For any job search, you should start with a narrow concept——what you think you want to do——then broaden it.“None of these programs do that,”says another expert.“There‘s no career counseling implicit in all of this.”Instead, the best strategy is to use the agent as a kind of tip service to keep abreast of jobs in a particular database; when you get E-mail, consider it a reminder to check the database again.“I would not rely on agents for finding everything that is added to a database that might interest me,”says the author of a job-searching guide.
Some sites design their agents to tempt job hunters to return. When CareerSite‘s agent sends out messages to those who have signed up for its service, for example, it includes only three potential jobs——those it considers the best matches. There may be more matches in the database; job hunters will have to visit the site again to find them——and they do.“On the day after we send our messages, we see a sharp increase in our traffic,”says Seth Peets, vice president of marketing for CareerSite.
Even those who aren‘t hunting for jobs may find search agents worthwhile. Some use them to keep a close watch on the demand for their line of work or gather information on compensation to arm themselves when negotiating for a raise. Although happily employed, Redmon maintains his agent at CareerBuilder.“You always keep your eyes open,”he says. Working with a personal search agent means having another set of eyes looking out for you.
41. How did Redmon find his job?
[A] By searching openings in a job database.
[B] By posting a matching position in a database.
[C] By using a special service of a database.
[D] By E-mailing his resume to a database.
42. Which of the following can be a disadvantage of search agents?
[A] Lack of counseling. [B] Limited number of visits.
[C] Lower efficiency. [D] Fewer successful matches.
43. The expression“tip service”(Line 4, Paragraph 3) most probably means
[A] advisory. [B] compensation. [C] interaction. [D] reminder.
44. Why does CareerSite‘s agent offer each job hunter only three job options?
[A] To focus on better job matches.
[B] To attract more returning visits.
[C] To reserve space for more messages.
[D] To increase the rate of success.
45. Which of the following is true according to the text?
[A] Personal search agents are indispensable to job-hunters.
[B] Some sites keep E-mailing job seekers to trace their demands.
[C] Personal search agents are also helpful to those already employed.
[D] Some agents stop sending information to people once they are employed.
Text 2
Over the past century, all kinds of unfairness and discrimination have been condemned or made illegal. But one insidious form continues to thrive: alphabetism. This, for those as yet unaware of such a disadvantage, refers to discrimination against those whose surnames begin with a letter in the lower half of the alphabet.