Warm up. I. How does your company recruit people?

I. How does your company recruit people?

II. Read this article about Chris Jones. Do you agree with his opinion?

EUROPEAN INDUSTRY NEEDS MORE “CHARACTER”, EXPERT WARNS

“European industry needs to give as much importance to the character and personality of its managers as it gives to their qualifications!” claimed business consultant Chris Jones at the annual conference of Human Resources Managers in Birmingham yesterday. “When selecting staff for top positions, companies should first identify the ideal personality profile that the job requires. It's not enough to be just well-qualified and hard-working -other qualities are equally, if not more, important. The modern manager must be imaginative, outgoing, communicative, and innovative in order to succeed in modern business.”

Active vocabulary

I. Look at the following adjectives. They all describe a person's personality. Is each word positive, negative, or could it be both?

II. Take it in turns with your partner to define these words. Try to guess the word. Look at the following examples:

easy-going: I think this is a positive word. These people are not difficult to work with. They are flexible, cooperative, and so on.

single-minded: This word could be positive or negative. It can be a good thing to concentrate on only one objective or thing, but this word also describes somebody who does this too much.

Listening

I. Listen to four people describing their new managers.

1. First write the adjectives they use to complete column A.

2. Now listen again. How do the four speakers describe the qualities of their managers?