Don't overlook the obvious

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 472.

Part 2

v Active vocabulary

o Study the following vocabulary items and collocations:

A potential contact

To underestimate someone

Mass-mailing resumes

To take the person up on the offer

To feel free to ask for an introduction

To be too forward

Shipping charges

To get a foot in the door

v Cultural notes

Alumnus – a graduate or a former student of a specific school, college or university.

Fraternity– a local or national social organization of male students usually with secret initiation and rites and a name composed of Greek letters.

o Read the text. Do the comprehension check below:

Even the person sitting next to you in class can be a potential contact. You might be thinking, "Yeah, right. He knows fewer people than I do." Don't ever underestimate anyone. You never can tell who someone else might know.

While a senior at the University of Alabama, Brian Randals was trying to land interviews at several New York advertising agencies.

His approach of mass-mailing resumes was going nowhere. Randals was in a friend's dorm room discussing the situation when his friend's roommate said, "Hey, my uncle is a vice president at Young & Rubicam in New York. If you want, I can give him a call and see if he'll talk to you." He made the call, and several weeks later, Randals flew to New York for an interview.

If someone says, "You should talk to so and so," take that person up on the offer. Feel free to ask for an introduction or phone number. Don't worry about being too forward or whether the person's serious about helping. If someone minds or is offended, she'll tell you she's uncomfortable. No big deal.

You don't have to know a contact intimately or even directly to make a call. Phil Ramirez, a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, wanted to work on Wall Street. However, the major brokerage firms weren't recruiting on campus, and he didn't know anyone in the industry. Then Ramirez learned that the chairman of the American Stock Exchange was also a University of Oklahoma graduate, as well as an alumnus of his fraternity.

Ramirez composed a letter to the chairman, explaining their mutual connection and his search for contacts in the industry, but not asking for an interview or a job. Using the alumni directory, he found the chairman's address, and FedExed a packet to both his office and home. Ramirez knew it was a risk, and he really didn't expect to hear much. But if it didn't work out, he'd only lose $20 for the shipping charges. Two days later, Ramirez got a phone call from the chairman, saying that he'd be in town in two weeks and could see him for a 20-minute breakfast meeting.

Ramirez met with the chairman, who's now the ambassador to Mexico, and they discussed the university, fraternity and what Ramirez wanted to accomplish in the securities field. When the chairman returned to New York, he placed several calls to brokerage houses and opened a few doors, bringing Ramirez several interviews and a job on Wall Street.

Why would someone as important as the chairman of the American Stock Exchange talk to a student he didn't know? Established business executives are surprisingly willing to help young people get a foot in the door. Most successful professionals remember when they were young and someone took the time to help them by making an introduction or giving advice. They're trying to repay that debt by giving someone else the opportunity they had.

v Comprehension check

o Answer the following questions using information from the article to support your ideas. Remember to use the article vocabulary to the maximum:

1. What should you do if you are offered a contact?

2. What can you expect from an established business executives and why? Is the situation any different in our country?

o Explain what is meant by:

A potential contact

Mass-mailing resumes

No big deal

To open a few doors

To get a foot in the door