How to talk about your job in English？

笔记原文

Hi, Tim here with another 925English lesson! In today’s lesson we’re going to learn how to talk about your job.

There are lots of situations where you meet someone new and you want to tell them about your job. Maybe they ask you about it, or you just want to introduce yourself/

So how do you do that? Do you just say “I’m a salesman” and that’s it? No, you need to say a bit more than that.

You can certainly start by saying what your job is. And you could use the job name, like “salesperson” or “engineer”, or you could say you are in a certain field.

You might also want to mention your position. So rather than just “salesperson”, may be you’re a regional sales rep.

And besides your job or position, it’s a good idea to say where you work. I don’t mean the location, I mean the company. So you can name the company, or just what kind of company it is.

Let’s practice some examples of talking about your job in this way. Listen to each example, then repeat it yourself. Ready? Let’s get started.

A: I’m in sales with a large pharmaceutical company.
B: I’m a senior engineer at Fuller Associates.
C: I work as a sales associate with City Insurance.
D: I’m a marketing manager with BPT.
E: I’m currently the accountant for a small auto parts company.

That was pretty straightforward, wasn’t it? As you heard, we use the present simple tense to state simple facts like this. So we just say “I’m… an engineer” or use the short form “I’m an engineer.” And notice you can say you work with, at or for a company.

But is that all? I mean, if you just mention your job and company, people won’t always understand what you actually do. So you can tell people what your main duties or responsibilities are. I don’t mean a long list of duties. I mean what you mainly do.

And to talk about your main duties, we usually start with “I” and a strong verb such as “organize” or “handle” or “lead.” And whatever you organize, or handle, or lead will be extra infomation that helps your listener understand your job. That might mean mentioning sepcific people, or places, or activities.

Let’s practice talking about your main duties. Once again, repeat the examples after you hear them.

A: I handle tax issues for our larger clients.
B: I take care og all the scheduling.
C: I follow up with customers to make sure they’re satisfied with our service.
D: I supervise our branches in the Southeast Region.
E: I head up the sales team.

All right, so that’s how we talk about our main duties. But how does all this sound in real life? Let’s listen to a short dialog between two people meeting for the first time. The first person asks about the other person’s “line of work,” which is like eating what someone’s job is.

A: Nice to meet you John. So what line of work are you in?
B: I’m in marketing with BT Industries.
A: Oh, is that right? And what kind of marketing do you do?
B: I handle all our online and print advertising

Did you hear how that worked? the first person asked about “line of work.” The second person started by saying he is “in” marketing and names the company. The other person sounds interested, so the second person uses a strong verb to talk about his main duties.

Now it’s your turn to practice. We’ll repeat the dialog, but this time we’re going to beep out the second person’s words. So you will have to say those parts yourself. Remember to start by mentioning the job and company. Then you’ll give your main duties. Here we go.

So, that’s how we introduce our job to someone. Of course, sometimes we go into a little more detail, either about the work we do, or about the company we work for, And if you tune in to the next couple of lessons, that’s exactlly waht you’ll learn!

Util then, so long and happy learning!