English Session 2-Handout

Talking about jobs
I t ’s a very challenging profession.
USEFUL TIPS: When telling people about your job:

• Be brief and precise.
• Show how your job benefits people or organizations.
• Make sure that your description is relevant to the person you are talking to.
• Avoid technical terms or acronyms unless talking to a fellow expert.
• Accentuate the positive aspects rather than the negative.
Conversation
Jen n y Harris w o rks fo r a charity o rgan iza tio n called Foodaid.
О 07 She's atten ding a careers fa ir at a u niversity w here students can
talk to representatives from lots o f com panies to see if th ey w ould
like to join them .
Student Excuse me, are you working on the Foodaid stand?
Jenny Yes, can 1help you?
S Well, can you tell me what jobs at Foodaid involve?
J There are lots of jobs at Foodaid which involve doing all sorts of different things. What subject do
you study at university?
S Engineering.
J Very important for Foodaid. My colleague, Hassan Sahin, for example, is a mechanical engineer and
he is responsible for helping farmers in countries such as Chad or Pakistan where we work as an
NGO to drill water wells.
S Er... an NGO?
J Sorry, a Non-Governmental Organization.
S Right, of course. And what do you do?
J Well, actually I'm a lawyer. I'm in charge of managing the legal department and we make sure
that Foodaid understands any legal issues that might crop up in the work it does.
s 1hope 1don't sound rude, but you look very young to do that.
J That's what's so good about Foodaid! You get important responsibilities very quickly. A friend of mine
is working in Somalia and she manages a development budget of about two million dollars and she
supplies the whole of West Africa with trucks for transporting food and equipment. It's a very
challenainq job and she's only 23!
s 1see. But, as it's a charity, do you get paid for your work?
J Yes, of course. You'll never be rich working for Foodaid, but you get paid. Very often people like you
work with us for a few years to gain experience and then they move on to other jobs. Lots of
companies like the fact that you've worked for a charity.
Speaking
UNIT 2 |Talking about jobs
S: Hmm. So, what makes a job with Foodaid interesting, then?

J: It's very rewarding. You feel you are doing something useful with your skills, not just making some
company shareholders rich. And even if the work is demanding, it's never boring.
S: It sounds really interesting. Thanks for telling me about it.
J: That's fine. Here's some more information about what we do and my card. If you have any more
questions, just give me a ring...
Understanding
Look again at the strategies outlined in Useful tips. W hich strategies does
Jen n y em ploy successfully w hen ta lkin g to the student? U nderline the
relevant parts in the conversation and note the strate gy in the m argin.
Does Jen ny m ake any m istakes?
Saying it accurately
Match the sentences on the left w ith their corresponding responsibilities

on the right. Follow the exam ple.
I'm a nurse. I'm responsible for making sure that our projects
I w ork in come in on schedule and within budget.
m arketing. My job involves managing my customers' money
I'm a m anager effectively and profitably.
on a construction My company develops websites for clients.
site. My main responsibility is to promote new
I'm a PA. products ahead of their launch.
I'm an IT I'm in charge o f designing new buildings for our
programmer. clients.
I'm a project I help to look after people when they are sick.
manager. My job entails organizing my boss's affairs.
I'm an architect. I oversee a team of 250 builders and twenty
I'm a banker. administrative staff.
Q Use phrases from Saying it accurately 1 to describe w h a t these people

do. A ccentuate the positive features o f each job, fo llo w in g the exam ple.
1 I'm an estate agent. I help people find the right house to buy.
2 I'm a lawyer............................................................................................................
3 I'm an accountant.................................................................................................
4 I'm a pediatrician..................................................................................................
5 I'm a personnel m anager....................................................................................
6 I'm a professor. ....................................................................................................
7 I'm an IT support manager. ..............................................................................
8 I'm an entrepreneur. ..........................................................................................
Practise sayin g the sentences aloud.
Section 1: Networking

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Talking about jobs

I t ’s a very challenging profession.

USEFUL TIPS: When telling people about your job:

S: Hmm. So, what makes a job with Foodaid interesting, then?

Match the sentences on the left w ith their corresponding responsibilities

Q Use phrases from Saying it accurately 1 to describe w h a t these people

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