The World around Us. Любинская Н.А. - 10 стр.

      – The general tendency obviously will be a growing competition
      – A decline

E.   Writing
Write a mini-composition describing the current situation with students enroll-
ments in Russia and giving reasons for their decline.

                               Unit 3. New Hiring Policy
Lead in
University or College graduates look for jobs. They send their resumes to differ-
ent firms and sometimes they are invited for interviews.

                      Fit for Hiring? It’s Mind Over Matter
        New York – Members of America’s professional and managerial classes
have always left college confident of at least one thing: they had taken their last
test. From here on, they could rely on charm, cunning * and / or a record of ac-
complishment to propel them up the corporate ladder.
        But that’s not necessarily true any longer. A growing number of compa-
nies, from General Motors Corp to American Express Co., are no longer satis-
fied with traditional job interviews. Instead, they are requiring applicants for
many white-collar jobs – from top executives down – to submit to a series of
paper-and-pencil tests, role-playing exercises, simulated decision-making exer-
cises and brainteasers * . Others put candidates through a long series of interviews
by psychologists or trained interviewers.
        The tests are not about mathematics or grammar, nor about any of the ba-
sic technical skills for which many production, sales and clerical workers have
long been tested. Rather, employers want to evaluate candidates on intangible*
qualities: Is she creative and entrepreneurial? Can he lead and coach? Is he
flexible and capable of learning? Does she have passion and a sense of urgency?
How will he function under pressure? Most important, will the potential recruit
fit the corporate culture?
        These tests, which can take from an hour to two days, are all part of a
broader trend. “Companies are getting much more careful about hiring,” said
Paul R. Ray Jr., chairman of the Association of Executive Search Consultants.
        Ten years ago, candidates could win a top job with the right look and the
right answers to questions such as “Why do you want this job? Now, many are
having to face questions and exercises intended to learn how they get things
done.


*
  Cunning: the ability to deceive people.
*
  A brainteaser: a problem which is fun to solve.
*
  Intangible: s.th. that cannot be felt or described.
                                                  10