Language Skills for Job Seeking
1. Work in pairs and discuss the following:
John Powell (1964) is an American composer who states that “Communication works for those who
work on it”. What does this quote mean to you? Do you agree with his statement?
What makes a good communicator?
Are you a good communicator in your mother tongue? If so, how did you acquire this skill? If not,
why do you think you lack this ability?
How about English, are you good communicating your ideas?
How important is it to be able to communicate effectively in English when applying for a job?
Alison Doyle is a job search and employment expert with many years of experience in human
resources, career development, and job searching. In her article “Top Skills and Attributes
Employers Look For” published in 2020 she claims that communication is one of the top skills
employers look for on employees. She mentions that “The ability to communicate effectively —
both verbally and in writing — is both essential and rare. Those with strong communication skills
are in high demand, regardless of the job or industry. You need to be able to communicate
successfully with employees, managers, and customers in person, online, in writing, and/or over the
phone”.
Do you agree or disagree with her? How do people develop the ability to communicate effectively?
2. Work in trios and discuss which words of this list apply to good communicators
and which apply to bad communicators. Add two adjectives of your own to the list.

articulate

focused

reserved

coherent

hesitant

responsive

eloquent

inhibited

talkative

persuasive

fluent

vague

________________

________________
3. Work on your own and choose the three most important factors in applying for a
job from the list below. Then, get in pairs, share the factors you chose, and try to
convince your partner to choose the same you chose.
Important factors in applying for a job
Fluency in the language
Grammatical accuracy
An awareness of body language
An extensive vocabulary
Being a good listener
Not being afraid of making mistakes
Being a good negotiator
Being bilingual
4. Finally write a paragraph about how you can improve your skills for job seeking
and for getting the job you want.
References
Doyle, A. (2020). Top Skills and Attributes Employers Look For. Retrieved from
(https://www.thebalancecareers.com/top-skills-employers-want-2062481
Ortega Hernandez, E. (2020). Language skills for job seeking.