Glossary
Words for ways of working Meaning
Office worker A person who does their job in an office rather than in a factory, etc.
Nine-to-five describing or relating to work that begins at nine o’clock in the morning and
finishes at five, the hours worked in many offices from Monday to Friday
Working hours The amount of time someone spends at work during a day
Clock on/in To record the time you arrive at work on a special machine
Clock off/out To leave work, especially by recording the time you leave on a special
machine
Flexitime (BrE)/flextime (AmE) Work when we want, within certain limits
Day shift A group of workers who do a job for a period of time during the day
Night shift A group of workers who do a job for a period of time during the night
Overtime Work more hours than usual for more money
To commute To make the same journey regularly between work and home, often by
train
Commuters Someone who regularly travels between work and home
Working from home A modern work approach enabled through internet and mobility wherein
irrespective of the physical location of an individual work can be done
Teleworking/telecommuting To work at home and communicate with your office by phone or email
Satisfying, stimulating, fascinating, exciting work/job The work is interesting and gives you positive feelings
Dull, boring, uninteresting, unstimulating work/job The work is not interesting
Repetitive, routine work/job The work involves doing the same things again and again
Tiring, tough, hard, demanding work/job The work is difficult and makes you tired
My work involves Human contact Interaction with other people
Long hours Many hours at a time
Teamwork Cooperative work done by a team
I like/dislike/prefer/enjoy Working with figures Self-explanatory
Dealing with customers
Solving problems
An accountant Someone who keeps or examines the records of money received, paid, and
owed by a company or person
1
,A post(wo)man Someone whose job is to deliver and collect letters, etc. that are sent by
post
A flight attendant Someone who serves passengers on an aircraft
A software developer Someone who creates computer programs
A teacher Someone whose job is to teach in a school or college
Words for recruitment and selection Meaning
Recruitment (BrE)/hiring (AmE) The process of finding people for particular jobs
A recruit (BrE)/a hire (AmE) Someone who has been recruited
To employ/to hire To have someone work or do a job for you and pay them for it
To join a company To start working as an employee of the company
Recruiters A person who persuades people to work for a company or become new
members of an organization
Recruitment/employment agencies A business that is paid to find suitable workers for other companies and
organizations
Headhunter Outside specialist who finds people for very important jobs and to
persuades them to leave the organizations they already work for
Headhunted Key people who get recruited
Headhunting The process of a headhunter
Situation vacant The name of the part of a newspaper, website, etc. where jobs are
advertised
To apply for To pursue something, such as a job, often through a formal process
An application form A form that you complete in order to apply for a job, a place on a course,
etc. or to get something such as a loan or a license
A jobs website A website that deals specifically with employment or careers
To make an application To make an official request for something
CV (curriculum vitae) A short written description of your education, qualifications, previous jobs,
and sometimes also your personal interests, which you send to an
employer when you are trying to get a job
A covering letter A letter that contains information about the thing it is sent with
The selection process The methods that the company uses to recruit people
The background of applicants The experience of different jobs and the educational qualifications of
applicants
2
, Experience (the process of getting) Knowledge or skill from doing, seeing, or feeling
things
Qualifications An ability, characteristic, or experience that makes you suitable for a
particular job or activity
Candidates A person who is competing to get a job or elected position
A group discussion A discussion involving a number of people who are connected by some
shared activity, interest, or quality
Psychometric tests Test to assess the intelligence and personality of candidates
To shortlist A list of people who have been judged the most suitable for a job or prize,
made from a longer list of people originally considered, and from which
one person will be chosen
Reference A letter that is written by someone who knows you, to describe you and say
if you are suitable for a job, course, etc.
Referee Previous employers, teachers and so on that candidates have named in
their applications
To offer To ask someone if he or she would like to have something or would like you
to do something
To turn something down To refuse to accept or agree to something, or to refuse someone's request
Job offers An offer from an employer to give you a job
To accept To say yes to an offer or invitation
To appoint To choose someone officially for a job or responsibility
Words for skills and qualifications Meaning
Graduates People who’ve just left university
Paper qualifications An official record or document (such as a degree, certificate, or diploma)
which shows that someone is qualified to do something
Qualifications in something A level of skill or ability that you have in something
Work experience The experience that a person already has of working
To train for To prepare physically or mentally for some event, task, or activity
To graduate from A person who has a first degree from a university or college
With a degree in A course of study at a college or university, or the qualification given to a
student after he or she has completed his or her studies
Training in The process of learning the skills you need to do a particular job or activity
3
Words for ways of working Meaning
Office worker A person who does their job in an office rather than in a factory, etc.
Nine-to-five describing or relating to work that begins at nine o’clock in the morning and
finishes at five, the hours worked in many offices from Monday to Friday
Working hours The amount of time someone spends at work during a day
Clock on/in To record the time you arrive at work on a special machine
Clock off/out To leave work, especially by recording the time you leave on a special
machine
Flexitime (BrE)/flextime (AmE) Work when we want, within certain limits
Day shift A group of workers who do a job for a period of time during the day
Night shift A group of workers who do a job for a period of time during the night
Overtime Work more hours than usual for more money
To commute To make the same journey regularly between work and home, often by
train
Commuters Someone who regularly travels between work and home
Working from home A modern work approach enabled through internet and mobility wherein
irrespective of the physical location of an individual work can be done
Teleworking/telecommuting To work at home and communicate with your office by phone or email
Satisfying, stimulating, fascinating, exciting work/job The work is interesting and gives you positive feelings
Dull, boring, uninteresting, unstimulating work/job The work is not interesting
Repetitive, routine work/job The work involves doing the same things again and again
Tiring, tough, hard, demanding work/job The work is difficult and makes you tired
My work involves Human contact Interaction with other people
Long hours Many hours at a time
Teamwork Cooperative work done by a team
I like/dislike/prefer/enjoy Working with figures Self-explanatory
Dealing with customers
Solving problems
An accountant Someone who keeps or examines the records of money received, paid, and
owed by a company or person
1
,A post(wo)man Someone whose job is to deliver and collect letters, etc. that are sent by
post
A flight attendant Someone who serves passengers on an aircraft
A software developer Someone who creates computer programs
A teacher Someone whose job is to teach in a school or college
Words for recruitment and selection Meaning
Recruitment (BrE)/hiring (AmE) The process of finding people for particular jobs
A recruit (BrE)/a hire (AmE) Someone who has been recruited
To employ/to hire To have someone work or do a job for you and pay them for it
To join a company To start working as an employee of the company
Recruiters A person who persuades people to work for a company or become new
members of an organization
Recruitment/employment agencies A business that is paid to find suitable workers for other companies and
organizations
Headhunter Outside specialist who finds people for very important jobs and to
persuades them to leave the organizations they already work for
Headhunted Key people who get recruited
Headhunting The process of a headhunter
Situation vacant The name of the part of a newspaper, website, etc. where jobs are
advertised
To apply for To pursue something, such as a job, often through a formal process
An application form A form that you complete in order to apply for a job, a place on a course,
etc. or to get something such as a loan or a license
A jobs website A website that deals specifically with employment or careers
To make an application To make an official request for something
CV (curriculum vitae) A short written description of your education, qualifications, previous jobs,
and sometimes also your personal interests, which you send to an
employer when you are trying to get a job
A covering letter A letter that contains information about the thing it is sent with
The selection process The methods that the company uses to recruit people
The background of applicants The experience of different jobs and the educational qualifications of
applicants
2
, Experience (the process of getting) Knowledge or skill from doing, seeing, or feeling
things
Qualifications An ability, characteristic, or experience that makes you suitable for a
particular job or activity
Candidates A person who is competing to get a job or elected position
A group discussion A discussion involving a number of people who are connected by some
shared activity, interest, or quality
Psychometric tests Test to assess the intelligence and personality of candidates
To shortlist A list of people who have been judged the most suitable for a job or prize,
made from a longer list of people originally considered, and from which
one person will be chosen
Reference A letter that is written by someone who knows you, to describe you and say
if you are suitable for a job, course, etc.
Referee Previous employers, teachers and so on that candidates have named in
their applications
To offer To ask someone if he or she would like to have something or would like you
to do something
To turn something down To refuse to accept or agree to something, or to refuse someone's request
Job offers An offer from an employer to give you a job
To accept To say yes to an offer or invitation
To appoint To choose someone officially for a job or responsibility
Words for skills and qualifications Meaning
Graduates People who’ve just left university
Paper qualifications An official record or document (such as a degree, certificate, or diploma)
which shows that someone is qualified to do something
Qualifications in something A level of skill or ability that you have in something
Work experience The experience that a person already has of working
To train for To prepare physically or mentally for some event, task, or activity
To graduate from A person who has a first degree from a university or college
With a degree in A course of study at a college or university, or the qualification given to a
student after he or she has completed his or her studies
Training in The process of learning the skills you need to do a particular job or activity
3
