Help-Wanted Ads

Help-Wanted Ads

Reading Help-Wanted Ads
Classified ads
Advertisements (also known as want ads) that appear in the newspaper in different groups; for example, ads for a car are listed together, ads for pets are in another section, and job openings are in another.
Help-wanted ads
Advertisements for employment or job openings. / Patrick Adams needed a full-time job. The jobs he had before were part-time jobs that he found by reading signs in store windows. Now he wanted to use the computer skills he had learned in high school to find a full-time job. His friends told him to read the classified ads in the newspaper and to go to job placement centers. When Patrick looked at the help-wanted ads in the newspaper, he wished he understood them better.
Help-wanted ads sometimes can be confusing if they include unfamiliar terms and abbreviations. In his local newspaper, Patrick saw this help-wanted ad. Are there any words in this ad that you do not understand?
Although Patrick understood that the ad was for data entry clerk for a distributor of pipes, valves, and fittings, he was unsure what the abbreviations loc and W side meant. He decided to ask his friend Tony for some help.
“Tony, would you read this ad for a data entry clerk for me?” he asked. “It may be a job I can do, but I’m not sure.”
“Sure, Patrick,” answered Tony. “The ad says that a business located on the west side of town wants to hire a data entry clerk. You must be able to use word processing programs.”
“Do you think that the company would count part-time experience?” asked Patrick.
“Why not call Ms. Goodman and ask her? You can call Monday or Tuesday between 8 o’clock and 10 o’clock in the morning.”
Tony was able to make sense out of the ad because he understood the terms and abbreviations in it. You will need to be able to do the same thing when you are looking for a job.
Activity A: In the space underneath these 4 ads, write the meaning of each underlined word.

1. /
2.
Sometimes you will see the abbreviation EOE in a help-wanted ad. This stands for Equal Opportunity Employer and means that anyone has the right to apply for the job. /
3. /
4.
Activity B: Match each abbreviated phrase in the first column with its meaning in the second column.
Words
_____1. exp’d
_____2. w/refs
_____3. appt.
_____4. ass’t
_____5. temp.
_____6. $7/hr.
_____7. nec.
_____8. no exp. nec.
_____9. Mon. 612-555-8695
_____10. eves. + wknds. / Meanings
A. no experience necessary
B. call 612-555-8695 on Monday.
C. assistant
D. experienced
E. temporary
F. seven dollars per hour
G. evenings and weekends
H. necessary
I. appointment
J. with references
There are other terms and abbreviations that you need to know before you can fully understand some help-wanted ads. Study this list carefully.
The space a classified ad takes up determines its cost. Abbreviations use less space than complete words and save advertisers money. / admin.
aft.
agcy.
avail.
beg.
bene.
comp.
des.
ed.
eves.
exc.
FT
grad.
incl.
ins. / administrative
afternoon, after
agency
available
beginning
benefits
computer, compensation,
comprehensive
desired
education
evenings
excellent
full time
graduate
including/included
insuranc / lic.
mfg.
min.
pd.
pos.
pref.
proc.
prog.
PT
req.
sal.
trng.
20K
wd.
yrs. / license
manufacturing
minimum
paid
position
preferred
processing
program
part time
required
salary
training
$20,000
word
years
Activity C: Rewrite each of the following ads, changing the abbreviations to full words.

1.

2.

3.
How Help-Wanted Ads Are Arranged
Alphabetical order
Arranged in the order of the alphabet (A, B, C, etc.) / Along with understanding the terms and abbreviations used in the help-wanted ads, you need to know how most newspapers organize these ads. As you learned earlier in this lesson, the classified ads part of the newspaper contains the help-wanted ads. The job listings in that section are in alphabetical order; for example, artist would come before clerk, and janitor would come before server.
Activity D: Rewrite these job titles from the help-wanted section of a newspaper in alphabetical order.
engineer, electrical
salesperson
guard
receptionist
claims supervisor
retail salesperson
electrician
dietician
research assistant
data entry clerk
clerk
animal handler
engineer, chemical
engineer, manufacturing
Is This Job Right for Me?
When you apply for a job, you need to think about the pleasure or satisfaction that working at that job could bring day after day. You should also consider whether this is the kind of job that you would like to do.
Activity E: After you read this help-wanted ad, read about the three people described below it. Then decided which person could do the job best. Be ready to discuss the reasons for your decision.

Leroy. Leroy enjoys working with his hands. He knows how to use most tools and fixes all the small appliances in his home. He has a license to drive a car, and he lives on a bus line that goes right by the Ace Company. It would take him about 30 minutes to get there. He can work any hours.
Myra. Myra went to vocational school and studied carpentry. She is skilled with most of the tools that a carpenter uses. She has a car and can drive to the Ace Company in about 35 minutes. If she has to take the bus, it will take an hour. She can work any hours.
Carlos. Carlos needs a job. He can use simple tools. He really likes meeting people and working with them. He has a car and a license. He can get to the Ace Company in about 15 minutes. He is not sure that he will like this job, but he needs to earn some money.

Looking for Job Openings – Page 2