Bussines English Unit 1 - Company Structures and Recruitment

Business English
Unit 1
Company Structures
& Recruitment
Key to the materials

Vocabulary
Writing
Forum
Listening
Reading
Exercises
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Business English - Unit 1
Company structures
Most companies are made up of three groups of people: the
shareholders (who provide the capital), the management and the
workforce. The management structure of a typical company is shown in
an organisation chart.
At the top of the company hierarchy is the Board of Directors, headed by
the Chairperson or President. The Board is responsible for policy decision
and strategy. It will usually appoint a Managing Director or Chief
Executive Officer (CEO), who has overall responsibility for the running of
the business. Senior managers or company officers head the various
departments or functions within the company, which may include the
following:
Marketing
Finance
Public Relations (PR)
Production
Information Technology (IT)

Personnel or Human Resources (HR)
Research and Development (R&D)
Recruitment
When a company needs to recruit or employ new people, it may decide
to advertise the job or position in the appointments section of a
newspaper. People who are interested can then apply for the job by
sending in a letter of application or covering letter (US cover letter) and a
curriculum vitae or CV (US rsum) containing details of their education
and experience. A company may also ask candidates to complete a
standard application form. The companys Human Resources
department will then select the most suitable applications and prepare a
short list of candidates or applicants, who are invited to attend an
interview. Another way for a company to hire is by using the services of
recruitment agency (US search firm) who will provide them with a list of
suitable candidates.
Practise this
vocabulary!
Recruitment techniques.
Sample job advertisement

Prefer a Camping Trip to a Cocktail Party?
PATAGONIA has a new position open: Public Affairs Associate.
Job is based in Munich. Candidates must have substantial PR / Press
experience and strong writing skills. They must have serious proficiency
in technical sports (skiing, kayaking, climbing) and outdoor
experience. German mother tongue. Environmental background a
plus. No glamour its a gritty job!
Patagonia is a Californian company which designs and distributes
functional outdoor clothing. Send CV with picture to:
Patagonia. Nathalie Baudoin
Patagonia Gmbh
Retmorstrasse 50
8000 Munich 22 Germany
Interviews will be held in Munich during the last week of April.
The letter of application

The letter of application (also called the covering letter) can be as
important as the CV in that it often provides the first direct contact
between a candidate and an employer. If this letter is not well written
and presented, it will make a poor impression. The letter of application
normally contains three or more paragraphs in which you should:
1) Confirm that you wish to apply and say where you learned
about the job.
2) Say why you are interested in the position and relate your
interests to those of the company.
3) Show what you can contribute to the job by highlighting
your most relevant skills and experience.
4) Indicate your willingness to attend an interview (and
possibly state when you would be free to attend.)
Practice
Match Fiona's CV
information with
the right word or
expression.
Match the layout

of her cover letter
to itscontents.
Fill in the gaps

in Fiona's cover letter
with a suitable word
or expression.
Interviewing
What procedure does your company or a company you know go
through to recruit executive staff? Do they advertise or are most posts
filled internally?
Do you have any funny or shocking
anecdotes related to job interviews? Share
them with your classmates!
Typical stages of
a professional
interview.
Example of an
interview
assessment.
Grammar
review: verb
tenses.
Top ten tips on how to do well

at interviews.
Click on the headphones for the
first exercise, and on this note
for the second one.
Complete the
dialogue with
the missing
prepositions.
Assessment task
Your assessment task for the first unit will consist of a letter accepting or
rejecting a candidate based on a series of interview assessments.
Follow the instructions below to help you fulfill the task.
Remember to use as much vocabulary and structures from
this unit as you can!
Read the following interview assessments, and decide for each of the
following situations whether you would give the applicant the job or not.
Would you:
Accept the candidate?
Reject the candidate?
Call the candidate for a second interview?
Be prepared to justify your decision in each case by noting down your
reasons.
10
POSITION 1: SYSTEMS ANALYST
The applicant is a 36-year-old woman returning to work after giving

up her previous job to start a family three years ago.
She is well-qualified for the post and much more experienced than
any of the other applicants.
She is, however, a little out of touch with the latest developments in
the industry you work in and would require some retraining.
Most of the other applicants are younger men.
11
POSITION 2: MARKETING DIRECTOR
The applicant is a 29-year-old woman.

On paper she looks impressive and at interview she came across very
well indeed. In terms of experience and expertise, she is clearly the
best person for the post.
Theres only one problem: the job is in a country where women do not
have equal status with men and where very few women hold
management positions at all, let alone senior ones such as this.
12
POSITION 3: PRODUCTION MANAGER

The applicant is a 44-year-old woman.
You have recently interviewed twenty people for a very responsible
post within your company and she is one of the two on your final
shortlist.
The other most promising candidate is a 29-year-old man.
On balance, you think the man would probably be the better choice
but, at present, your company has only appointed three female
managers out of a total of thirty two and you are under a lot or
pressure from the personnel department to exercise positive
discrimination in favour of women.
13
POSITION 4: MANAGEMENT TRAINER

The applicant is a 31-year-old man.
The company you represent runs assertiveness training courses for
women in management and at the moment you have an all-female
staff.
Whilst the applicant has an excellent track record in management
training with mixed groups, you have some doubts about his
credibility running seminars exclusively for women, some of whom
tend to see male managers more as an obstacle than an aid to their
progress.
Youre also concerned about how the rest of the staff will react to
him.
14
Rejection Letter: Model

Dear Sir or Madam,
Re = regarding
Re: Systems Analyst post

Thank you for your application for this post.
Whilst we are impressed with your qualifications
and experience as well as with your performance
during the interview, we regret to inform you that
on this occasion you have not been successful.
As you know, there has been a large number of
applications for this post and the standard level
of applicants was extremely high. This is why you
should not feel that your non-selection is due to
any failings on your part.
I wish you every success in your future career. We
shall put your details on file and shall consider you
for any suitable vacancies that may arise in our
company.
Your sincerely,
When you write your

own letter, be more
specific regarding the
reasons for the
acceptance/rejection
of the candidate.
The beginning
and the end are
very formulaic,
as you can see.
15
Now write a letter either accepting or rejecting

ONE of the four candidates. When you're done
writing your letter, you can upload your
task in the course Moodle.
16

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Business English

Key to the materials

Information Technology (IT)

Business English - Unit 1

Sample job advertisement

The letter of application

Match the layout

Fill in the gaps

Business English - Unit 1

Business English - Unit 1

Top ten tips on how to do well

Business English - Unit 1

POSITION 1: SYSTEMS ANALYST

The applicant is a 36-year-old woman returning to work after giving

POSITION 2: MARKETING DIRECTOR

The applicant is a 29-year-old woman.

POSITION 3: PRODUCTION MANAGER

POSITION 4: MANAGEMENT TRAINER

Rejection Letter: Model

Re: Systems Analyst post

When you write your

Now write a letter either accepting or rejecting

Business English - Unit 1

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