Finding and choosing a job
| Word or phrase | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| job market | the supply of and demand for jobs | The job market is tough for graduates without experience. |
| career prospects | chances of advancing in a job | Learning a second language improves your career prospects. |
| apply for a position | formally ask to be considered for a job | She applied for a position at a design firm. |
| recruit | find and employ new staff | The company plans to recruit fifty engineers this year. |
| qualifications | exams and degrees that show your skills | Employers often ask for relevant qualifications. |
| job security | certainty that you will keep your job | Many people value job security more than a high salary. |
| entry-level job | a basic job for people with no experience | He started in an entry-level job and worked his way up. |
Working conditions
| Word or phrase | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| flexible hours | working times that can be adjusted | Flexible hours help parents balance work and childcare. |
| remote working | working away from the office | Remote working saves commuting time and reduces costs. |
| overtime | extra hours beyond normal working time | Staff are paid double for overtime at weekends. |
| workload | the amount of work a person has to do | A heavy workload can lead to stress. |
| commute | travel regularly between home and work | I commute for an hour each way by train. |
| paid leave | holiday time for which you still receive salary | Employees are entitled to twenty days of paid leave. |
| working environment | the physical and social setting of work | A friendly working environment increases motivation. |
Skills and satisfaction
| Word or phrase | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| job satisfaction | feeling happy and fulfilled at work | Job satisfaction often depends on good relations with colleagues. |
| teamwork | working together as a group | Teamwork is essential in hospitals and engineering projects. |
| transferable skills | skills useful in many different jobs | Communication is one of the most valuable transferable skills. |
| meet a deadline | finish work by the agreed time | Journalists must meet tight deadlines every day. |
| take initiative | act without being told | Managers like employees who take initiative. |
| on-the-job training | learning while doing the work | On-the-job training allows new staff to learn quickly. |
| sense of achievement | pride in having accomplished something | Finishing a difficult project gives me a sense of achievement. |
Pay, careers and change
| Word or phrase | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| salary | fixed regular pay, usually monthly | The salary is good, but the hours are long. |
| promotion | move to a higher position | She earned a promotion after two years of strong results. |
| career ladder | the series of steps in a career | It is hard to climb the career ladder without good mentors. |
| self-employed | working for yourself | Many freelancers are self-employed and manage their own taxes. |
| redundancy | losing a job because it is no longer needed | Automation has led to redundancy for factory workers. |
| retrain | learn new skills for a different job | Older workers may need to retrain when technology changes. |
| unemployment rate | the percentage of people without work | The unemployment rate is highest among young adults. |
How to use these words well
- Say take a job, apply for a job and do a job rather than make a job.
- Learn pairs such as heavy workload and tight deadline; examiners notice natural collocations.
- In Speaking Part 1, answer why you chose your job with one reason plus a short example.
- Redundancy means losing a job; do not use it to mean extra or unnecessary in everyday talk.
Study guides
Computer-Delivered IELTS: What Changes and What Stays the Same
Thinking about taking IELTS on a computer? Here is what stays the same, what feels different in Writing, Reading and Listening, and how to prepare for the screen.
IELTS Writing Task 1 Vocabulary for Graphs, Charts and Processes
Useful verbs, nouns, adverbs and sentence patterns for describing line graphs, bar charts, tables and processes in IELTS Task 1, with more than twelve example sentences.
Linking Words for IELTS and How to Use Them Correctly
A practical list of IELTS linking words grouped by function, with correct and incorrect examples, punctuation rules and a warning about overusing connectors.