P1 business idioms

I am against the clock for my interview

be forced to hurry to meet a deadline

burn the midnight oil

1 Don't get bogged down in the details. keep the big picture in mind

2 there are all kinds of meetings where policy is discussed, but it's really Bob who calls the shots around here.

call the shots=make the important decision in an organization

3 changing of the guard

=a change in leadership at an organiztion

4 movers and shakers

influential people

5 on point=effective

6 cut someone some slack

=avoid treat someone too strictly

shipping industry is slacking down when oil and other fuels are more expensive

7 light a fire under someone

inspire someone to work very hard

8 rake someone over the coals

=scold severely

schedule

1 against the clock=be forced to hurry to meet a deadline

we are racing against the clock to finish the ad campaign.

2 Busman's holiday

a working vacation

3 burn the midnight oil=work late into the night

4 pencil sth in

=make tentative arrangements

準(zhǔn)備

Second-tier chipmakers are penciling in for more spendings for this revolution

5 back to the drawing board

=forced to begin sth again

6 Eleventh hour

=the last minute

7 in the works

=coming soon/under development

8 do sth by the book

=do sth according to established procedure

9 cut it fine

=to do sth at the last moment

leadership

1 put someone on the spot

force someone to answer a question or make a decision immediately

2 ahead of the curve

highly creative/offering ideas not yet in general circulation

3 cut to the chase

=get to the point=explain the most important part of the sth quickly=skip the preliminaries

4 Da man

=an accomplished or skillful person

5 the powers that be

=people in charge

6 after the Lord Mayor's show

=anticlimactic=occurring after something impressive 虎頭蛇尾

7 to be at someone's beck and call

=to be under someone's total command

8 too many chiefs and not enough Indians

人浮于事

schedule

9 after the fact

=too late

10 sit on sth

=delay revealing or acting on sth

11 back to the salt mines

= go back to work

12 take five/ten

=take a short break of five or ten minutes

13 kick the can down the road

=postpone an important decision

14 in the fullness of time

=eventually=when appropriate

15 call it a day

=decide that one has worked enough on sth for the day

16 burn the candle at both ends

=to work too hard with possible bad consequences for one's health

2 the days of the week

Mon/Tues/Weds/Thurs/Fri/Sat/Sun

P3 job interviews

tell me more about you

what the interviewer is looking for

• make a good fit for the job
• how you would work within the business

how to answer

• keep you answer brief yet to the point
• talk about your personal experiences within your carrier and private life

example:

excel in = thrive from=pride myself in

1. what is your reason for leaving your previous job

what the interviewer is looking for

• find out If you are fired or left for an unreasonable reason

how to answer

• be honest but avoid saying anything that may reflect badly on you
• divert the subject to your achievments

example:

broaden my horizons and join a new company

what salary you are expecting

it is negotiable

research the salaries of other people in this role

what goals and ambitions do you have for the future?

• explain what you hope to achieve within your career and in particular the role you are applying for
• talk about improving your skills and learning new ones and explain how you plan to reach any goal you have stated

why are you the best candidate for this position

• don't be shy
• ensure that you mention anything that makes you stand out from the crowd
• show what an asset you will be to the company

what is your main weakness

• this is something of a trick question and should be approached with caution
• demonstrate how you overcome your weakness and turn it into a positive

what can you tell me about other competitors

in this field

P4 Knock on wood

all the best

be careful

best of luck

fingers crossed

i hope things will turn out fine

wishing you all the best

wishing you lots of luck

you are going to be amazing

you were made for this

you'll do great

all the best to you

i hope it all goes well

have a blast

i wish you luck

best wishes

many blessings to you

knock them dead

may luck be in your favor

blow them away

break a leg

I am pretty confident that you'll do well

gods speed

hope you do well

here is four leaf clover

call on a higher power

may all of your efforts yield a positive outcome

live long and prosper

go forth and conquer

take home the crown

may the force be with you

mesmerize them

prayers be with you

come back a legend

let me know how it went

press your thumbs together

believe in your self and make it happen

have fun storming the castle

to infinity and beyond

I am rooting for you

bring home the trophy

successfully pull off the heist

p5 a list of north/central/south america's nationalities, languages

Canada-Canadian-English/French

Anguilla-Anguillan-English

British Virgin Islands-British Virgin Islander-English

Antigua and Barbuda-Antiguan-Engilsh

Argentina-Argentine-Spanish

Aruba-Aruban-English/Spanish

Bahamas-Bhamian-English

Barbados-Barbadian-english

Belize-Belizean-English

Bolivia-Bolivian-Spanish

Brazil-Brazilian-Portuguese

Chile-Chilean-Spanish

Colombia-Colombian-Spanish

Costa Rica-Costa Rican-Spanish

Dominican republic-Dominican-Spanish

Cuba-Cuban-Spanish

Dominica-Dominican-English

Ecuador-Ecuadorian-Spanish

El Salvador-Salvadorian-Spanish

Grenada-Grenadian-English

Guatemala-Guatemalan-Spanish

Guyana-Guyanese-English

Honduras-Honduran-Spanish

Jamaica-Jamaican-English

Mexico-Mexican-Spanish

Montserrat-Montserration-English

Panama-Panamanian-Spanish

Peru-Peruvian-Spanish

Puerto Rico-Puerto Rican-Spanish

Venezuela-Venezuelan-Spanish