Match the words with their definitions.
| upfront | to praise someone in an insincere way |
| enigmatic | someone employed to copy things in writing, especially before printing was invented |
| flatter | behaving or talking in a direct and honest way |
| rate | to happen or exist before something or someone |
| precede | an amount of money that you pay to a professional person for their work which is fixed and does not change or have anything added to it |
| profile | mysterious and difficult to understand or explain |
| scribe | a very strong belief or opinion |
| flat fee | to judge the quality |
| claw back | a short description that gives important details about a person, a place |
| conviction | to get back sth that you had lost by working hard |
Find words or phrases in the text which match the definitions below.
Rush; persuade sb to join, agree; attract attention; sb who finds people with certain skills and experience and persuades them to leave their present job; mysteriously transfer itself; in one way or another; very distant; recover sth with difficulty; fight back against someone using their own methods; a job with low wages and no chance of progress.
Answer the following questions.
- When do we tend to make projects, concerning our future?
- What is a headhunter’s lifestyle?
- Why do headhunters keep low profile?
- Why is headhunting an enviable profession?
- What kind of job is headhunting in reality, ”stripped of its glamour”?
- What is the profitability of it?
- How to get into a headhunter’s field of vision?
- Why do chief execs prefer to rely on advertising?
- Are headhunters in complete agreement with this stance?
- What is reverse headhunting?
Choose the best answer a, b, c or d. Only one answer is correct.
The best way to get a good job is to
a.send your name to a head-hunter
b. put your name on to a database
c. be outstanding at your job
d. get to know your rivals.
(Tip: read para 3 very carefully.)
According to the writer, head-hunters
a. cover themselves with a cloak of respectability
b. are rather wary of publicity
c. appear pleasant but are hypocrites
d. are not always reliable financially.
(Tip: What does the phrase ‘run shy of’ mean?)
The writer implies that, in general, headhunting
a. is regarded as a necessity by most city businessmen
b. is not actually glamorous
c. is a job for cold and insensitive sales types
d. is a chancy business financially.
(Tip: Is the job ever glamorous? What do we learn about the fees that they earn?)
To catch the attention of a head-hunter, you should
a. make sure they connect your name with that of someone they already know
b. get some information from a friend, then write a warm letter, enclosing a CV
c. find out which of your friends has been head-hunted and contact them
d. use a friend who has been head-hunted as a go-between
(Tip: Who is ‘them’ in “….it’s better not to write to them cold”?)
If a head-hunter offers you a job, you should
a. make certain that the head-hunter will actually be paid by the company
b. make sure that you are not stealing someone else’s job
c. check the offer is not just meant as a piece of flattery
d. ensure that it’s not a way of removing you from the present post.
(Tip: Who is them in “….to get rid of employees without having to pay them off”?)
Answer the questions and summarize your findings in written form.
- What is the article about? What is its topic?
- What does the writer have to say on this theme? What is the main idea? Is it stated by the writer or inferred?
- What arguments does the writer bring to prove his standpoint?
- Does he refer only to positive sides or does he mention any negative aspects of this career?
- What pieces of advice does he give to the reader seeking employment?