Working For A Small Company May Be Better Than You Think & Starting A New Job — IELTS Reading Answers

“it won't be long before you're familiar with the staff and the departments that you need to deal with”

'It won't be long before you're familiar with the staff', so the adjective familiar completes the idea of quickly knowing colleagues.

“In a small business you're likely to have considerable variety in your workload, including opportunities to work in different areas of the company, which will allow you to identify abilities that you didn't know you had”

Working in different areas lets you 'identify abilities that you didn't know you had', so the plural noun abilities fits.

“This variety in your work will help to make it stimulating, so you have a good reason for getting out of bed in the morning”

Variety makes the work 'stimulating', the adjective describing a job interesting enough to get you out of bed.

“your efforts are more likely to attract the attention of those higher up. You’ll have plenty of opportunity to show what you can do, and to have your potential noticed”

Your efforts let you 'have your potential noticed', so the noun potential names what superiors may recognise.

“The result is very likely to be that promotion comes to you faster”

'Promotion comes to you faster' supplies the noun promotion for the benefit of being visible in a small firm.

“Small businesses are usually flexible, something that is rarely true of large organisations”

'Small businesses are usually flexible', so the adjective flexible describes their working arrangements.

the emotions that new employees are likely to experience at first

“When you are a newcomer, feeling uncertain and perhaps a little confused”

Option C matches 'feeling uncertain and perhaps a little confused', the emotions newcomers experience when they start.

a warning to be patient at first

“But in your first few weeks your task is to learn what the job really is, rather than immediately starting to do what you assume it is”

Option F urges patience: in the first weeks your task is 'to learn what the job really is' rather than acting immediately.

how colleagues might react to certain behaviour

“Unfortunately, this will suggest that you have a high opinion of yourself, and that you think your old place was better. It has enormous power to annoy, so don't do it”

Option C covers colleagues' reaction: mentioning your old workplace 'will suggest that you have a high opinion of yourself' and 'has enormous power to annoy'.

travelling to your new workplace before you start working there

“Make sure you know when and where you are expected to report on your first day. If the route from home is unfamiliar to you, make a practice run first”

Option A advises a 'practice run first' if the route from home is unfamiliar, which means travelling there before starting.

an example of observing an activity carried out within an organisation

“When I worked for a television company, all of us, whatever our job, were strongly encouraged to visit a studio and see how programmes were made”

Option E cites the television company where everyone was encouraged to 'visit a studio and see how programmes were made'.

some things that the organisation should arrange for when you begin

“You should expect to have an induction programme planned for you; a security pass; visits to whatever parts of the organisation you need to understand to do your job properly; meetings with anyone who could affect your success in the role;”

Option B lists what the employer should arrange: 'an induction programme', 'a security pass', visits and introductory meetings.

a division of jobs within an organisation into two categories

“All employers have a core product or service paid for by customers which justifies their existence”

Option D notes every employer has 'a core product or service', implying jobs split into core and supporting categories.