You can ask someone about their job in many different ways. 

Let’s look at the most common questions you might be asked and how to answer them. 

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


🔸 What do you do? – This is the most commonly asked question. 
🔸 I'm a/an ... What about you? 

Sample answers: 

• I’m in the fashion business. | I work in the fashion industry. 
• I work in sales/education, etc. 
• I work in marketing. | I work in the marketing field. 
• I’m a marketing assistant at SAP. 
• I’m a market research analyst and I work for PHD. 
• I work as a sales manager. 

​
* market research analyst = marketing analyst 


​🔸 Where do you work? 

Sample answers: 

• I work in London. 
• I work at home near London. 
• I work for PwC in Toronto. I’m an IT consultant. And you? 
• I work in a hospital. 
• I work at a local coffee shop. 

🔸 And what do you do at SAP? 

Sample answers: 

• I’m a software developer. 
• I work there as a market analyst. 
• I’m doing an internship in the HR department. 

🔸 Who do you work for? 

​Sample answers: 

• I work for an HR agency. 
• I work for a small hair care company. 
• I work for a company that produces skin care products. 
• I work for an Italian wine producer. 
• I don’t work for a company. I’m self-employed. 

🔸 What do you do for a living? 

​Sample answers: 

• I help companies decide which products and services to sell, to which customers, and at what price. (market research analyst / marketing analyst) 
• I help shoppers find the goods and products they are looking for. (sales assistant) 

This questions basically means "What do you do as a job?” 

* for a living – someone's job or profession 
* living (noun) (B2) (= money) – the way that you earn money 


Instead of mentioning your company name or position, you can mention the benefits of your job. 


Other lessons: 
Collocations with Job (Part 1) 
Collocations with Job (Part 2) 
English Lesson: Jobs and Skills 
Business English: Working in an office 
Business English: Prepositions with WORK 
​Business English: How to Talk about Your Job Responsibilities 
​

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In this lesson, you are going to learn how to talk about your job role, job responsibilities, as well as what you like or dislike about your job. 

Read the other related lessons to learn collocations and phrases to talk about work and jobs. 

While reading this lesson, pay attention to what tenses, prepositions, linking words, phrases and collocations have been used. 


Chelsea 

• I'm a Client Manager at .............................. (company name) 
• What I'm in change of doing is essentially managing communication between the client and the company. 
• What I love most about my job is communicating with people – just being able to interact with a bunch of people on a daily basis as well as understanding what my clients' goals are, and working with my team to deliver a product that they are truly excited about. 
• One of the most difficult parts of my job is keeping everyone on schedule because within this company everyone has million different clients and projects that they are working on at any given time. 
• One of the main responsibilities is being super detail-oriented. Everything that we send out be it a digital ad, a report, be it a direct mail piece has to be meticulously proofed.
• Going along with being detail-oriented, it's important to remember that mistakes happen, so you have to be resilient and be a problem-solver. So, if something does go wrong, you have to own your mistakes and be prepared to make things right. 

VOCABULARY 

• meticulously (adverb) /məˈtɪkjələsli/ – in a way that pays careful attention to every detail 
• resilient (adjective) /rɪˈzɪliənt/ – able to become strong, happy, or successful again after a difficult situation or event | SYNONYM: tough 

Melissa 

• Once I graduated, I applied to a bunch of different jobs within the marketing, advertising, and public relations field and I landed a job as a PR specialist at a content marketing firm. 
• My responsibilities there started off as just communicating with journalists and editors at online publications like Huffington Post and BuzzFeed. 
• We would take content that we'd created for our clients that was relevant to those journalists and ask them to write a story about it.  
• I excelled in that role and within nine months I was actually promoted to a manager of the department. 

Sarah 

• I ended up doing a year-long program that was education-related. 
• I had some of the skills that actually really helped me in that job. Some of them were the ability to communicate differently with different types of people, different types of learners, as well as the ability to be flexible and think on my feet. 
• After that, I did a year as a coordinator at a non-profit that's related to health research, and I like that too, but I found myself a bit frustrated with feeling a bit limited. 
• My organization was great, but it was only six people big, and I realized there weren't a ton of ways for me to grow. 
• Consulting was a really lucky opportunity for me and I got out of it exactly what I was hoping to, which was the opportunity to gain some real discipline and specific skills that would prepare me for leadership. 
• Through the consulting firm, I was also able to get a certification in project management.  

VOCABULARY 

• end up doing something 
• think on one's feet (phrase) – to make a quick decision or give an answer quickly 
• frustrated at/with something ​

TIPS 

• study for a 4-year degree - It will set you up for success. 
• pursue internships – both paid or unpaid 
• seek out companies that you can help – even if it's just filing paperwork or doing secretarial work 
• offer your services to gain work experience so that you can build your resume 
• gain experience working with others and collaborating with others 
• having certifications in Microsoft Office is also very helpful 

TASK: 
Write down a comment with information about your job role, your responsibilities, and what you like and/or dislike about your job. 


Other lessons: 
Collocations with Job (Part 1) 
Collocations with Job (Part 2) 
English Lessons: Jobs and Skills 
Business English: Working in an office 
Business English: How to Talk about Your Job Responsibilities 


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In this lesson, we are going to focus on eight phrasal verbs and some collocations you can use to talk about work. 

WHAT IS IMPORTANT IN A JOB? 

New technologies change the way we work. Employers want to know that you are able to pick up new tasks and that you don't get frustrated when something goes wrong. You need to have sufficient knowledge and background to do your job. You should know how much work you can take on and how much time you need in order to complete a task. 

Teamwork is one of the main requirements when applying for a job. In other words, are you able to work effectively with others? You need to be able to collaborate with your colleagues and support each other. You and your team need to remember that you have a common goal to achieve, which means that you should be able to split up work. 

​Employees also need to be able to work alone and resolve problems when they come up. Problem-solving is an essential skill in the workplace and this can make a huge difference to your career. The problems you face at work can be simple or more complex. So, being able to come up with effective solutions is really important. While robots can take over more repetitive tasks, people have to deal with the real problem and what causes it. 

Regardless of what your job is, you can always pick up new skills. It might take a while to figure out whether you actually enjoy your current job or not. You can experience multiple work environments and learn a lot of practical skills that will help you in the future when thinking about a career change. 

​
VOCABULARY

• pick something <-> up (phrasal verb) - to have an idea or a skill without effort  
• take something <-> on (phrasal verb) - to accept work or responsibility 
• complete a task | finish a task (collocations) 
• in other words (phrase) - used when saying the same thing in a different way or explaining it 
• achieve your goal (collocation) 
• split something <-> up (phrasal verb) - to divide something into smaller parts
• solve a problem | resolve a problem (collocations) also fix a problem (informal) 
• come up (phrasal verb) - if a problem comes up, it needs to be dealt with immediately 
• come up with something (phrasal verb) - to think of something such as an idea or a plan 
• take something <-> over (phrasal verb) - to gain control of something 
• deal with something (phrasal verb) - to take action to do something to solve a problem 
• figure something <-> out (phrasal verb) - to think about something until you understand it 
• a career change (collocation) 

Exercise 

Complete the sentences with a phrasal verb from the list below. Use the correct form of the verb: 
pick up (x2), take on (x2), split up, come up, come up with, take over, deal with, figure out  

1. You can look for creative designs to ......................... new ideas. 
2. Is this the best idea you can .........................?  
3. I can't ......................... any more work at the moment.  
4. If you want to ......................... new skills, you can take some specialised courses.  
5. When you ......................... difficult customers, it's important to listen intently and give them your full attention. Don't interrupt them and show empathy.  
6. You might get requests from other departments to help them by ......................... extra tasks outside of your traditional role. You can set clear expectations, so you can focus on your actual priorities at work.  
7. Some people find it difficult to ......................... their dream job.  
8. When we have a large project, we ......................... into teams to get more done.  
9. I declined the job offer because a better opportunity .........................  
10. I ......................... the job after he left. 

Answers: 
1. pick up; 2. come up with; 3. take on; 4. pick up; 5. deal with; 6. taking on (-ing after a preposition); 
7. figure out; 8. split up; 9. came up; 10. took over; 
​

Other Business English lessons: 
Collocations with Job (Part 1) 
​Collocations with Job (Part 2) 
English Lesson: Jobs and Skills 
Business English: Working in an office 
Business English: Prepositions with WORK 
Business English: How to Talk about Money 
Business English: Collocations with Business 
Business English: How to Talk about Your Job Responsibilities 


Please LIKE and SHARE with friends! 
If you have any questions, please leave a comment below this lesson. 

In this lesson, we are going to focus on collocations to talk about having your own business. 

HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT GOING INTO BUSINESS? 

Let's consider some major aspects of starting a business and what it takes to run it. 
​
One of the reasons why some people decide to go into business for themselves is because they want to have a job that fits into their lifestyle. They can have a more flexible schedule without having to worry about their working hours or sick leave.

Before thinking of setting up a business, you need to brainstorm a good business idea. Remember that you also need to be passionate about it, so that you can stay motivated in the long term. There are different kinds of businesses, so those who want to start a business need to figure out their area of expertise and skills they have.

During the early stages of your business, you will have to work long hours to set everything up as well as learn new skills in order to build and grow your business. Whether it is a product or a service that you want to offer, you need to consider all the different ways to finance your business. In the beginning, it makes more sense to start your business on the side and keep your full-time job, so that you have a source of income to rely on. 

If you want to do business, you need to be aware that this involves considerable risks. Of course, some businesses are riskier than others and there are different factors you should definitely take into account such as money and labour. 

Be optimistic and think about the money you will need to run your business. Often times you will spend more than you can actually make, especially early on. Even though you may have a good idea, bear in mind that there are no guarantees in business. You need to have a point of view about the future. It is also important to keep in mind that in a recession smaller firms often go out of business. 

Running your own business requires hard work and patience. You have to start getting sales and revenue in order to stay in business. 

​
VOCABULARY 

• go into business (collocation) - start working in business 
• start a business | set up a business (collocations) 
• figure something <-> out (phrasal verb) - to think about a problem or situation until you find the answer
• set something <-> up (phrasal verb) - (SYN: establish) - to start a company 
• have a business | own a business (collocations)
• build a business | develop a business (collocations) 
• grow a business (collocation) - make it larger 
• finance a business (SYN: fund) - to provide money for it 
• a source of income (phrase) 
• do business (collocation) 
• considerable risk(s) (collocation) - fairly large 
• take something into account - to consider facts or details when making a decision 
• bear in mind that | keep in mind that 
• go out of business (collocation) - stop doing business because of financial problems 
• run a business (collocation) - manage it 
• stay in business (collocation) - continue operating and not go bankrupt 

Other Business English lessons: 
Collocations with Job (Part 1) 
Collocations with Job (Part 2) 
English Lesson: Jobs and Skills 
Business English: Working in an office 
Business English: Prepositions with WORK 
Business English: How to Talk about Money 
Business English: How to Talk about Your Job Responsibilities 

​
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If you have any questions, please leave a comment below this lesson. 

In this lesson, we are going to focus on the difference between earnings, income, salary, wage(s), pay and allowance. 


EARNINGS [plural noun] = net income

You can use the word 'earnings' to talk about the total amount of money you earn from any job that you do. The amount of money is usually different each month or year. 

Examples: 

• Her net earnings last year were $16,800. (= after tax has been paid) 
• Apple reported earnings of $53.3 billion in the third quarter of 2018. 
• Apple's earnings per share are now $2.34. (EPS = net income / average outstanding common shares) 
• According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the average weekly earnings for men in November 2017 were $1,753.50, and $1,429.80 for women. 
• The average weekly earnings of 16- to 19-year-olds in the U.S. in 2016 were around $400. 

​
INCOME 

This is the money you receive regularly for doing your job or from a business or investments. 

Examples: 

• What's your weekly/monthly/annual income? 
• My parents' annual income is over $30,000. 
• People living in rural areas rely on farming for income. 
• These families have no source of income when the harvest is over. (source of income = way of earning money) 
• You can always take on extra work to increase your income. (to take something on = to decide to do something) 
• The company's net income for the third quarter of 2018 was $11.52 billion compared to $8.72 billion a year ago. 

SALARY 

This is the money that you receive regularly for doing your job. It's usually paid to you every month. 
We use the word 'salary' when we talk about professional jobs such as managers, teachers, doctors, etc. 

Examples: 

• I get a basic salary and other benefits on top. 
• My dad earns a good salary as a software developer. 
• I joined the company in 2016 on a salary of €58,000 a year. (be on a salary) 
• Employee salaries are paid directly into their bank account. 
• The starting salary for an architect in the U.S. is around $50,000. (= the salary someone gets when they start a job) 
• The average salary for a Team Leader in the UK is around £24,000 per year.  

WAGES [often plural] (also WAGE) 

The money that someone is paid every week by their employer. We often use this word when we talk about working in a shop or factory. 

Examples: 

• Some companies pay lower wages to female workers. (pay a wage) 
• Workers in the UK paid per task or piece of work they do should be paid at least the minimum wage for every hour worked. (= It's the lowest amount of money that an employer can pay someone according to the law.) 
• Many states in the U.S. have different minimum wages. 

​

PAY [noun] 

You can use this word to refer to the money you receive for doing your job. 

Examples: 

• Some people work extremely hard and get no pay. (get/receive pay) 
• Even though I work long hours, the pay is pretty good. 
• The average pay for a Travel Agent is around $36,000 a year. 
• The hourly pay for baristas at Starbucks is $9, and $12 for shift supervisors. 
• When you start working for a company, you are entitled to sick pay. This is a basic right you have as an employee. (= pay that you get when you are ill and cannot work) 
• Employees in the UK are entitled to redundancy pay if they've been working for their current employer for 2 years or more. (= pay when there is no longer a job for you) 
• Women in the UK and Ireland get some of the worst maternity pay in Europe. (= pay while a woman takes time off to have a baby)
• All the employees are out on strike because they have been working without pay for the last month. 

​
​
ALLOWANCE 

This word is used to talk about money that someone receives regularly for a special reason without having to work to earn it. 

Examples: 

• Many companies provide clothing allowances to their employees. 
• Employers should provide their employees with a uniform allowance to purchase the uniform, so that they don't have to pay for it. 
• Many companies offer 24/7 services and employees sometimes have to work overtime. They get an overtime allowance for working long hours. 

Exercise 

Complete the sentences with earnings, income, salary, wages, pay and allowance. 

1. The hourly .................... went up by $2.  
2. His pension is his only source of ....................  
3. The company announced its quarterly .................... at the end of July.  
4. "What's the ....................?" "About $12 an hour."  
5. His annual .................... are over $100,000. 
6. The tax is taken from your monthly .................... 
7. Retail and fast food chains in the U.S. tend to pay the lowest ...................  
8. The amount of tax you have to pay depends on your ................... 
9. My average weekly ................... are around $600. 
10. She has to use her car in her new job but she gets a good mileage ...................... 

Answers: 
1. pay; 2. income; 3. earnings; 4. pay; 5. earnings (the verb form is 'are'); 6. salary; 7. wages; 8. income;
9. earnings (the verb form is 'are'); allowance; 

​

Other Business English lessons: 
Collocations with Job (Part 1) 
Collocations with Job (Part 2) 
English Lesson: Jobs and Skills 
Business English: Working in an office 
Business English: Prepositions with WORK 
Business English: How to Talk about Your Job Responsibilities 


Please LIKE and SHARE with friends! 
If you have any questions, please leave a comment below this lesson. 

In this lesson, you are going to learn six prepositions that can be used with the verb 'work' and the difference between each one of them and how to use them correctly. 

Do the exercise and the end to practise. 


AS

Formula: work as + occupation 
Questions: What do you do? | What do you work? | What is your job? 

Examples: 

• I work as a sales assistant. 
• What do you do as a product designer? 
• I work as a public relations manager. I'm in charge of creating content for press releases and coordinating all public relations activities. 

Note: You can also say 'I'm a photographer', 'I'm an architect', etc. 


IN 

Formula: work in + place or field (industry or type of job) 
Questions: Which industry do you work in? | Which department do you work in? 

Examples: 

• She works part-time in a library. 
• My mother has always worked in education. 
• Most of my friends work in customer service. 
• I worked in a Chinese restaurant a few years ago. 
• I prefer working in a professional environment. 
• I work in the sales department of a small software company. 
• If you want to pursue a career in interior design, you need to have a creative mind as well as academic training and networking skills. 

Note: Use 'work in' with words like 'school', 'bank', 'hospital', 'hotel', 'factory', 'shop', etc. to talk about the place where someone works. 

Remember: Don't use 'work in' with the name of a company or organisation. 


FOR 

Formula: work for + person, company or organisation 
Question: Who do you work for? | How long have you been working for this company? 

Examples: 

• I work for a small Danish company. 
• He works for an IT company. 
• I worked for Microsoft for five years and then moved to another company. 
• I've been working for a state-owned company in Beijing. 

AT 

Formula: work at + a particular place or organisation  
Questions: Which ... do you work at? 

Examples: 

• I worked at Microsoft for five years and then moved to another company. 
• I've been working at Ontario Ministry of Education for less than a year now. My colleagues are really friendly and I'm glad that I get a good work-life balance although my job can be a bit boring sometimes. 
• I'm working at the bookstore in my area this summer. 
• He's working at his desk. 

Note: You can use 'work at' when you are talking about a well-known company or organisation or when they person you are talking to knows it already. 


ON 

Formula: work on + project or task 
Question: What are you working on? 

Example: 

• Our team has been working on this project for two years. 
• I often go on business trips and work on projects in the company's offices overseas. 
• Many employees become unmotivated when they work on repetitive tasks. 
• I'm working on financial budgets at the moment. 
• I work on car design. 

​

WITH 

Formula: work with + someone  
Questions: Do you like working with ...? | What do you like about working with ...? 


Examples: 

• I work with both local colleagues and foreign ones, who are mostly from Denmark. 
• In my job, I work closely with the design team to create attractive designs for our partners. 
• Some people love the idea of working with children but don't have the skills or personality for it. 

Exercise

Complete the sentences with the prepositions as, in, for, at, on and with. Sometimes more than one is possible. 

1. Kevin works ............... the finance department of a Japanese company. 
2. Most parents in China want their children to work ............... the public sector because of job security. 
3. She works ............... a model agency.  
4. I work ............... a publishing company.  
5. I work ............... a photographer ............... a family-owned studio in Melbourne.  
6. I worked ............... a software engineer ............... Microsoft. 
7. At the moment, I'm working ............... a research project ............... a multinational company. 
8. My best friend and I work ............... the same company.  
9. I spent the evening working ............... my office.  
10. My sister has been working ............... advertising after college.  
11. I'm working ............... the monthly report.  
12. There are 15 employees who work ............... the HR department.  
13. Would you consider working ............... Starbucks? 
14. He works ............... the hospital. 
15. I work closely ............... our foreign partners and I travel a lot.  

Answers: 
1. in; 2. in; 3. for; 4. for; 5. as, in; 6. as, at/for ('at' because it's a well known company); 7. on, for; 8. for; 9. in; 10. in; 11. on; 12. in; 13. at/for ('at' is more common); 14. in/at ('at' when it is a particular hospital); 15. with; 


Other Business English lessons: 
Collocations with Job (Part 1) 
Collocations with Job (Part 2) 
English Lesson: Jobs and Skills 
Business English: Working in an office 
Business English: How to Talk about Your Job Responsibilities 


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