Work & Career — B1 Essential Words

career /kəˈrɪr/ noun B1 Work

Meaning: The job or type of work that a person does for most of their working life; a person’s progress in their work over many years.

Example: Emma wants a career in medicine, so she is studying biology.

Another example: He changed careers at forty and became a teacher.

Collocations: a career in medicine · career change · build a career

Synonyms: profession, working life

Word family: career (n) · career woman/man (n)

⚠ Common mistake: ’Career’ is the long-term path. A single position is a ’job’. Don’t say ’my career is a nurse’ — say ’My career is in nursing’ or ’I have a career as a nurse.’

🗣 In spoken American English: People ask ’What do you do for a living?’ about your career. ’Career day’ at school is when parents talk about their jobs.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

apply /əˈplaɪ/ verb B1 Work

Meaning: To ask for something officially, usually in writing — for example, to ask for a job, a place at college, or a loan.

Example: Jack applied for a job at a software company in Austin.

Another example: You can apply online in about ten minutes.

Collocations: apply for a job · apply online · apply to a college

Synonyms: request, submit an application

Word family: apply (v) · application (n) · applicant (n)

⚠ Common mistake: Use ’apply for’ a job or a thing you want, and ’apply to’ a company or college: ’I applied for the job’ and ’I applied to the company.’ Don’t say ’apply a job’.

🗣 In spoken American English: In job ads, ’Apply now!’ means send your application. The form you fill in is an ’application’.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

interview /ˈɪn.tɚˌvjuː/ noun and verb B1 Work

Meaning: A formal meeting where someone asks you questions to decide if you are right for a job or a place at college. It can also be a conversation where a reporter asks someone questions.

Example: Sophia has a job interview in Denver on Tuesday.

Another example: The manager interviewed five people for the position.

Collocations: job interview · have an interview · interview for a job

Synonyms: meeting, question-and-answer session

Word family: interview (n) · interview (v) · interviewer (n) · interviewee (n)

⚠ Common mistake: The person who asks the questions is the ’interviewer’; the person who answers is the ’interviewee’. Don’t mix them up.

🗣 In spoken American English: Before a job interview, Americans often practice common questions like ’Tell me about yourself.’

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

experience /ɪkˈspɪr.i.əns/ noun B1 Work

Meaning: Knowledge or skill that you get from doing a job or an activity for a long time. It can also mean something that happens to you.

Example: The job needs someone with at least three years of experience.

Another example: Teaching young children was a great experience for Lily.

Collocations: work experience · years of experience · experience in teaching

Synonyms: knowledge, skill, background

Antonyms: inexperience

Word family: experience (n) · experienced (adj) · experiment (n — a scientific test)

⚠ Common mistake: ’Experience’ for skills is uncountable: say ’I have experience’, not ’an experience’ or ’experiences’. ’An experience’ means one event that happened to you.

🗣 In spoken American English: On a résumé you list your ’work experience’. A person with a lot of it is ’experienced’.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

skill /skɪl/ noun B1 Work

Meaning: An ability to do something well, which you learn by training and practice — for example, speaking a language or fixing cars.

Example: Computer skills are important in almost every job today.

Another example: Michael learned new skills at his training course in Chicago.

Collocations: computer skills · learn a skill · skill set

Synonyms: ability, talent

Word family: skill (n) · skilled (adj) · skillful (adj)

⚠ Common mistake: A ’skill’ is something you learn. A ’talent’ is something you are born with. Don’t say ’I have a skill to swim’ — say ’I can swim’ or ’I have swimming skills.’

🗣 In spoken American English: Job ads list ’required skills’. People talk about ’people skills’ — being good with other people at work.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

responsible /rɪˈspɑːn.sə.bəl/ adjective B1 Work

Meaning: Having the duty to take care of something or to do a job, and being trusted to do it well.

Example: Clara is responsible for training new workers.

Another example: We need a responsible person to look after the children.

Collocations: responsible for · a responsible person · responsible job

Synonyms: in charge, trustworthy

Antonyms: irresponsible

Word family: responsible (adj) · responsibility (n) · responsibly (adv)

⚠ Common mistake: Use ’responsible for’ + noun or verb-ing: ’responsible for the money’, ’responsible for closing the store’. Don’t say ’responsible of’.

🗣 In spoken American English: Parents tell children ’Be responsible!’ A job with a lot of responsibility is a ’big responsibility’.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

manage /ˈmæn.ɪdʒ/ verb B1 Work

Meaning: To be in charge of a business, a team, or a project and make decisions about it. It can also mean to succeed in doing something difficult.

Example: Lisa manages a team of twelve people in Seattle.

Another example: The road was closed, but we managed to get home on time.

Collocations: manage a team · manage a business · manage to do something

Synonyms: run, be in charge of, handle

Word family: manage (v) · manager (n) · management (n)

⚠ Common mistake: ’Manage to do something’ means you succeeded, often with difficulty. Don’t use it for easy, normal actions: say ’I finished my homework’, not ’I managed to finish my homework’ — unless it was hard.

🗣 In spoken American English: A ’manager’ is the person in charge. In stores, customers ask ’Can I speak to the manager?’

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

hire /haɪr/ verb B1 Work

Meaning: To give someone a job; to pay a person to work for you or your company.

Example: The company plans to hire twenty new workers this year.

Another example: They hired Tom as a driver last month.

Collocations: hire workers · hire and fire · newly hired

Synonyms: employ, take on

Antonyms: fire, lay off

Word family: hire (v) · hire (n) · hiring (n/adj)

⚠ Common mistake: The company ’hires’ you; you ’get hired’. Don’t say ’The company hired to me’ — say ’The company hired me.’

🗣 In spoken American English: Signs in shop windows say ’Now Hiring!’ or ’Help Wanted’ when a business needs workers. In British English, ’hire’ can also mean rent a car — Americans say ’rent’.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

retire /rɪˈtaɪr/ verb B1 Work

Meaning: To stop working permanently, usually because you have reached an older age, often around 65.

Example: My grandfather retired at 65 after forty years as a teacher.

Another example: She plans to retire early and travel around the United States.

Collocations: retire at 65 · retire early · retire from a job

Synonyms: stop working, leave work

Word family: retire (v) · retired (adj) · retirement (n)

⚠ Common mistake: ’Retire’ is for stopping work at the end of a career. For leaving any job, use ’quit’ or ’leave’. Don’t say ’I retired from school’ when you mean you finished or left school.

🗣 In spoken American English: A ’retirement party’ celebrates a person’s last day of work. Many Americans save money in a ’retirement account’ for old age.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

unemployed /ˌʌn.ɪmˈplɔɪd/ adjective B1 Work

Meaning: Without a job, but wanting to work and looking for one.

Example: After the factory closed, many workers were unemployed.

Another example: He was unemployed for six months before he found a new job.

Collocations: be unemployed · unemployed workers · unemployment rate

Synonyms: jobless, out of work

Antonyms: employed

Word family: unemployed (adj) · unemployment (n) · employ (v) · employee (n)

⚠ Common mistake: Use ’unemployed’ for a person with no job who is looking for work. A person who does not work by choice, like a student or a retired person, is usually not called ’unemployed’.

🗣 In spoken American English: People say ’I’m between jobs’ as a softer way to say unemployed. The government pays ’unemployment benefits’ to help people who lost their jobs.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing