Job interview English: 25 words and phrases that come up every time
B1–B225 words
Interview English is predictable, which is good news. The same handful of nouns and phrases appear in almost every interview, so a small, well-drilled word list buys you a lot of fluency exactly when you are nervous.
Where you will use it: Interviews, CVs and cover letters.
Job interview English — The word list
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| background | Your education and past experience.“Tell me about your background.” |
| strengths | The things you are good at.“One of my strengths is planning.” |
| responsible for | In charge of a task or area.“I was responsible for the whole team.” |
| achievement | Something impressive you accomplished.“My biggest achievement was the redesign.” |
| notice period | The time you must work before leaving a job.“I have a one-month notice period.” |
| salary expectations | The pay you are hoping for.“What are your salary expectations?” |
| hands-on | Practical, involving direct work.“I have hands-on experience with the tool.” |
| team player | Someone who works well with others.“I would describe myself as a team player.” |
| apply for | To formally ask for a job.“I applied for the analyst role.” |
| onboarding | The process of starting a new employee.“Onboarding takes about two weeks.” |
| probation period | A trial time at the start of a job.“The probation period is three months.” |
| reference | A person who can confirm your work quality.“My former manager will be my reference.” |
| qualification | An exam, course or skill that makes you suitable.“This role requires a teaching qualification.” |
| work experience | Knowledge gained from doing a job.“I have five years of work experience.” |
| career goals | The things you hope to achieve professionally.“My career goals include leading a team.” |
| weakness | An area where you are less strong.“I am working on this weakness.” |
| transferable skills | Abilities useful across different jobs.“Communication is one of my transferable skills.” |
| job description | A document explaining a role and its duties.“I reviewed the job description carefully.” |
| candidate | A person being considered for a job.“Each candidate completes two interviews.” |
| shortlisted | Chosen to continue to the next selection stage.“I was shortlisted for the role.” |
| available to start | Ready to begin a new job from a certain date.“I am available to start next month.” |
| company culture | The shared values and habits of a workplace.“The company culture values collaboration.” |
| initiative | The ability to act without being told.“I showed initiative by improving the process.” |
| meet requirements | To satisfy the conditions for a role.“My experience meets the requirements.” |
| career progression | Movement towards more senior work.“The role offers clear career progression.” |
Useful learning tips
- Learn in small groupsTake five words at a time and review them before adding more.
- Say the examples aloudReading each sentence aloud connects spelling, sound and meaning.
- Write your own sentenceUse each word in a true sentence about your life or work.
How to study this list
Add five or six of these words a day rather than the whole list at once, keep the example sentence on the card, and review them when they come due. WordNest schedules each word across seven growing intervals — same day, then 1, 3, 7, 14, 30 and 60 days — so the list is still with you months later. Read how spaced repetition works if you want the reasoning behind those numbers.
Studying job interview english pairs well with our business English vocabulary, professional email phrases and English collocations, or browse all free English word lists.
Related guides
Questions about this list
How can I practise Job interview English?
Start with five words and say each example aloud. Then recall the word from its meaning and review it over several days.
Where can I use Job interview English?
Interviews, CVs and cover letters.
How many words are in this list?
This list contains 25 English words with definitions and example sentences. It is a starting set, not a complete syllabus.
Turn this list into flashcards
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