Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on key skills for a first-round job interview in English.

If you find job interviews stressful, you’re certainly not alone. Many people struggle to feel confident and comfortable in interview situations. And there’s the added worry that the stress you feel will make it even more difficult to answer the questions well. But you can reduce this stress with effective preparation.

You know that you’ll be asked certain types of questions. So you can make notes about your responses, or make an outline of important ideas that you want to talk about. You can also develop skills to make sure you’re being clear and accurate in your responses.

So what should you prepare and what skills should you develop? Well, for starters, you should be ready to introduce yourself and your career path, and to summarize your current job responsibilities. In terms of skills, it’s good to practice clarifying the words you use, buying yourself time, and connecting your answers back to the question.

In this lesson, we’ll listen as William is interviewed for a position in business development at a bank in Hong Kong. He’s being interviewed by Mike, an HR manager at the company. This is a first-round interview, and you can hear William show how comfortable and skilled he is at responding to the questions.

Listening Questions

1. What information does William give about his education and work history?

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In this Business English News lesson on recent hiring trends, we look at business English vocabulary related to IT English and the DeepSeek AI chatbot.

A surprise development in artificial intelligence is making waves across the industry. DeepSeek, a Chinese AI lab, has upended expectations, drawing global attention and raising new questions about the future of AI. With new players entering the field and established giants forced to respond, this moment could redefine how AI is built, funded, and controlled in the years ahead. The drama kicked off at the start of the year, as the Financial Times reports:

A small Chinese artificial intelligence lab stunned the world by revealing the technical recipe for its cutting-edge model. This has transformed its reclusive leader into a national hero who has defied US attempts to stop China’s high-tech ambitions. DeepSeek, founded by hedge fund manager Liang Wenfeng, released its R1 model, explaining in a detailed paper how to build a large language model on a bootstrapped budget.

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Welcome back to Business English Pod for the second part of our series on English idioms related to technology.

Every day you use dozens of high-tech devices and apps to communicate, plan, organize, monitor and store information. It’s almost impossible to imagine the workplace before modern technology. It’s also almost impossible to imagine the English language without all the idioms we use related to technology.

If you want to be on the same wavelength as expert English speakers, you can’t ignore idioms. And I just used a prime example there. If you are “on the same wavelength,” it means you understand each other. This comes from radio technology, where you have to be tuned to the same frequency to receive a signal.

As you can see, an idiom has a special meaning that isn’t always clear. You can think about the words on their own, but that won’t help you. You need to learn idioms as chunks of language, with a special meaning beyond the individual words. In this way, you will be able to communicate even better in English.

In this lesson, we’ll rejoin a conversation at an engineering company between Maggie, Antonio, and Finn. They are continuing their conversation about upgrading the tech systems in their company. In their discussion, they use many idioms related to technology. See if you can spot some of these, and we’ll explain them later in the debrief.

Listening Questions

1. What does Antonio say about HR and their training plans?

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Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on business English idioms related to technology.

The world of tech has given rise to a host of new vocabulary and terminology. Think about a phrase like “to reboot,” which originally referred to restarting a computer but is now commonly used to mean starting over in any context. Idioms like that highlight how mastering language goes beyond just grammar.

Indeed, many language learners spend a lot of time trying to figure out the nuts and bolts of a language. By that I mean the grammar, writing system, sounds, and basic vocabulary of a language. The thing is, once we’ve got the nuts and bolts, it can feel like our progress stalls. Getting to the next level requires you to move beyond basic vocabulary and master expressions like idioms.

For example, a second ago, I mentioned the “nuts and bolts” of language. Nuts and bolts are a way of connecting things made of metal. So why am I using those words when I talk about language? Because “nuts and bolts” is used as an idiom to refer to the basic parts or pieces of something. And with technology as such an important part of our lives, it’s no wonder we have so many English idioms related to technology.

In this lesson, we’ll listen to a conversation at an engineering company. The company is led by Maggie, Antonio, and Finn. They’re talking about how the growth in their company requires upgrades to all their tech systems. In their discussion, they use many idioms related to technology. See if you can spot some of these, and we’ll explain them later in the debrief.

Listening Questions

1. Near the start of the meeting, what does Finn say he wants to avoid doing?

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Welcome back to the Business English Skills 360 podcast as we continue our look at advanced interview skills for interviewing and hiring the right people.

Effective interviewing is essential for finding the right candidate. That’s not just someone with the right qualifications but also the right mindset and skills for long-term success. Beyond education and experience, advanced interviewing techniques can help identify critical thinking, problem-solving ability, and workplace compatibility.

Spotlight on Critical Thinking

Challenge-Specific Questions

Workplace Compatibility

Long-Term Goals

With rising costs, fierce competition, and high turnover, effective interviewing is more critical than ever. By evaluating critical thinking, adaptability, and alignment with your workplace, you’ll make informed hiring decisions that benefit both the candidate and your company.

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Welcome back to the Business English Skills 360 podcast as we look at advanced interview skills for interviewing and hiring the best staff.

Interviewing effectively is a skill that goes beyond asking common questions – it’s about uncovering the ideal candidate who fits both the role and the organization’s culture. Here’s how to elevate your interviewing game.

Start with Fit

Values Matter

Assess Soft Skills During the Interview

Build Rapport without Bias

Adopt Fair Practices

Ultimately, an effective interview isn’t about who you personally like most – it’s about finding evidence of alignment with the job, the team, and the company. Perfecting your interviewing strategy is the foundation of successful hiring.

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Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on reporting on the progress of a project.

Project management isn’t just for people who consider themselves a “project manager.” No matter what kind of work you do, you’ll likely have to lead or participate in some kind of project. And if you are a project manager, then today’s lesson is particularly important.

Reporting on progress can happen in various settings, ranging from formal meetings with stakeholders to more casual interactions, like a quick chat at the water cooler or over a coffee. While the tone and format may differ, the core principles remain the same. Effective communication in these moments is crucial to keep everyone aligned and ensure no details slip through the cracks.

For example, you’ll likely want to ask for an update and confirm key details. You’ll also have to identify follow-up actions, assign responsibility, and establish clear deadlines. Ultimately, strong reporting and follow-up skills are essential to fostering accountability and driving projects to successful completion.

In this lesson, we’ll hear a project manager named Rudi giving updates to his boss, Wolfgang. They work for a company that maintains and modifies jetways, the bridges that connect airplanes to the airport gates. They’ve been working on a project to modify jetways at an airport for a large type of plane called an A380.

Listening Questions

1. How does Wolfgang respond to the possible problem that Joe has identified?

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Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson, the second in our series on integrating the operations of two companies. These lessons will focus on discussions about how to merge, or integrate, companies and operations.

Mergers can bring enormous benefits to corporations. They can lead to greater efficiency, greater market share, greater value, and greater access to talent. But there are a thousand and one things that might get in the way of a successful integration. And to overcome these potential roadblocks, you need a strategic approach.

Mergers are part negotiation. Your company has a lot to gain, but you can’t sign everything away too easily. For that reason, you may find it important to assert your position at crucial times and to emphasize issues you consider critical.

In taking a strategic approach, it’s also important to identify those big challenges or roadblocks I mentioned. Once you’ve done that, you can address these challenges. And it’s always helpful if one of the companies has gone through a merger before. In that case, you can reference prior experience as you plan the integration.

In today’s dialog, we’ll rejoin a conversation between two Chief Operating Officers of companies that are planning to merge. Michelle and Alex are discussing how the integration will happen and addressing challenges along the way.

Listening Questions

1. What major challenge does Michelle identify related to integrating the IT systems?

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Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson, the first in our series on integrating the operations of two companies. These lessons will focus on the conversations we have when talking about how to merge or integrate companies and operations.

There’s an old saying that strategy is 95% implementation. There’s no better proof of this than in the merging of companies. Coming to terms on a buy-out is difficult in and of itself. But once the agreement has been made, there’s the incredibly difficult work of making it happen.

Integrating companies requires us to think and talk about every aspect of business, from the nuts and bolts of accounting to the fuzzy aspects of culture. There’s a lot at stake, not just for the owners but for every single person who works for the two companies.

In discussing an integration, it’s important to lay out a clear timeline and to build in feedback mechanisms to ensure things go as smoothly as possible. You will have to bring up concerns effectively and suggest ways to smooth the transition. And you may find yourself referring back to previous agreements as you work out all the details.

In today’s dialog, we’ll listen to a conversation between Alex and Michelle, two Chief Operating Officers. Alex’s company has just bought out Michelle’s company, and they’re meeting to discuss how the integration will roll out.

Listening Questions

1. What concern does Michelle raise after Alex lays out a possible timeline?

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In this Business English News lesson on recent hiring trends, we look at business English vocabulary related to human resources and recruitment.

The world of HR is radically different than it was just five years ago. Today, we’re seeing unprecedented movement in the workforce. And as companies compete to recruit and retain talent, several key trends have emerged. One relates to how we evaluate potential recruits, as Forbes explains:

Skill-based hiring is all the rage these days. Companies are moving away from relying solely on degrees and traditional qualifications, instead zeroing in on the specific skills candidates bring to the table. It makes sense, especially in industries where the pace of change is relentless. Skills are easier to match with job requirements, and with AI playing a bigger role in recruitment, it’s more efficient to identify those who can hit the ground running.

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