Workplace English Podcast - Workplace English Training E-Platform

BEP 51: Talking About Your Work

Workplace English Podcast - Workplace English Training E-Platform

Show Notes

In this lesson, we’re going to be looking at the language to use when talking about your job. We’re not going to focus on vocabulary, though. Here, we’re going to focus on how to ask and answer questions about your daily work routine. You’ll learn that the present simple tense is the most important tense when talking about your work, your duties and your responsibilities. So it’s important for you to know how to construct the tense in all its forms: the positive, the negative and the question forms.

During a job interview, it’s very important to understand the questions an interviewer asks. Often, the interviewer will use the present simple tense to ask questions. The applicant will also respond by using the present simple. This is because they are talking about tasks that are done every day, not only right now and not only in the past. One of the main uses of the present simple tense is to talk about daily routine.

SITUATION

You are now going to listen to an extract from a job interview. Mark is the manager, and Joanne is the applicant, the person who wants the job. Joanne is applying for a job as a Quality Assurance (QA) Specialist at a software company. When you listen to their conversation, listen out for the present simple tense verbs used to talk about Joanne’s daily routine.

More from Workplace English Podcast - Workplace English Training E-Platform

Dec 11, 2024

When you’re given verbal instructions, it’s essential that you clarify anything you don’t understand or are unclear about. Even if you feel you’ve understood everything correctly, it’s a good idea to repeat back the instructions to whoever gave them to you to ensure that you haven’t misunderstood or missed anything. This will help to minimize any errors you might make whilst you are carrying out the instructions.

Aug 31, 2024

Entertaining is considered an important aspect of business communication. Not all professional interactions take place in an office environment, and knowing how to entertain business associates in informal environments, such as in bars and restaurants, is an important part of the communication process.

Aug 14, 2024

A common task in business is to compare things such as costs, service, reliability, performance, etc. It's only through making comparisons that we can make decisions about which is the cheapest, the most reliable, and the best buy. The characteristics of a product or service are described by adjectives, such as 'cheap,' 'heavy,' 'wide', 'reliable,' etc. So it's important for you to know how to compare adjectives. In this podcast lesson, we’ll look at a number of ways commonly use to compare adjectives.

Jul 31, 2024

“Results depend on relationships. That’s what Don Petersen says. He is the ex-CEO of America’s Ford Motor Company. You will find that being able to make small talk—especially before a business meeting—will help build good relationships. And, good business relationships will help you get the results you want. Think of small talk as an engraved business card: small but impressive. Impressive, that is, if you do it well.

See all episodes →