[00:06.09]READING AND SPEAKING
[00:06.37]HERZBERG’S THEORY OF MOTIVATING
[00:08.83]Whether we feel rewarded and content in a job depends on several different aspects.
[00:14.68]The psychologist Frederick Herzberg believed that these could be divided into groups.
[00:20.43]In this “Theory of Motivation”,
[00:22.67]Herzberg called these groups the Hygiene Factors and the Motivaton Factors.
[00:28.42]According to Herzberg, hygiene hygiene factors are necessary because they are the aspects which stop employees from leaving to find other jobs.
[00:38.06]Good hygiene factors prevent staff from feeling dissatisfied,
[00:41.90]but in order to be really happy at work and experience “job satisfaction”,
[00:46.71]employees also need the motivation factors.
[00:50.23]These make a worker feel that his or her job is useful and important.
[00:55.38]If a company has good motivation factors,
[00:58.44]its personnel will be enthusiastic and eager to work to the best of their abilities.
[01:04.50]READING
[01:08.02]HOW TO PREPARE FOR A JOB INTERVIEW
[01:11.26]In my experience as human resources manager,
[01:15.18]many job applicants are unsuccessful because they fail to prepare for interviews.
[01:20.75]If you ant to get that job, you must do your “homework”!
[01:24.82]First of all, learn as much as you can about the employer.
[01:29.03]It is essential that you know what the company produces or sells,
[01:33.75]who its customers are, its size and whether it has recently expanded or is planning to.
[01:39.58]If you also understand the culture of the organisation,
[01:43.11]you can give yourself a competitive advantage by ensuring you are “on message” during the interview.
[01:48.46]By culture, I mean the company’s principles and ideals.
[01:52.27]Look out for words like “mission statement” and “vision” when you are doing your research;
[01:56.98]that is where you will find them.
[01:59.41]Most of the information you need is quite easy to get hold of.
[02:03.25]The company many have a brochure-it is worth calling to ask—or the Internet is an excellent source and most companies have websites these days.
[02:12.31]You should also look at the products yourself, if possible, by going to a local branch or supplier.
[02:17.87]The next step is to get information about the job itself.
[02:21.53]You need to discover what exactly the job will involve,
[02:24.67]what sort of person the company wants and how your skills will fit the position.
[02:30.31]This is less easy, but the general information about the company will give you some clues.
[02:35.77]I suggest you that online for the job title.
[02:38.90]There are so many websites giving information about different occupations that you are sure to find something useful.
[02:45.15]You could ask friends if they know anyone doing a similar job that you could talk to.
[02:51.00]Finally, play for the question you will be asked and practice your answers.
[02:56.07]You can find lists of questions on various career websites.
[02:59.88]Have a look at these and think about how you would reply.
[03:03.41]Some of the question will be quite straightforward.
[03:06.23]Others however, are tricky and could catch you out if you have not thought them through ahead of time.
[03:12.13]For example, you might be asked,
[03:14.46]“What are your strengths and weaknesses?”
[03:17.51]It is not easy to give an honest answer to the “weaknesses” part without sounding negative unless you are well prepared in advance.
[03:24.75]A BUSINESS DECISION
[03:27.80]After a long and heavy week at work Gao Tian is felling tired and a bit fed up.
[03:34.15]As the bus moves slowly through the Friday evening traffic,
[03:37.97]she thinks about her future and the difficult decision she has to make.
[03:42.30]Gao Tian has a good job in a national media corporation,
[03:46.33]but for some time the idea of starting her own advertising agency has been developing in her mind.
[03:53.14]Should she give up her job security and salary to risk staring her own business?
[03:59.18]Many people like Gao Tian dream of being their own boss.
[04:02.81]Being self-employed offers the chance to be in control,
[04:07.07]to be an employer rather than an employee,
[04:10.20]and to have the freedom to be creative.
[04:12.63]Of course, the possibility of financial success and future wealth is also very attractive.
[04:18.69]With such obvious advantages it is hardly surprising that hundreds of thousands of people every year choose to purse their business dream.
[04:28.07]Go Tain, however, has not decided.
[04:30.52]She knows it is a big financial commitment to set up a business and that she would have to be flexible and work long hours at the beginning.
[04:39.43]Until she could afford and accountant and other staff,
[04:42.85]she alone would do all the paperwork,
[04:45.78]marketing and design,
[04:47.24]and probably take on the roles of receptionist and office cleaner as well.
[04:52.26]Gao Tian would not mid this, because she sees it as an exciting part of challenge.
[04:57.46]What is holding her back is the possibility that the business might not be successful.
[05:03.02]Gao Tian has read that the two most common mistakes that cause new businesses to close are poor market research and weak financial planning.
[05:12.76]Concerned that she had no qualifications in these areas,
[05:16.50]she plans to gain the necessary skills by taking a part-time course.
[05:20.94]But she still wonders if going into business is the right decision.
[05:25.17]About that of new companies fail in their first three years,
[05:29.30]often because in their enthusiasm to get started,
[05:32.83]business people do not pay enough attention to the potential problems.
[05:37.19]Gao Tian is right to be cautious and in fact,
[05:40.35]spending time assessing her strengths and weaknesses has already increased her chances of doing well.
[05:46.31]If she does decide to go ahead with her business,
[05:49.47]her careful and professional approach may well lead to something very big in the future.
[05:54.59]After all, Bill Gates started a small business that achieved outstanding success,
[06:00.39]why not Gao Tian? |