English for Work: Key Language for UK Job Success

If you think you already know everything about CVs, job interviews, and have a solid command of English, Zoryana Burmas always has something new to surprise you with. In our latest session, we delved into the power of verbs and how they can transform your professional narrative.

How do you choose the right words in English to uniquely and accurately describe your personality, skills, and professional experience so that they truly resonate with employers?

These are tough questions for many newcomers... But we have an insider in the ESOL system—Zoryana Burmas, a Ukrainian who has been teaching English in London for over 20 years. She knows exactly what employers want to hear.

In her session on English for Work, Zoryana, an ESOL Lecturer and Employability Coach, taught us how to use powerful, specific verbs to effectively present our skills and achievements in CVs. These techniques can help job seekers stand out in a competitive market.

An eye-catching CV and a memorable elevator pitch are critical in today’s job market. To truly stand out, focus on crafting a results-driven CV. Highlight your achievements, not just your responsibilities. Use action verbs and quantify your impact to clearly demonstrate the value you bring. This approach shows employers how you can make a difference in their organization.

PRESENTATION

All about Elevator Pitch
Make your CV stand out
Powerful LANGUAGE for your CV and Elevator Pitch

Where would you use an elevator pitch?

If you need to tell a story, make an impression or sell something as quickly and concisely as possible—think 30 seconds or less, you’d use an elevator pitch.

What Is an Elevator Pitch?

Elevator Pitch is great for:

Networking events when you’re trying to give someone a brief picture of who you are
That horrible “Tell Me About Yourself” interview question
Social, non-professional events where you can interest people in what you do with an easy-to-understand description of who you are
Introducing yourself to new colleagues in your workplace

Elevator Pitch Templates for Job Seekers

Your elevator pitch should answer these questions:

Who are you?
What do you do?
Why should the recruiter listen to you?
What do you want?

If it still feels a bit challenging for you to frame your elevator pitch around these questions, then you can just take a look at these elevator pitch examples to create your own.

Job Interview Elevator Pitch

“So, what do you do?” or “tell me about yourself?” This question makes many job seekers confused. As much as you want to prepare for the job interview questions and answers, you should also be prepared to sell yourself to your potential employer.

If you are not prepared to answer questions like "So, what do you do or tell me about yourself", then you may experience some level of frustration when the recruiter suddenly asks you these questions. This is where the importance of the elevator pitch comes in.

Preparing an elevator pitch before going for an interview will help you ace your job interview. If you are preparing for a job interview and you don’t know how to write an elevator pitch, then these elevator pitch examples are what you need.

Sample Elevator Template for Job Seekers

If you are a job seeker, you can follow these steps to create your elevator pitch

I am _______(Name) and I am a _______ (What you do). I am enthusiastic about________ (Why Should they be Interested). I look forward to getting ___________ (What do you want).

Sample Elevator Template for Business Owners

I am _____ (Who are you) CEO for ______ (What do you do) I help _______ (Target Audience) women have successful ________ (Desired Result) without having to _______ (The Problem that you are solving). I am looking for customers that need this kind of service, I would like to know if you… _______ (State what you want).