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Practice dictation & shadowing on the Cambridge IELTS 10 Academic Listening Part 3 Test 4.
Cambridge IELTS 10 Academic Listening Test 4 Part 3
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Total Correct Answers:
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Speaker 1 (1)
Hi, Laura. Could you spare a few minutes to talk about the work placement you did last summer?
Speaker 1 (2)
I'm thinking of doing one myself.
Speaker 2 (3)
Hi, Tim. Sure.
Speaker 1 (4)
Didn't you do yours at an environmental services company?
Speaker 2 (5)
That's right. It's only a very small company, and they needed someone to produce a company brochure.
Speaker 2 (6)
And I wanted to get some business experience because I'm interested in a career in occupational psychology in a business environment.
Speaker 2 (7)
It was good because I had overall responsibility for the project.
Speaker 1 (8)
What kind of skills do you think you developed on the placement?
Speaker 1 (9)
I mean, apart from the ones you already had, did you have to do all the artwork for the brochure, the layout and everything?
Speaker 2 (10)
We hired the services of a professional photographer for that.
Speaker 2 (11)
I did have to use my IT skills to a certain extent because I cut and pasted text from marketing leaflets, but that didn't involve anything I hadn't done before.
Speaker 1 (12)
Do you think you got any better at managing your time and prioritising things?
Speaker 1 (13)
You always used to say you had trouble with that.
Speaker 2 (14)
Oh, definitely. There was so much pressure to meet the project deadline.
Speaker 2 (15)
And I also got better at explaining things and asserting my opinions because I had to have weekly consultations with the marketing manager and give him a progress report.
Speaker 1 (16)
It sounds as if you got a lot out of it then.
Speaker 2 (17)
Absolutely. It was really worthwhile.
Speaker 2 (18)
But, you know, the company benefited too.
Speaker 1 (19)
Yes. They must have done.
Speaker 1 (20)
After all, if they'd used a professional advertising agency to produce their brochure instead of doing it in house, presumably they'd have paid a lot more.
Speaker 2 (21)
Oh, yes. I worked it out.
Speaker 2 (22)
It would have been 250% more, and I thought the end result was good even though we did everything on site.
Speaker 2 (23)
The company has quite a powerful computer and I managed to borrow some scanning software from the university.
Speaker 2 (24)
The new brochure looks really professional.
Speaker 2 (25)
It enhances the image of the company straight away.
Speaker 1 (26)
So in the long run, it should help them to attract clients and improve their sales figures?
Speaker 2 (27)
That's the idea. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28)
Well, all in all, it sounds very positive.
Speaker 1 (29)
I think I'll go ahead and apply for a placement myself.
Speaker 1 (30)
How do I go about it?
Speaker 2 (31)
It's easy enough to do because there's a government agency called STEP, S-T-E-P, that organises placements for students.
Speaker 2 (32)
You should start by getting their booklet with all the details.
Speaker 2 (33)
I expect you can download one from their website.
Speaker 1 (34)
Actually, they've got copies in the psychology department.
Speaker 1 (35)
I've seen them there.
Speaker 1 (36)
I'll just go to the office and pick one up.
Speaker 2 (37)
Right. And then if I were you, after I'd looked at it, I'd go over all the options with someone.
Speaker 1 (38)
I suppose I should ask my tutor's advice.
Speaker 1 (39)
He knows more about me than anyone.
Speaker 2 (40)
One of the career officers would be better.
Speaker 2 (41)
They've got more knowledge about the jobs market than your personal tutor would have.
Speaker 1 (42)
Okay.
Speaker 2 (43)
And then, when you know what you want, you can register with STEP.
Speaker 2 (44)
You'll find their address in the booklet.
Speaker 2 (45)
And once you've registered, they assign you to a mentor who looks after your application.
Speaker 1 (46)
And then I suppose you just sit back and wait till you hear something?
Speaker 2 (47)
They told me at the careers office that it's best to be proactive and get updates yourself by checking the website for new placement alerts.
Speaker 2 (48)
Your mentor is supposed to keep you informed, but you can't rely on that.
Speaker 1 (49)
I don't suppose it's a good idea to get in touch with companies directly. Is it?
Speaker 2 (50)
Not really. But it is the company who notifies you if they want you to go for an interview.
Speaker 2 (51)
You get a letter of invitation or an email from personnel department.
Speaker 1 (52)
And do I reply directly to them?
Speaker 2 (53)
Yes, you do. STEP only gets involved again once you've been made a job offer.
Speaker 1 (54)
Right. So once you've had an interview, you should let your mentor know what the outcome is?
Speaker 1 (55)
I mean, whether you're offered a job and whether you've decided to accept it?
Speaker 2 (56)
That's right. They'll inform the careers office once a placement has been agreed, so you don't have to do that.
Speaker 1 (57)
Is that all then?
Speaker 2 (58)
More or less. Only once you've accepted an offer you'll probably have to supply a reference because the placement will be conditional on that.
Speaker 2 (59)
And that's something you should ask your own tutor to provide.
Speaker 2 (60)
He knows about your academic ability and also about your qualities, like reliability.
Speaker 1 (61)
Wow. Thanks very much for the information.
Speaker 1 (62)
I'm starting....