"Dream job_second draft/Kang yooli/tues 9:00"

Are You Really Listening?

201100056 Kang Yooli

           These days, we are living in a very competitive society. Even when we apply for a part time job or apply for a volunteer activity overseas, the competition rate easily goes up to 100:1 or more. So it is important for us to appeal why we are special than others. So it would be needless to say that we have to be show that we are extraordinary, when we are trying to get a job we want. In my case, I would like to introduce a special ability I have that would be helpful for my dream job, which is an interpreter. This special ability is my communication skills.

           First of all, I am a great listener. This might sound a bit weird because listening does not seem like an important ability. However nowadays, it is really difficult to find someone who can concentrate while you are talking and react well. Many people just say their own stories, and refuse to listen to others. However, since I was young my parents always told me that listening is much more important than speaking. They told me that "by listening carefully to others, you can console them much better than giving them solutions". Because of this constant lesson, I always tried to become a good listener. In fact, last week I was really impressed when my classmate, mihyun, told me that talking with me really makes her feel comfortable, as if she is talking to her mother.

           Moreover, I can communicate between different languages. When you are speaking with someone from a different country, the important thing is that it is not only about the different language. It is about communicating between different cultures. Even though we are living in a globalized society, we easily think difference as a wrong thing. However, I had many chances to spend time with various people, so I am used to it. For instance, I attended an international elementary school until I was eight. Since I could not speak a single word in English, at first I was really nervous and always cried. However, there was this one boy named Ethan, who always helped me and tried to talk with me. Even though he was Islam and we had nothing in common, we could become best friends. Sometimes, I was surprised with his culture, such as Ramadan, but I could naturally learn how to accept the cultural difference. After that, I went traveling to Japan, China, Singapore, England, Paris, etc, and these experience helped me to naturally learn the way to communicate with all kinds of people..

           Every time there is an election, all of the candidates use the word 'communication' as their public pledge. This would be because communication skill is the most important, but also the most difficult ability you can attain. Some might say other abilities, such as your computer skills or career, would be much more important, I think a good communication skill is a special and necessary ability, and having it makes me qualified for me to become an interpreter..