In this lesson, you are going to learn key expressions to talk about what you do and your job responsibilities. 

To find out what someone's job is you ask: 

• What do you do? – This is the most common way to ask. 
• What do you do for a living? = What is your job/profession? 
• What do you work? 
• What is your job?  

How to talk about your job: 

• I'm an office assistant. | I'm a team leader. 
• I work as an office assistant. | I work as a team leader. | I work as a software developer. 

Here are the key expressions you can use to say what you do: 

• I deal with... 
• I handle... 
• I oversee... 
• I'm in charge of + noun | I'm in charge of + VERB + -ing 
• I'm responsible for + noun | I'm responsible for + VERB + -ing 
• My job involves + noun | My job involves + VERB + -ing 

 

• to deal with = to handle 
• to oversee - to watch somebody / something and make sure that a job or an activity is done correctly (Synonym: supervise) 
• to be in charge of - It is used when you are responsible for someone or something. 

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You can also use the structure: 

• responsibility + infinitive | responsibility + VERB + -ing 
  One of my responsibilities is to make sure... 
  One of my responsibilities is making sure... 

Examples: 

• I work as an office assistant. One of my main responsibilities is to arrange meetings and organise events when necessary. I deal with clients, suppliers, and colleagues. I'm responsible for collecting and mailing correspondence, serving customers as well as maintaining supplies and equipment. 

 

• I am a marketing assistant. One of my main responsibilities is to conduct marketing research and to gather important data (social media, web analytics, etc.). I'm in charge of online content on the company's website and social media accounts. I'm responsible for preparing and delivering promotional presentations. 

 

• I am a customer service representative. My job involves managing large amounts of incoming calls. I'm responsible for identifying customers' needs. I handle customer complaints, provide appropriate solutions and keep records of customer interactions. 

Exercise

Read the job responsibilities below and match them with the jobs. There are three extra answers. 

telemarketer, editor, cashier, media assistant, media buyer, promoter, social media specialist, copywriter, typist 


1. This person is responsible for data transfer from paper formats into digital files or database systems and for transcribing documents from dictated tapes. 
2. This person oversees layout (artwork, design, photography) and checks content for accuracy and errors. 
3. This person handles cash transactions with customers using cash registers. 
4. This person is responsible for cold calling people using a given phone directory to sell products. 
5. This person is responsible for comparing and negotiating rates, ad space and time slots with various media outlets. 
6. This person is in charge of distributing product samples, brochures, flyers, etc. to source new sales opportunities. 


Answers: 
1. typist; 2. editor; 3. cashier; 4. telemarketer; 5. media buyer; 6. promoter

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TASK:
Write down about your job responsibilities using key expressions from this lesson. 


Other lessons:
Collocations with Job (Part 1) 
Collocations with Job (Part 2) 
English Lesson: Jobs and Skills
Business English: Working in an office 
English Lesson: Collocations for Success 
English Lesson: Collocations for Feelings 
Commonly Used Phrases in Spoken English 
Business English: Prepositions with WORK 
Business English: How to Talk about Money 
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In this lesson, we will focus on skills. 

A skill is the ability to do something well, especially because you have learned how to do it and practised it. 

Jobs, and the people who do them, can be described as: 

• highly skilled (e.g. car designer) | A highly skilled job requires special abilities or training. 
• skilled (e.g. car production manager) | A skilled job needs a person who has both ability and experience or training. 
• semi-skilled (e.g. taxi driver) | A semi-skilled job needs some basic skills. Someone who does this kind of job is called a semi-skilled worker. 
• unskilled (e.g. car cleaner) | An unskilled job doesn't need much education, training, or experience. 

Examples: 

• highly skilled jobs: surgeon, pilot  
• skilled jobs: office manager, teacher 
• semi-skilled jobs: car worker on a production line, bus driver 
• unskilled jobs: office cleaner, manual workers 

You can say that someone is: 

skilled at + noun OR skilled in + noun 

• skilled at/in customer service 
• skilled at/in computer software 
• skilled at/in 3D animation 

skilled at + VERB + -ing OR skilled in + VERB + -ing 

• skilled at/in communicating 
• skilled at/in working with large groups 
• skilled at/in using Photoshop 

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Examples: 

• She is skilled at dealing with difficult customers. 
• She is skilled in designing websites. 
• All our staff are skilled in at least two languages. 
• Our company is looking for people skilled in electronics. 
• A friend of mine is highly skilled at computer programming. 

You can also say that someone is: 

good with somebody / something 

• good with computers 
• good with numbers 
• good with people 
• good with money 

Examples: 

• I am a finance journalist so people always think that I'm good with money. 
• He's very good with children. 
• She has always been good with animals. 
• She's good with her hands. (= She's able to make things using her hands.) ​

TASK:
Make your own sentences with the word combinations you learned in this lesson. 


Other lessons:
Collocations with Job (Part 1) 
Collocations with Job (Part 2) 
Business English: Working in an office 
Business English: How to Talk about Your Job Responsibilities 
English Lesson: Collocations for Success 
English Lesson: Collocations for Feelings 
​Commonly Used Phrases in Spoken English 


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In this lesson, we will focus on other words which collocate with job (= they are used together). 

JOB AND SALARY 

​high-paid, well-paid | low-paid, badly-paid 

A high-paid job means that people earn a lot of money. OPPOSITE: low-paid 
Low-paid means that people earn very little money. 
A well-paid job OPPOSITE: badly-paid job 

Examples: 

• High-paid lawyers, accountants, web developers, etc. 
• Low-paid government workers. | Low-paid social workers. 

JOB + VERB 

Example: 

• This job doesn't pay well. 

VERB + JOB 

​look for | apply for | find, get, land, take 

To look for a job means that you're trying to find one. 
To apply for a job means to send your documents such as a CV and a covering letter. 
To get a job means to be hired. 
To land a job means to succeed in getting a job, especially one that a lot of other people want. 
To take a job means to accept it. 

Examples: 

• You need to apply for this job by completing an application form and sending it in. 
• I went to the job interview this morning. I hope to get the job. (= to be hired) 
• He's just landed himself a high-paid job in the city. 
• If they offer me the job, I'll take it. (= to accept a job) 

lose | resign / (also) resign from 

To lose a job means that you no longer have it. 
To resign means to officially leave a job, position, etc. through your own choice, rather than being told to leave. 

Examples: 

• He's worried about losing his job. 
• She was among 30 people who lost their jobs when the office closed. 
• I wanted to resign, but my boss persuaded me to stay. 

create (JOB + NOUN: job creation) 

To create means to make something exist. 

Example: 

• Starbucks is planning to create 240,000 jobs globally by 2021. 
• Small businesses create 65% of all new jobs. 

do | know 

Examples: 

• I'm only doing my job. (= doing what I'm paid to do) 
• He certainly knows his job. (= is very good at his job) 

TASK:
Make your own sentences with the word combinations you learned in this lesson. 


Other lessons: 
Collocations with Job (Part 1) 
Business English: Working in an office 
Business English: How to Talk about Your Job Responsibilities 
English Lesson: Jobs and Skills 
English Lesson: Collocations for Success 
English Lesson: Collocations for Feelings 
Commonly Used Phrases in Spoken English 


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