Not so long ago almost any student who successfully completed a university degree could find a good career quite easily. Companies. toured the academic institutions, competing with each other to select graduates. However, those days are gone, even in Hong Kong, and nowadays graduates often face strong competition in the search for jobs.

Most careers organizations highlight three stages for graduates to follow in the process of securing a suitable career: recognizing abilities, matching these to available jobs and presenting them well to possible employers.

Job seekers have to make a careful assessment of their own. abilities. One area of assess ment shouldbe of their academic qualifications, which would include special skills within their subject area. Graduates should also consider their own personal values and attitudes. An honest assessment of personal interestand abilities such as creative skills, or skills acquired from work experience, should also be given careful thought.

The second stage is to study the "opportunities available for employment and to think about how the general employment situation is likely to develop in the future. To do this, graduates can study job and position information in newspapers, or they can visit a careers office, write to possible employers for information or contact friends or relatives who may already be involved in a particular profession. After studying all the various options, they should be in a position to make informed comparisons between various careers.

Good personal presentation is essential in the search for a good career. Job application forms and letters should, of course, be filled in carefully and correctly, without grammar or spelling errors. Where additional information is asked for, job seekers should describe their abilities and work experience in more depth, with examples if possible. They should try to balance their own abilities with the employer's needs, explain why they are interested in a career with the particular company and try to show that they already know something about the company and its activities.

When graduates go to an interview, they should prepare properly by finding out all they can about the possible employer. Dressing suitably and arriving for the interview on time are also important. Interviewees should try to give positive and helpful answers and should not be afraid to ask questions about anything they are unsure about. This is much better than pretending to understand a question and giving an unsuitable answer.

1. "Those days are gone, even in Hong Kong" in Paragraph I suggests that _____.

A. finding a good career used to be easier in Hong Kong than elsewhere

B. now everyone in Hong Kong has an equal chance of finding a good job

C. graduates now face stronger competition in Hong Kong than elsewhere

D. even in Hong Kong companies tour universities trying to select graduates

2. It is implied in Paragraph 3 that graduates should _____.

A. aim to give a balanced account of what the employer needs

B. consider careers which suit their values, interests and abilities

C. stress their personal attitudes and values in job applications

D. recognize their own abilities regardless of what the employer looks for

3. According to Paragraph 4, graduates should _____.

A. find a good position and then compare it with other careers

B. ask friends or relatives to secure them a good job

C. get information about a number of careers before making comparisons

D. study the opportunities and the kinds of training that will be available

4. In the last paragraph, the writer seems to suggest that _____.

A. interviewees should appear humble if they can't give an answer

B. dressing properly is more important than being able to give an answer

C. it is better for interviewees to be honest than to. pretend to understand

D. it is a good idea for interviewees to be boastful in their answers