UNIT-X

Career Opportunities 

Working with words

A.      Complete the sentences with the correct words from the box below.

position                redundant                    professional         referee             verification

consultant            competence                 opportunity          imperative       achievement

a.     You must learn about 2000 Kanji to develop competence in spoken Japanese language.

b.    I can type both English and Nepali but not as fast as professional typists.

c.  When she was in class eight, she got the opportunity to participate in a national painting competition.

d.     The Prime Minister gave a long list of his achievement.

e.     He spent many years in jail before reaching the position of a minister.

f.      About fifty workers were made redundant because of the financial crisis in the factory.

g.     He is affiliated to the World Bank as a senior consultant.

h.     They registered my application after making verification of my documents.

i.      I requested my teacher to be my referee in my CV.

j.      To make Making our country self-sustained in food production is an imperative need at present.

B.    Define the following employment-related terms and use them in the sentences of your own.

volunteering, on the job training, career opportunity, skill development, apprenticeship, career counselling, credentials, human capital, internship, soft skills, minimum wage, recruitment, role model, aptitude and assessment

Volunteering:

      Definition:      working for an organization without being paid.

      Example:        Volunteering was one of my hobbies as a youth.

On the job training:

      Definition:    training that is given to an employee at their workplace while they are doing                                     the job they are being trained for

     Example:        I also think universities should offer real work experience and on the job training.

Career opportunity:      

Definition:    a job that provides a chance for one to use his or her training, develop extra skills, and have a realistic potential for future advancement. It simply refers to any opportunities that take one closer to his or her career goals.        

Example:       We find many career opportunities advertised for those who are interested in the banking sector.

Skill development:

Definition:    It is a process of identifying skill gaps and developing the skills that enable a person to achieve his/her goals.

Example:   The college conducts community development programs related to skill development and women empowerment.

Apprenticeship:              

      Definition:      a period of time working as an apprentice

      Example:        I took a culinary apprenticeship to learn the skills necessary to become a chef.

Career counselling:

Definition:     It is a process that helps one to know and understand himself or herself and the world of work in order to make career, educational and life decisions.

Example:        Each school should organize career counseling programs for its students.

Credentials:                    

Definition:   a qualification, achievement, quality, or aspect of a person's background, especially when used to indicate their suitability for something.

Example:        She has the perfect credentials for the job.

Human capital:              

Definition:   the skills, knowledge, and qualifications of a person, group, or workforce considered as economic assets

Example:     The corporation has become so valuable, not because of its fixed assets, but because of the human capital of its software engineers and programmers.

Internship:

     Definition:    It is a period of time during which someone works for a company or   organization                                     in order to get experience of a particular type of work.

Example:        I have started working in a bank as part of an internship.

Soft skills:            

Definition:     Soft skills are interpersonal skills such as the ability to communicate well with other people and to work in a team.

Example:        Soft skills are necessary for a school principal.

Minimum wage: 

Definition:   Minimum wage is defined as the minimum amount of remuneration that an employer is required to pay wage earners for the work performed during a given period, which cannot be reduced by collective agreement or an individual contract.

Example:        They claim that employees are paid the minimum wage.  

Recruitment:

Definition:      Recruitment is the process of actively seeking out, finding and hiring candidates for a specific position or job

Example:      As crime continues to rise, recruitment of city police officers has become a top priority for human resources. 

Role Model:

      Definition:      is a person whose behavior in a particular role is imitated by others.

      Example:        She talked about role models, but she is herself a good role model for many                                       people.

Aptitude:

      Definition:      is an ability or skill in learning.

      Example:        He has a natural aptitude for teaching.

Assessment:

Definition:    the process of testing, and making a judgement about, someone’s knowledge, ability, skills, etc., or the judgement that is made.

Example:        We are conducting a review of our training methods and our assessment criteria.

C.    Based on their pronunciation, divide the following words into two groups so that the vowel     sounds rhyme with here and hare.

          fear, fare, fair, bear, bare, beer, care, heir, ear, air, share, lair, leer, cheer, chair, share,

    sheer, shear, tear (v.), tear (n.), mere, mare, deer, dear, dare, clear, sneer, snare, gear

Here /ɪə/	Hare /eə/
Fear, bear, beer, ear, leer, cheer, sheer, shear, mere, deer, dear, clear, sneer, gear	Fare, bear, fair, bare, care, heir, air, share, lair, chair, tear, mare, dare, snare

Comprehension

Answer the following questions.

a.     What does a CV mean and why is it important in one’s career?

Curriculum vitae is a Latin term that literally means ‘course of life’.  It displays one’s personal details, experience and achievements related to their working life. It is important in one’s career as it is necessary when applying for jobs, seeking promotion and trying to get research funding.

b.     Does the same CV work for all job opportunities? Why or why not?

No. The same CV does not work for all job opportunities because different CVs are used or prepared for different purposes.

c.     What are the different areas where CV can help you?

CV can help us in different areas, including applying for jobs, seeking promotion and trying to get a research funding. In addition, it is useful in any circumstances in which somebody needs to judge our individual professional competence.

d.     What do you mean by ‘staying CV’ and ‘leaving CV’? Which one would you develop for yourself as a freshman?

A "staying CV" is a resume that is appropriate for university employees that includes extensive committee and administrative work, student counseling, significant teaching, and a solid track record of research. A "leaving CV," on the other hand, represents the preferences of a potential new employer and is likely to emphasize research accomplishments while still demonstrating one's overall competence and willingness throughout the range of responsibilities performed by academics.

e.      How can you draft a good CV?

A CV is an account of a person’s education, qualifications, achievements, and previous occupations. While drafting a good CV, I would be more careful in its structure, organization, framework, etc. I would include all relevant information. In addition, I would seek help in drafting it from friends, family, mentors, and more experienced colleagues. 

f.     What is the difference between academic CV and non-academic CV.

There are two key differences between academic and non-academic CVs. The first is that academic CVs tend to be quite a bit longer than non-academic ones. Another, possibly more important, distinction is that non-academics are urged to describe their traits and talents in basically unverifiable terms rather than by citing accomplishments that can be proven true.

Critical Thinking

a.         CV may not represent a person’s skills and abilities accurately because one’s confidence cannot be rendered in a paper. What do you think the employers should do to find the best people for the job?

A curriculum vitae (CV) is a list of a person's education, abilities, qualities, accomplishments, previous job, etc. On paper, it may not, however, correctly reflect a person's qualifications and talents. In my opinion, the following steps should be taken by employers to find the most qualified candidates:

·       Firstly, select the candidates from the available list, who meet your requirements for the jobs.

·       Secondly, decide on what qualities they require in an employee. For example, if they are looking for a candidate for public relations, they should be smart enough to prefer the person with good communication skills rather than the one with a good record of academic achievement.

·       Thirdly, an interview is a way of finding out whether the candidates have the required qualities for the jobs as mentioned in the CV.

·       Finally, choose the best of them who can contribute to the betterment of your institution along with their assigned duties.

b.         If the employers provide job opportunity by assessing one’s CV, how can fresh graduates compete with the experienced competitors?

Employers are said to select experienced candidates over new graduates based on CVs. This makes fresh graduates difficult to get opportunities. Candidates with more experience are more likely to be selected than those with less experience. It does not, however, imply that freshmen will not receive any breaks. What should fresh graduates then do to become competitive so that they have an equal chance of being given employment offers?

The answer is simple. There are certain fields where you should have advanced degrees in related field, and employers demand a good record of your academic achievements along with some experience. However, candidates with interpersonal skills, intelligence, and the ability to work under pressure, for instance, are typically selected. Therefore, it is crucial that recent graduates prepare themselves so that they may stand out from the vast field of applicants and establish themselves as the top prospects who can be trustworthy for employers.

Grammar

Conditional Sentences

    A.   Study the following examples which are taken from the text above.

a.    If you have a staying CV when it does, then you won’t be in the best possible position to grab it.

b.   A prospective employer may need to verify your statements regarding, for example, work permit status, qualifications and may need to take a criminal record check especially if the job involves working with children.

    B.   Rewrite the following sentences using the correct form of the verbs.

a.     If you sell your stocks now, you will not get much money for them. (not/get)

b.     A lot of people would lose job if the factory closed down. (close down)

c.     Our country won’t have to export wheat if it rains in November and February. (rain)

d.     If we had found him earlier, we could have saved his life. (find)

e.     If he had not been wearing helmet, he would have been seriously injured. (be)

f.      Unless you follow the instructions, you will not pass the exams. (not/ pass)

g.     I don’t mind walking home as long as the weather is fine. (be)

h.     The bank will sanction you the loan provided you deposit a collateral. (deposit)

i.      What would you have done if you had not got this job? (you/do)

j.      If you had the choice, where would you live? (you/live)

    C.   Change the following sentences into ‘if sentences’ as in the example.

           Example:        I did not go to a restaurant because I was not hungry.

                                   I would have gone to a restaurant if I had been hungry.

a.     The driver was talking on the phone, so the accident happened.

If the driver had not talked on the phone, the accident would not have happened.

b.     There is not anyone at home because all the lights are off.

If there was someone at home, all the lights would not be off.

c.     He must be an educated person because he has subscribed ‘The Kathmandu Post.’

If he had not been an educated person, he would not have subscribed ‘The Kathmandu Post.’

d.     His head was not injured in the accident because he had put the helmet on.

His head would have been injured in the accident if he had not put the helmet on.

e.     I am sure he passed the exam because he gave a heavy treat to his friends.

If he had not passed the exam, he would not have given a heavy treat to his friends.

f.      You didn’t take any breakfast, so you are hungry now.

You would take breakfast if you were hungry.

g.     I am sure he is a doctor because he is wearing a white gown.

If he were not a doctor, he would not wear a white gown.

h.     She is very rich, so she drives a Mercedes.

If she were not rich, she would not drive a Mercedes.

i.      I didn’t know it was only half a kilometer from my house, so I booked a ride.

If he had known it was only half a kilometer from my house, he would not have booked a ride.

j.      He has hidden something in his mind, so he does not look fresh.

      If he had not hidden anything in his mind, he would have looked fresh.