English for personal assistants - part 25 potx

I find comments (5) as these very upsetting and I believe they (6) sexual
harassment. I am asking you to stop (7) such comments either (8) to me or
indirectly about me.
If this behaviour (9) continue, I will have no alternative but to (10) the
matter further.
Yours sincerely
᭿
Task 8
Imagine that a colleague has asked for your help to draft a letter to her harasser. She
has a male colleague who constantly tries to put her down. He frequently makes
comments to the effect that she is stupid because she is a woman, and a blonde woman
at that!
Draft a letter to Mr. Vozenko for your colleague.
Harassment report to manager
A company may have a complaints report form that will guide you through what you
have to note down when reporting your grievance. Generally, this will ask you to
detail:
᭤ who the harasser is
᭤ what happened and when
᭤ how this has affected you
᭤
who witnessed it
᭤
what steps you have taken to have this behaviour stopped
If your company does not have such a form, you could write a report using those same
headings. This makes sure the report keeps to the facts. It is inadvisable to show
emotion.
᭿
Task 9
Look at this first draft of a harassment report form. How would you improve it and
adapt it to your work situation?

120 Saying “no”
Reporting unacceptable behaviour 121
Report of harassment
Department . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Name of person reporting harassment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Name of person complained about . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Name of line manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Nature of harassment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Details of incident: Date: ________ Time: _______ Place: ___________
What happened? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Who witnessed the incident? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
14 Writing CVs with impact, covering letters,
and letters of reference
A Curriculum Vitae (CV) provides a prospective employer with a summary of your
professional life. It lists your achievements – both educationally and in terms of your
experience. Prospective employers use CVs and/or covering letters to decide whom
they will interview. As CVs are your first introduction to a new company, it means
that it’s worth getting them as near perfect as possible.
How do you prepare to write a CV?
Your CV is your own personal marketing tool. This tool is your opportunity to sell
yourself to prospective employers. It should include details of your personal qualities,
skills, achievements, education, and work experience. You should, therefore, make
notes on all the factual information you need together with dates, grades, etc. before
you actually start writing your CV.
If you are responding to a job advertisement, read it very carefully and highlight the

skills, experience, and qualifications it asks for. You can then target those skills that
you have specifically at the job requirements.
᭿
Task 1
Read the following text and match the headingsa–etotheir descriptions1–7.
a. Additional information
b. People who can vouch for you
c. Work experience
d. Attainments
e. Personal details
f. Hobbies
g. Education
How do you write a CV?
A CV is divided into headings so that readers can tell where one piece of information
ends and another begins. The reader should not be confronted by an endless
disordered river of information which is difficult to make head or tail of. International
CVs are usually ordered as follows:
1. name, address, telephone number, mobile number, email address, date of birth,
nationality, marital status
2. dates of schools/colleges/universities attended together with subjects studied and
qualifications and grades obtained. Begin with the most recent.
3. start with the most recent or current job. Give the dates you were employed (year
and/or month and year) and the name and address or city of the firm. Give a short
account of your responsibilities.
4. give brief information on your specific achievements. These should generally be
work-related but could include, for example, running a first-aid course or ensuring
health and safety regulations are adhered to. They are usually non-academic.
5. provide any further information that could support your job application. For
example, ability to speak foreign languages.
6. give examples of your interests etc. Be careful not to include too many that are of

an individualistic nature but also try to list, for example, sports that require you to
be a team player.
7. obviously you need to ask the person/people concerned first! Normally all you
need to put here is ‘References can be supplied on application’.
N.B. A CV is generally one side of A4, maximum 2 A4 pages.
How do you write a CV? 123
124 Writing CVs with impact, covering letters, and letters of reference
Sample CV
CURRICULUM VITAE
Name: Anne Smith
Address: 35 Arundel Close, Bristol BL6 2RJ, UK
Telephone: 01793 562451
Mobile: 07788 069531
Email:
Date of Birth: 23/10/1973
Education 1994 – 1995 Pitmans College, London
1991 – 1994 Bangor University, Wales
1984 – 1991 Bristol Community College
Qualifications: 1995 Diploma in Secretarial Studies, Advanced Level
1994 BA Degree in History of Art, 2:1
1991 A Levels in Art, English, & Information Technology
Work experience: 2000 – Present PA to Human Resources Director, Corus,
London
1998 – 2000 Secretary to Sales Manager, Virgin Super-
store, Crawley, Sussex
1996 – 1998 Secretary to Financial Advisor, Barclays
Bank, plc
Achievements: 2002 Worked with HR manager on new appraisal system,
Corus
2000 Devised new method for production of quarterly

sales figures
1997 Implemented a new filing system for Barclays Bank,
Bristol branch
Additional
information:
Foreign languages:
Spanish: Advanced
Portuguese: Intermediate
Arabic: False Beginner
Currently studying for an Open University Distance
Learning Programme in HR Management
Interests and
Hobbies:
Hang-gliding, travelling, basketball, painting, travelled
round the world 1995 – 1996
References: Can be supplied on application