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If you had asked me when I was 5 years old what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would
have told you that my dream was to be an astronaut who played professional baseball in the MLB.
The problem is, I never could have convinced anyone at NASA to let me anywhere near one
of the space shuttles! Let alone visit the moon part-time and pitch for the Yankees for
the rest of it. But that brings me to the focus of today’s lesson: the importance
of being able to effectively using key phrases in American English to convince your boss
or a potential employer that you deserve that job of a lifetime, raise or promotion.
If you are looking for a new job in the United States or have an upcoming interview with
an international company with American executives making the hiring decisions, it is more than
worthwhile to get familiar with some key job and interview-related words and phrases. Having
a foreign accent won’t keep you from getting a job, but being on-point with your pronunciations
could go a long way in helping you stand out from others competing for the same position.
In addition to your American English pronunciations and having the ability to speak clearly, after
finish this post check out some other keys to acing your next interview.
As we go over some basic and critically important job-related words, I want you to pay special
attention to how I am pronouncing the vowels in each word. Many of the words are short
and appear simple, but the frequent use of ‘o’ and ‘a’ means there are even more
chances of making the wrong vowel sound.
Important Job-Related Words
Job ? ‘jawb’ | The ‘o’ here makes an ‘aw’ sound | Rhymes with ‘bob’
Employment ? ‘emm+ploy+mint’ | The most common mistake in pronouncing this critical
word is the second syllable ‘ploy’. Make sure you open your mouth vertically enough
to get the full ‘O’ sound.
Offer ? ‘aw+ffer’ | Again, the ‘o’ makes an ‘aw’ sound. Remember to bring
your top teeth down to your bottom lip to pronounce the F’s properly.
Salary ? ‘sall+ar+ee’ | Sounds like the vegetable ‘celery’, except replace the
E’s with A’s
Raise ? ‘ray+z’ | The ‘i’ isn’t pronounced here, but it does indicate the
full ‘A’ sound. The ‘s’ sounds like a ‘z’, and the ‘e’ is silent | Rhymes
with ‘maze’
Hired ? ‘hi+yerd’ | Start the pronouncing ‘hired’ as if you were greeting someone
and saying ‘hi’. For the second syllable, add a ‘y’ sound before finishing with
‘erd’. Make sure you don’t say ‘hi+red’! | Rhymes with ‘tired’
Start Date ? ‘staart day+t’ | Rhymes with ‘cart’ and ‘late’
Manage ? ‘man+edge’ | Pronounce the first syllable by saying the word ‘man’. When
completing the word, say it as if there
is a ‘d’ before the ‘g’.
Opportunities ? ‘awp+or+toon+it+ees’ | Words with so many syllables can be tricky and it’s
always important to make a clear distinction between each one. Practice saying ‘opportunities’
a few times very slowly, making sure to pronounce each syllable separately. You will need to
master a lot of mouth movement here!
Important Job-Related Phrases
I want to go over some common phrases used by employees when looking for a job, interviewing
for a job, accepting an offer of employment, or even asking for a raise. These are some
important basic phrases to know, but remember you can always add some flare with other American
English words that you have mastered!
I am interested in learning more about your company?
Do you have any job openings?
Are there any employment opportunities within your company?
My salary requirements are…
Sir, I have worked here for over a year and believe I deserve a raise.
Thank you, I would like to accept your job offer.
What is the expected start date for the manager position at your consulting firm.
Have you hired a new executive director yet? I am interested in learning more about the
leadership qualities your organization values.
Hopefully you have learned some new words that will come in use with future job searches
and interviews. As always, practicing these words and phrases regularly will help you
learn American English faster and more effectively. Try having a mock interview with one of your
friends and have him critique your pronunciations. Click here for more American English lessons.