 4. Making a Leap into the Future

Learning Objectives:

1. Develop an awareness of how different college and corporate worlds are.

2. Learn the strategies for starting a career successfully.

3. Explore the notion of corporate culture.

Text 1. Making a Smooth Transition from Student to Full-time Employee

It looks like you've almost made it! The tedious exams, endless tests, graduation

scare — they will soon be in the past. What are you feeling at the moment, graduate?

Free at last, with the big world at your feet? Or are you feeling lost and afraid to leave

the secure walls of your university? However, no matter how you answer the

question, time cannot be reversed and you are supposed to make the transition into

the real world.

Life in and after college. If you look back dewy-eyed to the so-called best days of

your life, you may be destined to a life as an eternal student. In all honesty, what lots

of young graduates used to enjoy so much is the irresponsibility of studenthood. You

may not like this word, but what it means is that most of the decisions were made for

you. Your short-term and long-term goals can be very simple: pass an exam with a

good grade, graduate on time. With the permissiveness of Russian university system,

you really were given a perfect opportunity to be reckless now and again, and it takes

something really special to get expelled, especially in the senior years. Aside from

regular class attendance, you may have led a rather carefree, happy-go-lucky life.

Sleeping until noon, cutting class, failing to turn in homework on time — few honest

students will claim that they have never done so.

Another thing that could make you feel secure is that at the university you used

to be one of many. Most of the people around you were of similar age, academic

ability and, in most of the cases, social background. The limited social set of like-

minded people makes the atmosphere enclosed and rarified. In contrast to your

department, the real world is packed with people from different generations and

social groups with diverse experiences. Competitiveness is very different in the real

world around you: it is not just a matter of making better grades than your fellow-

students; it is about finding your new identity and new image. You understand that

you will not be automatically promoted with the rest of the team, but will have to

excel and stand out to get a promotion and a salary raise. In other words, you come

to realize that you are on your own.

If you were lucky enough to be taught by friendly and caring professors, you

probably internalized the consequent feeling of self-worth and importance,

especially if you used to be at the top of the group. Having the right to speak out. and

even being encouraged to do so, might have given you the idea that you are hot stuff.

a prodigy showing great promise. The real world, however, welcomes you with a well-

established hierarchy in which you are to find your place, and earn the right to be

heard. It is often the case that young graduates fresh from universities expect to get

a lot of attention, counseling and praise, forgetting that their role has changed from

a taker into a giver.

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All the above probably leaves us with the conclusion that to make a move from

college to the workplace requires, first of all, changing your attitude and learning to

play a new role — that of a career-minded young professional. If you have a

wholesome mind-set, you will probably make the most of the first three months on

the job, which are really crucial for launching your career.

Here are some guidelines for establishing yourself as a valuable new employee:

1. Learn to respect the people you come to work with and the organization you

work for. Instead of cultivating negative and critical attitudes, bear in mind that

your superiors and colleagues — probably against great odds — have built and

preserved something which is called a company, a business or organization,

and have now the opportunity to offer you a job. No matter how good you are.

you are the last in.

2. Get your bearings in the organizational culture. Be a keen observer to learn

how things get done in your company; identify the corporate value system,

dress code, rituals, rules and norms of behavior. You may not like everything

that you see, but before you become a whistle-blower, you must adjust to the

corporate culture, and learn to perform your responsibilities to the satisfaction

of those who evaluate your work.

3. Associate with winners, not whiners. In every company you may find a share of

disgruntled workers who spend more time criticizing the organization than

doing the job they were hired to do. They are usually losers who are not headed

anywhere, and who don't want anyone else to advance. If you want to advance,

associate with seasoned employees who have contributed to the organization

and are willing to share their insights and perspectives with you.

4. Network wisely. A key ingredient of success no matter where you work is

making appropriate connections that will open doors of opportunity for you.

Stay in contact with distinguished professors and college administrators who

can contribute to your career advancement. Being open to new experiences

and ready to communicate with people on both personal and professional

bases increases the odds of becoming aware of exceptional opportunities that

otherwise would escape your attention.

5. Set goals and strive to attain them. Probably you breezed through school

without much personal or professional direction, but now it is time to get your

priorities in place. Your lifelong ambitions will never be realized if you are

balancing between different areas of knowledge, industries and roles. Onh

when you focus your energy and efforts on clear-cut goals can you enhance

your career progression.

6. Establish a reputation as dependable and committed. The thing is that in a bus\

modern organization of today you can't expect to be babied at every step.

Everybody makes mistakes, but the important thing is to learn from them and

constantly improve your performance. Opportunities come to those who

prepare for greater responsibilities.

7. Have a disciplined lifestyle. Lifestyle relates to physical and emotional health

As a student you may have enjoyed a nonstop social life, but as a full-time

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others shoulder their responsibilities. You can always take the best of your

university years with you: the knowledge and

skills, your friends and memories. As Katharina Viner writes in "The Future Starts

Here..." {Cosmopolitan, 06/93):

"There is life after graduation, and it's waiting for every ex-student who looks for

it (and wants it). College provided you with the bricks; it's up to the graduate to mix

the mortar. Believe me, the fun is in the building."

Tasks

1. Read the text to obtain the information and divide it into two distinct parts as to the

contents. Give a name to each part to highlight the message of the text.

2. Reread the part dealing with life in college. Write out the most characteristic features of

students' life as the author sees them. Agree or disagree with each of them, giving your

reasoning based on your first hand experience. Do not forget to use the formulas for

agreement and disagreement.

3. Make a comparison between life in and after college based on the concepts treated in

the text. Use the formulas for comparing and contrasting.

4. Reread the part dealing with the guidelines for launching your career effectively. Do you

agree with all the recommendations given, or do you find some of them subjective or

culture-biased?

5. Would you like to rearrange the sequence of the guidelines given in the text as to their

importance and priorities to you personally?

6. Would you like to share any other recommendation that you probably worked out yourself

on the basis of your own or other people's experience? If you feel at a loss to answer this

question, consult the people around you whom you respect (family members or teachers).

7. Find below some other recommendations for a career success taken from western

magazines. Comment on each of them, expressing your attitude about their

effectiveness. Single out the recommendations which contradict each other, or which

are culture-biased to your mind.

- Observe and listen: the best listeners make the best communicators - and

communication is central to making an impact on others.

- In case you were not the lucky one to be born with a positive mind, you can and

should cultivate it.

- Develop a self-marketing plan. Decide on your personal style and approach and

then make yourself visible at every opportunity.

- To make a lasting impression on people, work smart, not hard!

- Adopt a confident, determined frame of mind.

- Make learning a habit to develop your skills further. Find gaps in your knowledge

and work out how to fill them.

- Stand by your boss. He/she will appreciate your support and may reward your

loyalty.

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10. Write a short farewell speech which you might give at a farewell party. This task can be

approached either seriously or with a sense of humor, and addressed either to the

members of administration and staff or to your fellow students. Include memories of

"the good old days" and wishes for the future.

Text 2. Corporate Culture

Corporate culture has become a popular thing to discuss, and there are scores of

definitions given by organizational theorists. The approach shared by many is that

corporate culture presents an expression of basic assumptions and beliefs displayed

at a deeper level, which operate unconsciously and hold the organization together.

For employees, however, corporate culture is a certain list of unspoken rules, shared

values, which provide common direction and guidelines for their day-to-day

behavior. Every organization has a culture. You may fail to notice it from the outside

but it still exists. If you are a new employee who wants to fit in and thrive in the

company, you will get nowhere without trying to evaluate the organization

concerned.

There are some observed behavioral regulations, which are easy to analyze, like

common language, terminology, and rituals related to deference and demeanor.

Some people can address each other on a first name basis; in other organizations the

relations are strictly formal and deference to age and position is explicit. Members

of the organization may share professional slang and manners of behavior that can

make them stand apart from people in other organizations or even departments.

Evidence of a culture may be reflected in the stories of the glorious past, traditions

and service excellence, which are shared verbally or in writing. Symbols are another

outward manifestation of a culture. There may be logos, pictures, trophies, a

uniform or dress code, which are cherished and respected by all the members of the

organization. Another easily observed thing is the physical layout of the company —

that is, what you actually see when you enter the premises. You may find yourself in

a friendly environment or in a strictly formal one, a modest looking office suite or a

fancy reception area with marble floors and a fountain of running water. Whatever

you see is a reflection of how the company operates and wants to be perceived.

There are, however, hidden things that you may fail to see at first glance, because

they exist at the level of mindset, emotions and motivation. These things are the

shared values of the organization, beliefs that are more specific and usually overtly

talked about and underlying assumptions which influence how the organization

operates and performs. These values and beliefs are reflected in the day-to-day

behavior of the management and employees, control systems and organization

strategies, training and promotion routines and management style. Customer

service, rules of how to get things done or fix the problems you encounter in your

workplace — all depend on the corporate culture which may strongly differ from

organization to organization.

The opinion shared by many is that there are strong and weak cultures.

conservative and innovative ones, friendly and strongly competitive, personal or

impersonal. It is hard to say which type of culture is the best one - the bottomline is

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the company's successful performance and resilience. Strong cultures enjoying

long-term economic success can be a strong obstacle to change, which is an essential

ingredient of life nowadays. Particularly if they were set up and cultivated by a strong

leader, such cultures may develop comfort zones and become victims of past success.

Strong cultures are in danger of falling into "group think' which prevents them from

keeping pace with changes in the external environment, and leads to corporate

arrogance and isolation. It is not at all easy to change a deep-seated internal culture;

the process demands long-term commitment and a patient strategy of top-down

communications, motivation, training and support.

If you have found a position and are about to start your career, it is your

responsibility to evaluate the organization concerned, and to assess for yourself how

you can best fit in and thrive. Try to answer the questions given below, which will help

you to conduct cultural analysis, and provide you with an insight, understanding and

a road map for future action.

Layout and premises

Where is the company located? Is the office space well-organized? Is it easy to get

around in the building? Is the office neat and clean? What was the overall feeling that

you got when you first came there?

Symbols

What language or jargon is used? What objects or status symbols are displayed and

to what extent do they emphasize conformity? What is the dress code?

Stones

Do stories told by the staff referto success or failure, to the past orto the present,

to difficulties or progress? Who are the "bad and good guys" in these stories?

Structure

Is the structure of the company presented by a strong hierarchy? Is it easy to

communicate with the top management? Do you know to whom you are answerable

and is it easy for you to get in touch with your immediate supervisor?

Control systems

What is being closely controlled? Are you left pretty much alone to get on with

the job? Is there a noticeable system of reward and punishment? What is the way to

get promoted?

Power structures

Who is the chief decision maker in your company? What levels of staff in the

company take part in the decision making? Who is held responsible in the company

for mistakes and how are mistakes handled?

Routines and rituals

What are the standard ways participants interact and conduct themselves with

customers, outsiders, peers, superiors and subordinates? What things are welcomed

and what things are frowned upon?

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