Appropriately enough, we’re doing this first series on another kind of first: your first job interview. The biggest question about first job interviews relates to experience. How do I show I’m right for the job when I have little or no work experience? What am I supposed to talk about? Even if it’s not your first job interview, you might run into the same difficulty. Perhaps you’re changing careers or transitioning into a new aspect of business. The question remains: How do I relate what I’ve done to what they want, even if it’s not directly related?
This is the second in a two-part Business English Pod series on administrative assistants, their jobs, and related vocabulary and collocations.
Collocations are a challenge for anyone learning English. There aren’t any specific rules to follow. You just have to listen for what sounds right. Still, they’re essential for English communication and important to keep in mind when you learn new vocabulary – don’t just think about the new word, think about what other words it might be used with. We’ll point out some useful collocations related to daily office work as we go through this lesson.
Administrative assistants are important to any business organization. For example, they make sure data is handled responsibly and records are maintained properly. It might seem like they work in the background, but their jobs are critical to the smooth running of a company.
In the last episode we met Christina, the Head Administrative Assistant in the Human Resources department at LaFarge Automotive. In an interview, Christina told us about some of her usual job duties. Today, she’ll talk about why her work is so important to the company.
Listening Questions
1. What is one way Christina manages information for her company?
2. What is one way she mobilizes resources?
3. Does Christina like her job? Why or why not?
This is the first in a two-part Business English Pod series on the work of administrative assistants. We’ll be looking at vocabulary and collocations related to office duties and daily routines.
Before we start, let’s talk a bit about English collocations. Collocations are groups of words that are commonly used together. Native speakers are so used to using them, they know what sounds “right” and what sounds “wrong.” For example, in English the phrase “go online” is a natural way to refer to using the internet. But it wouldn’t be natural to say something like “proceed online” or “travel online”, even though “proceed” and “travel” are other ways to express “go.” You’ll hear lots of collocations related to office life in today’s dialog. Listen out for them and we’ll explain what they mean and how to use them in the debrief.
Now, on to the role of an administrative assistant. The job title of “administrative assistant”, or “admin assistant” for short, can cover quite a broad range of responsibilities. Admin assistants typically spend a lot of time handling data – whether it’s timesheets recording the working hours of other employees, or rosters used for scheduling meeting rooms. Much of what they do involves making sure that other employees are working as efficiently as possible.
In this episode we’ll talk with Christina, who works as an admin assistant in the human resources department of an auto parts manufacturer. Christina’s going to tell us about some of the responsibilities of her position.
Listening Questions
1. What is Christina’s first task every day?
2. How many employees are on the sales team?
3. When is the deadline for personal leave day requests?
World Cup 2010 has begun! Test your skills with the English Football Idioms we introduced in BEP 163 and 164. Choose the correct answer to score goals as you march to cup glory!
The World Cup kicks off in just a few days. That gives us some time to look at some more idioms related to football.
Since sports and business are so similar, it’s easy to see how there could be so many related idioms. Companies are like teams; employees are like players. Ideas are like balls that get kicked around. Success is like scoring a goal. And there’s always plenty of competition.
In the last lesson, Marilyn and Karl, two colleagues at a publishing firm, discussed Karl’s interest in a manager’s job at the firm’s Sydney branch. Karl isn’t completely sure it’s the right move for him and has asked for Marilyn’s feedback. Today, we’ll hear more of their conversation, as Karl explains his hesitation about applying.
Listening Questions
1. How does Karl’s wife feel about moving to Sydney?
2. Why does Karl feel like he’s cheating on his own company?
3. What advice does Marilyn give at the end of their conversation?
