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:
* market research analyst = marketing analyst 🔸 Where do you work? Sample answers:
🔸 And what do you do at SAP? Sample answers:
🔸 Who do you work for? Sample answers:
🔸 What do you do for a living? Sample answers:
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 Please LIKE and SHARE with friends!
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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
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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 Please LIKE and SHARE with friends! IELTS Speaking CoursesIf you need to take the IELTS exam for education or work purposes, you might be interested in the following courses. Click to learn more!
Download the PDFs at the end.Shanghai Baoye Center Last updated on 4 June, 2025.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 can pick up new tasks and that you don't get frustrated when something goes wrong. You need sufficient knowledge and background suitable for the job you do. You should know how much work you can take on and how much time you need 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 all work towards a common goal, which means you should be able to split up the work. Employees also need to be able to work independently and resolve any problems as they come up. Problem-solving is an essential skill in the workplace, and this can make a significant difference in your career. The issues you face at work can be simple or more complex. So, being able to come up with solutions is key. While robots can take over more repetitive tasks, people still have to deal with real problems and their causes. 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
READING COMPREHENSION TEST Complete the sentences with a phrasal verb from the list below. Use the correct form of the verb. Match each sentence with the appropriate phrasal verb. come up, come up with (x2), deal with, figure out, pick up (x2), split up (x2), take on (x2), take over come up - to happen unexpectedly; to become available (of a job) ______________ come up with something - to think of an idea, a plan or a solution ______________ deal with something - to take action to solve a problem, carry out a task ______________ figure something ↔ out - to find the answer to something; to solve sth ______________ pick something ↔ up - to get information, learn a skill without much effort ______________ split something ↔ up - to divide something into two or more parts ______________ take something ↔ on - to accept a job, task, or responsibility; to employ ______________ take something ↔ over - to gain control of a company or have responsibility ______________
MULTIPLE-CHOICE TEST Each question provides four options, but only one is correct. Choose the correct phrasal verb that best completes each sentence. PHRASAL VERBS FOR WORK QUIZ 1. By observing experienced colleagues, interns can ______ new skills that will benefit their career growth. A. take on B. pick up C. split up D. figure out 2. Due to his tight schedule, Sebastian knew that he couldn't ______ any additional responsibilities at work. A. pick up B. come up with C. take on D. split up 3. After the former project manager resigned, Charlotte was appointed to ______ his duties. A. deal with B. pick up C. figure out D. take over 4. Our creative team has ______ some fresh ideas for our next product launch. A. picked up B. come up with C. split up D. taken over 5. The project manager decided to __________ the workload among the team for better efficiency. A. take on B. pick up C. split up D. take over 6. A sudden opportunity to work abroad ______, and she decided to take it. A. came up B. came up with C. took on D. took over 7. This is the first time our company has ______ such a large project across multiple departments. A. taken over B. picked up C. figured out D. taken on 8. After reviewing the sales analysis report, we ______ the main reason for the decline in revenue. A. took on B. split up C. figured out D. took over 9. If a customer has a complaint, the best approach is to ______ it promptly. A. deal with B. come up with C. take over D. take on 10. In order to meet the growing demand, the company has to ______ more staff. A. pick up B. take on C. take over D. come up with 11. To successfully manage a team, you must be able to ______ tasks effectively. A. split up B. take over C. pick up D. figure out 12. The company was losing money when we ______ it ______ . A. took ... over B. picked ... up C. took ... on D. split ... up 13. After the acquisition, the new executive director is expected to ______ the acquired company's operations. A. pick up B. take on C. come up with D. take over 14. When you encounter a challenging task in your job, it is crucial to ______ it in a calm and focused manner. A. take on B. come up with C. take over D. deal with 15. To address the client's concerns, we must ______ a practical solution that satisfies all parties. A. pick up B. deal with C. come up with D. take over Download the PDFs with and without key. Answers Reading Comprehension Test come up - to happen unexpectedly; to become available (of a job) (11) come up with something - to think of an idea, a plan or a solution (2, 10) deal with something - to take action to solve a problem, carry out a task (5) figure something ↔ out - to find the answer to something; to solve sth (8) pick something ↔ up - to get information, learn a skill without much effort (1, 4) split something ↔ up - to divide something into two or more parts (7, 9) take something ↔ on - to accept a job, task, or responsibility; to employ (3, 6) take something ↔ over - to gain control of a company or have responsibility (12) 1. pick up 2. come up with 3. take on 4. pick up 5. dealing with 6. taking on 7. splitting up 8. figure out 9. split up 10. came up with 11. came up 12. took over Multiple-choice Test Phrasal Verbs for Work Quiz 1. B pick up 2. C take on 3. D take over 4. B come up with 5. C split up 6. A came up 7. D taken on 8. C figured out 9. A deal with 10. B take on 11. A split up 12. A took ... over 13. D take over 14. D deal with 15. C come up 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: Prepositions with WORK Business English: How to Talk about Money Business English: Collocations with Business Business English: How to Talk about Your Job Responsibilities The PDF files can be accessed via Google Drive. DO YOU NEED ENGLISH FOR WORK?Take 40 lessons on topics which include: phone calls, socialising, presentations, meetings, time management, problem-solving, company structure, figures, trends, marketing, selling, and more.
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
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 Please LIKE and SHARE with friends! If you have any questions, please leave a comment below this lesson. DO YOU NEED ENGLISH FOR WORK?Take 40 lessons on topics which include: phone calls, socialising, presentations, meetings, time management, problem-solving, company structure, figures, trends, marketing, selling, and more.
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:
INCOME This is the money you receive regularly for doing your job or from a business or investments. Examples:
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:
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:
PAY [noun] You can use this word to refer to the money you receive for doing your job. Examples:
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:
Exercise Complete the sentences with earnings, income, salary, wages, pay and allowance.
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. DO YOU NEED ENGLISH FOR WORK?Take 40 lessons on topics which include: phone calls, socialising, presentations, meetings, time management, problem-solving, company structure, figures, trends, marketing, selling, and more.
Put your knowledge to the test with the exercises at the end. |
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