You will hear a discussion between two business journalists, Nick and Rachel, who are going to write a review of a book about ca

Part Three. Questions 23 to 30.
You will hear a discussion between two business journalists, Nick and Rachel, who are going to write a review of a book about career planning.
For each question, 23-30, mark one letter (A, B or C) for the correct answer.
After you have listened once, replay the recording.
You now have 45 seconds to read through the questions.
[pause]
Now listen, and mark A, B or C.
[pause]
Man: Which of the new titles shall we start with, Rachel?
Woman: I don’t know about you Nick, but I’ve got most to say about The Career Adventurer.
Man: The latest volume by Karen Ward. Yes, we could make that the title of our feature.
Woman: Absolutely, and the first thing worth commenting on is the catchy title. It immediately grabs the attention.
Man: It’s not as if you can get many thrills once you actually get beyond the front cover though. It’s basically a workmanlike, step-by-step guide to career planning.
Woman: At least it’s a much lighter read than other volumes on career planning.
Man: Fair point. But there was certainly a mismatch between the initial expectations I had that were raised by the title, and what you actually get when you start reading.
Woman: Yeah, yeah, I wouldn’t disagree with that but I felt there were other greater letdowns in the book.. . like the advice sections at the end of chapters.
Man: Go on.
Woman: Well, each chapter starts OK... the first one on recruitment methods is potentially useful... and there are noteworthy quotes in the case studies. And as I read each chapter I was expecting it to culminate in some real insight... and the advice pages were quite interesting I suppose. But I was still left feeling dissatisfied. The author tells us she’s racked up a series of mini-careers, and this does nothing to lend credibility to her words. The more I ploughed through her words of wisdom, the more I wondered is this really what she could have learnt about advanced resume writing and career burnout while working as an accounts clerk or whatever?
Man: That’s interesting. She’s had a few books published, including the trio on successful entrepreneurs we featured a while ago, and I think they kind of give the impression that her connection with the world of business is tenuous. I don’t think that should take anything away from this latest volume though. I mean, it’s a very useful digest of existing pieces about the workplace which you’d have to really trawl the internet and self-help books to find out about.
Woman: Absolutely.
Man: You mentioned the opening section on recruitment methods. Was there anything else in the book you think our readers would find particularly helpful?
Woman: Helpful... um, I know what I found highly readable. In the second chapter a careers adviser talks about embarrassing blunders, gaffes people make when they’re under pressure during interviews or haven’t prepared for the occasion. Some of it’s very funny and comes as a welcome relief after the long-winded section on applying for positions.
Man: Mm, guaranteed to raise a few smiles. Especially for anyone who’s been around for a while or has ever had a similar experience.
Woman: Oh but - and this is a criticism of the whole book - I think that it feels oddly old-fashioned. I mean it addresses the subject of work in the context of traditional employment, and makes an assumption that people consider anything less than full-time employment only when they’re nearing retirement.
Man: Yes, and there was that study recently about people in the thirty to forty age range who are experiencing more and more that a portfolio career is the norm. And the book simply fails to address this.
Woman: Exactly.
Man: It does offer valuable suggestions for finding the right employer for you, and how to get ahead in your career.
Woman: It says the key thing is finding something you enjoy doing, which I’d go along with of course. I did think the author made an error of judgement in reproducing the Strong Interest Inventory for readers to try out. That was the test developed at Stanford in the nineteen twenties. What I call the ’magazine test’ is infinitely simpler.
Man: Oh what’s that?
Woman: You think what magazine you’re most likely to buy, and find a job in that field. You’ll love it so much you’re bound to be successful.
Man: Right. Do you agree the paltry fourteen pounds ninety-nine is a very reasonable price?
Woman: It’s not paltry if you’re a student or aren’t in work... although it isn’t so dear as to price students out of the market completely. And, unlike a lot of books of this type, it doesn’t try to command a higher price by purporting to be an academic volume.
Man: True.
Woman: Would you buy it?
Man: Erm... it’s difficult... I’ve had to sit down and read the thing from cover to cover in a day, so my judgement’s clouded. For me, this falls into the ’of minor interest’ category, and it’s saved only by the well-chosen case studies, which I suspect people will skip over most of each chapter to get to.
Woman: Possibly. Now, shall we .. .