3.Paraphrase the following.

In this country, we are really motivated toward individual achievement and individual excellence…. And it’s this self-centered mentality among American employees that’s making it harder for U.S. companies to implement new ideas, develop more efficient processes and apply better technology to compete globally…

From kindergarten through college, students are discouraged from sharing information or ideas – that’s often considered cheating. Children are taught to find out what they do well, excell and compete against their peers, and be No.1.

Often, it is one big achiever who captures the limelight, gaining more

recognition than the entire group that made the task possible. In a choir, it's the soloist. In a movie, it's the leading man or woman. In the operating room, it's the surgeon.

Likewise, in the corporate ranks, an employee is usually reviewed and evaluated individually, just like a cake in a bake-off at the state fair.

We think competition among individuals brings out the best in people, but it also keeps people from cooperating. «I» must be replaced by «we» and «me» culture in companies must become «my group», «my department», «my division».

American Values

Ukrainian Values

Personal control over the environment. People can determine the direction of their lives. “Life is just what you make it”. Life is not a result of a grand plan or destiny.

Change: People stagnate if they don’t make changes.

Control over time. Time is money.

Equality and egalitarianism

Individualism and privacy

Competition

Self-help: People can try to improve their own lives

Future orientation

Action and work orientation

Informality

Directness, openness, and honesty

Cooperation: collaboration, teamwork, trust

Self-reliance

Practicality/efficiency

Materialism

Progress

Q

A

How are you?

1

What is your place and date of birth?

2

What is your permanent address?

3

Are you single, engaged, separated, divorced, widowed?

4

What is your marital status?

5

What is your spouse’s maiden name?

6

What is the date and place of your marriage?

7

Who are your dependents?

8

Where do your parents live?

9

When did your grandparents pass away?

10

Where did you live during the past ten years?

11

How many years of education have you completed? (Give details of elementary, secondary and university level).

12

What did you graduate?

13

Where is you institute located?

14

What type of diploma did you receive?

15

Describe your professional experience.

16

What is your occupation / position?

17

What are your job responsibilities?

18

Do you use a computer at work?

19

Are you in good health?

20

What do you do to maintain good health?

I exercise several times a week, usually participating in team sports, and pay attention to what I eat (I mean healthy food).

21

Have you or any member of your family ever suffered from serious disease or physical or mental disorder?

22

Have you or any member of your family ever been convicted or charged with a criminal offence or crime in any country?

23

Have you ever been a member of any organization since your 18^th birthday?

24

Describe yourself to me.

The three adjectives that come to mind are dedicated, tenacious and organized. I’m dedicated to the company I work for. I’m tenacious, and when there is something to be done, I get it done. I’m organized. I work well as a team member and as a team leader. I always enjoy working with other people.

25

What makes you angry?

I am usually a calm and even-tempered person, and it takes a lot to actually make me angry. If I had to think of a situation that would make me angry, it would be having an employee who was undermining the work of others and the departments as a whole. Employees that try to cheat, steal and lie their way to the top usually get derailed along the way.

26

What would you say are your weaknesses?

When I was in institute, I had a problem with procrastination. I would always wait until the last possible minute to work on projects and study for tests. I earned good grades, but I was putting myself under too much pressure to earn them.

27

What motivates you?

A challenge. I like doing what other people have given up on. Even in the most simple of everyday tasks, I strive to do things faster, better and in more creative ways.

28

How well organized are you?

On a scale of one to ten, I would say that I’m at least nine. I rarely leave my home without my organizer book with me. In it, I keep track of just about my entire life: projects I am working on, birthdays, addresses, and even a holiday shopping list that I add to as I come up with ideas. Being so organized is an amazing time-saver, both in my personal and professional life.

29

How do you spend your leisure time?

I enjoy playing tennis. Reading and spending time with my family are also important to me.

30

What are your short-time and long-time plans? What are you expecting to be in five years from now?

I hope I would succeed in improving my professional skills ans I am able to apply for the position with higher salaries.

31

Are you looking for any specific location in Canada or are you flexible in terms of relocation?

I am flexible not only in terms of relocation bou also in terms of schedule and never mind working overtime if it is needed.

32

How well do you handle criticism?

I view criticism as another type of feedback – a feedback that I will use to enhance my productivity and performance. When it is presented in a constructive and clear manner, I heartily welcome criticism. If it is unclear, however, I will ask questions to get at the heart of the matter that the person is concerned with.

33

How well do you work under pressure?

Though I work well in all kinds of situations, I work especially well when I’m under pressure. I like having deadlines. I would set internal deadlines for myself in any project I was undertaking. The projects were much easier to manage when I would break them into chunks – each with its own deadline.

34

When you are faced with an ethical or moral dilemma, what do you do?

When I’m on the job, I first find out if there’s a company policy that will help me make my decision. If there is, I tend to rely on what the company says the best choice would be. If there is not, and I have a few moments to think, I usually will write out the list of pros and cons of the different decisions I could make. Looking over these lists, I can usually see which decision would be the best one to make in the situation.

35

How much direction or feedback do you require?

I work well on my own, and I enjoy having a supervisor I can go to with the questions when I am unsure. Sometimes, a simple question that is answered early in the project can help speed the process immediately.

36

Are you comfortable with making decisions?

Yes, I feel very comfortable, because I know that I do not make decisions on whims – I take time to analyze the situation and the possible ramifications of any decision I make. Sometimes I am lucky enough to have a great deal of time to make these decisions; other times I must make decisions on the spot. In either case, I feel confident in my abilities in decision-making.

37

Are you a good team member?

Yes, I am a good team member. There is an old adage that two heads are better than one, and sometimes five heads are better than two.

38

What types of people do you work best with?

I’ve experienced working with all types of people. I can work with just anyone, but I prefer motivated, hard-working, honest people regardless of their gender or racial or religious background. I’m not prejudiced in any way.

39

What have you done to further your education since your graduation?

Because my professional field is changing constantly, I’ve done quite a bit to keep up with the latest changes in technology. I’m on the most recent upgrades in PC programming, I attended all the seminars related to my speciality. In addition, I keep up with the trends in our field by reading journal articles.

40

With the market place as global as it is these days, a knowledge of a foreign language is helpful. Are you familiar with any foreign languages except English?

I speak, read and write Russian fluently and I also have a working knowledge of Polish.

41

In your last position, what were your three biggest accomplishments?

My first big accomplishments were convincing the owner that computerizing his records would be a great timesaver. He had never touched a computer before, and I succeeded in teaching him not to be afraid of its power. My second accomplishment was getting through my first year with a 50% decrease in staff turnover. And my third accomplishment was finishing my master’s degree while working full time. I maintained a 4.8 average in university and never missed a day of work.

42

What are you making in your current positiom?

My base pay is $200,00 per month.

43

If you were to rank the importance of salary on a scale of 1 – 10, what ranking would you give it?

Financial remuneration is important, but other factors, such as job satisfaction and corporate culture are important as well. I’d rank salary at a 6.

44

Do you have a valid driver’s license?

Yes, I have a valid driver’s license. In addition, I have a spotless driving record.

45

When will you consider yourself a success?

I’ll consider myself a success if I work hard and put 100% of my efforts into projects I believe in. When you love what you do, the money will come. I may not be rich right away, but money is not the only measure of a person’s success.

46

When you were growing up, what was your home life like?

My parents are strong believers that education is the key to a person’s success. Excelling in school was important to the whole family. In addition, we did things together as a family quite often. We went on camping trips, played board games to amuse ourselves.

47

What television programs interest you most?

I do not get too much time to watch television. I do watch the local and national news every morning. For entertainment, I like classic comedies, nature specials and black and white movies.

48

How would you feel about working for a female boss?

I have worked for male and female supervisors, and I have no particular preferences one way or the other. Gender is not important in business.

49

How supportive is your family with your plans?

My family supports my decisions and plans.

50

Do you own your own home or rent it?

I own my 3-bedroom apartment in the apartment building.

51

Do you have any other assets?

I have a car, two cottages and a small sailing boat.

52

Have you been in the military (rank, unit, location of service)?

53

What is your passport number and date of expiry?

54

What book are you currently reading? Why did you choose them?

I’m reading two books right now. “The Corporate Coach" by James B. Miller is a wonderful book that tells about the importance of customer-service to the well being of an organization. For escape, however, I’m reading an excellent book by Stephen King called “Nightmares and Dreamscrapers”. I am fascinated by his books and I have a complete collection of them at home.

55

What was the last movie you saw? Why did you choose it?

56

What do you admire about your best friend?

What I admire most about my best friend is his loyalty. He and I have been friends since childhood. We moved to different towns in high school, and have kept in touch ever since. Many people would not be able to maintain a long-distance friendship like ours, but when something is worth it, you work for it.

57

Do you attend church?

58

What is your intended destination in Canada?

59

Do you have any friends or relatives in Canada?

60

What is their status?

61

Who are your dependents?

62

What is the country of your origin?

63

What is your citizenship?

Section 2:

Fiction Reading