Nine questions about your working life
Questions about working life move from you to your company, your job and the people you work with. Prepare a one-sentence answer to each; together, they become the notes for your talk.
In the recording, a bicycle mechanic answers some of them. Listen, then pause after each question and give your own answer.
- “What’s your name?” – “I’m Owen Hart.”
- “Where are you from?” – “I’m from Bristol.”
- “What company do you work for?” – “I work for Bright Wheel Services.”
- “Where’s the head office?” – “It’s in Bristol.”
- “What department do you work in?” – “I work in sales.”
- “What do you do?” – “I fix bicycles and meet customers.”
- “How many people are in your team?” – “There are five people in my team.”
- “Who do you meet at work?” – “I meet customers and suppliers.”
- “Do you travel for work?” – “Yes, I do.” / “No, I don’t.”
Maya What's your name and where are you from?
Owen I'm Owen Hart and I'm from Bristol.
Maya What company do you work for?
Owen I work for Bright Wheel Services.
Maya What do you do?
Owen I fix bicycles and meet customers.
Eight verbs to say what you do
Your job title says what you are; verbs say what you do. Use the present simple for regular work.
About another person, add -s after he or she (-es after x, s, sh or ch): she manages, he runs, he fixes. “Have” becomes “has”: “She has a small team.”
- fix – repair: “I fix bicycles.”
- have – “I have a small team.”
- like – “I like my job.”
- make – produce: “We make office furniture.”
- manage – be responsible for people or work: “I manage five people.”
- meet – “I meet customers every week.”
- run – organise and control a business: “I run a small workshop.”
- sell – “We sell furniture to offices.”
Notes, not a script
A talk read from a full script sounds like reading, and you lose your place when you look up. Write keywords instead, one line per topic, as in this sales team manager’s notes. Add a line for your home town; it is a different fact from the head office.
- Name: Maya Cole
- Company: Field & Form
- Head office: Porto
- Department: sales
- Job: team manager
- Activities: manage five people; meet customers in Spain and Portugal
Your one-minute talk, line by line
Turn each line into one or two short sentences. Join two activities with “and”, start with “Hello” and end with “Thank you. Any questions?”
Then answer the follow-up question in one sentence plus a detail: “Do you travel for work?” – “Yes, I do. I visit customers in Spain.” Missed it? Say “Sorry, can you repeat that?”
The talk from the notes above:
- “Hello. I’m Maya Cole.”
- “I work for Field & Form. We make office furniture.”
- “Our head office is in Porto.”
- “I work in sales. I’m a team manager.”
- “I manage five people, and I meet customers in Spain and Portugal.”
- “I like my job. Thank you. Any questions?”
Common mistakes
These are easy to fix:
- “I work in Field & Form.” With a company, use “for” or “at”.
- “She manage five people.” Add -s: “She manages five people.” And “he has”, not “he have”.
- “I am work in sales.” Say “I work in sales.” or “I’m a team manager.”, not both at once.
- “I’m fixing bicycles.” as an answer to “What do you do?” Use the simple form: “I fix bicycles.”
A 10-minute daily practice routine
Practise out loud, with your real job or an invented one.
- 2 minutes: play the interview and answer each question yourself.
- 3 minutes: write your note card in keywords, with all seven lines.
- 3 minutes: give your talk from the card and time it on your phone: 45–60 seconds. If it’s shorter, add an activity.
- 2 minutes: answer two of the nine questions as follow-ups.
What comes next
Next, move from your job to your company’s products: what you make or sell, and how to confirm a phone order by email, with the total and delivery. At A2, you ask colleagues for help and check the result.