IELTS Listening · Cam 3

Test 2 Part 3

Good morning. Good morning. Morning. So, We've looked at various aspects of staff selection this term and

Level: B1 · 79 sentences

Transcript

Good morning. Good morning. Morning. So,
We've looked at various aspects of staff selection this term and
I think by now you should be beginning to see
How much more there is to it than just
Putting applicants through a short interview
Or asking the right questions.
Yeah. So... I think you should be ready for today's
Tutorial on matching the person to the job.
We're going to talk today
About the importance of choosing that all-round right person.
Right, so we have to put
Ourselves into the role of the manager or supervisor. Yes,
And then we're going to imagine how different applicants
Would fit into the team or group they have to work with.
We'll look at some examples later.
It's just theoretical at the moment.
Yes. The point is, you can select someone, even a friend,
Who has all the right qualifications, degrees, certificates, whatever.
You can also check that they have a lot of experience,
That they've done the sort of tasks that you want
Them to do in your office already, in a similar environment.
But if they start work...
And you realise that they
Just don't get along with everybody else, that, say,
They've got sharply contrasting views on how something will work,
Well, with the best will in the world,
You may be backing a loser.
Wouldn't it be just a question of company training, though?
Not always, particularly in a team situation.
And I think it's important to think
In terms of that type of working environment.
People have to have faith in each other's
Ability to carry out the task their boss has set them.
They have to trust that everyone will do their part of the job.
And you can't necessarily train people for this. But
It's like trying to find out what someone's
Personality is like in a job interview. I mean,
You just can't do that. Even if you try,
You won't find out what they're really like until they actually start work.
Well, in most interviews, you usually ask candidates questions about their hobbies and
What they like doing in their spare time, that sort of thing.
So employers are already involved in the practice of... Well,
Doing part of the task.
But it doesn't tell you anything.
It doesn't tell you if they're easygoing
Or hate smokers or whatever. Well,
Arguably it does give you a bit of information about an applicant's character.
Well, arguably it does give you a bit of information
About an applicant's character, but also
More and more employers around the world are making use of what are called
Personality questionnaires to help them select new staff
And... What's it called? A personality questionnaire.
They have to be filled out by the candidates
Sometime during the selection procedure, often just before an interview.
The idea is actually quite old.
Apparently they were used by the ancient
Chinese for picking out clerks and civil servants,
And then later they were used by the military to put
People in appropriate areas of work.
They've gained a lot of ground since then,
And there are about 80,000 80,000 different tests available now.
And almost two-thirds of the large employers use them.
Which makes you think that there must be something in them. That's right.
They ask the sort of questions that you might expect, like,
Do you like working under pressure,
Or are you good at keeping deadlines?
And what if people can see through them and
Just write what they think the employer wants to see?
Well, that's always a possibility.
I mean, it's human nature to lie, isn't it?
Well, that's the point. Apparently it isn't.
These tests are compiled by experts,
And they believe that the answers can provide a few simple indicators
As to roughly the type of person that you are, but
People will generally be truthful in that situation.
And then you can go some way towards finding out whether someone's,
Say, forward-looking, a go-ahead type of person,
Or resistant to change. Yes,
And there are all kinds of other methods...