Part 7: Read the text below and answer questions (10pts).
Consultant A
A university degree is no guarantee of a job, and job hunting in itself requires a whole set of skills. If you find
you are not getting past the first interview, ask yourself what is happening. Is it a failure to communicate or are
there some skills you lack? Once you see patterns emerging it will help you decide whether the gaps you have
identified can be filled relatively easily. If you cannot work out what the mismatch is, get back to the selection
panel with more probing questions, and find out what you need to do to bring yourself up to the level of
qualification that would make you more attractive to them: but be careful to make this sound like a genuine
request rather than a challenge or complaint.
Consultant B
Do not be too dispirited if you are turned down for a job, but think about the reasons the employers give. The
often say it is because others are 'better qualified', but they use the term loosely. Those who made the second
interview might have been studying the same subject as you and be of similar ability level, but they had
something which made them a closer match to the selector's ideal. That could be experience gained through
projects or vacation work, or it might be that they were better at communicating what they could
offer. Do
n
take the comments at face value: think back to the interviews that generated them and make
a list of where
think the shortfall in your performance lies. With this sort of analytical approach you will
eventually get
yo
foot in the door.
Consultant C
Deciding how long you should stay in your first job is a tough call. Stay too long and future employers ma
question your drive and ambition. Of course, it depends where you are aiming
. There can be advantages in
moving sideways rather than up, if you want to gain real depth of knowledge. If
you are a graduate, spend
five or six years in the same job is not too long provided that you take full
advantage of the experience.
However, do not use this as an excuse for apathy. Graduates sometimes
fail to take ownership of their
ca
and take the initiative. It is up to you to make the most of what's available
within a company, and to mom
your progress in case you need to move on. This applies particularly if
you are still not sure where your