Office & General Workplace Conversation for Business English | Study.com

The Job Interview

As a potential job candidate, you first have an interview. Likewise, the conversation portion of the BULATS test first covers interview topics. You need to be able to speak about the following topics:

• Your background (where you come from, your traveling experiences, your previous or current job and its responsibilities)
• Your education (your studies, past and current, which can include your experiences learning English)
• Career plans and personal interests (your future career development plans, hobbies and interests)

Interview Vocabulary

Some of the vocabulary you are likely to use for the interview portion of the test includes the following:

• Accomplished
• Applied
• Accepted
• Business program of studies
• Work experience
• Coordinated
• Collaborated
• Created
• Documented
• Managed
• Upgraded
• Goal
• Vision
• Opportunity

Work-Related Topics

Because at work you might have to discuss or make a presentation on a work-related topic, you have to be able to do this when you take the BULATS test. Some of the topics include the following:

• Business meetings (You can describe a business meeting you attended, including details like where it was, what people discussed and why it was important. Remember to include the most interesting moments.)
• Office suppliers (Speak about how your company chooses its suppliers, what the company expects from suppliers, what happens if an experience with a supplier is not satisfactory, and how satisfied your company is with a supplier.)
• Working with colleagues (Describe someone with whom you particularly enjoy working, including a description of what the person does, what type of responsibilities you share with the person, and why you like working with the person. Remember to include whether or not you would change something about the person and give reasons for your answer.)
• Best workplace you have ever had (Describe the workplace location, your responsibilities, why you liked it and whether or not you would change something about it.)

Vocabulary for Work-Related Topics

Here is some of the vocabulary you are likely to use when talking about business meetings.

• Meeting agenda
• Meeting attendees/participants
• Duration of the meeting
• Topic of discussion
• Input from attendees
• Brainstorming
• Clarification
• Confidential information
• Motion
• Unanimous
• Wrap up
• Making recommendations
• Agreeing
• Disagreeing
• Agreement
• Planning

Vocabulary you are likely to use when talking about office suppliers may include:

• Products
• Provider
• Supplies
• Materials
• Goods
• Contractor
• Logistics
• Supply chain
• Warehouse
• Handle
• Prices
• Offers
• Efficiency

Vocabulary you are likely to use when talking about working with colleagues may include:

• CEO
• Manager
• Supervisor
• Peer
• Shared responsibilities
• Duties
• Cooperate
• Collaborate
• Hands-on approach
• Helpful
• Integrity

Vocabulary you are likely to use when talking about the best workplace you’ve ever had may include:

• Company
• Organization
• Mission
• Management
• Compensation package
• Bonus
• Benefits
• Working environment
• Rapport

Conversation for Information Exchange

In business you often need to communicate efficiently with people to get the information you need. Examples are when you are trying to organize a conference, event, meeting, etc. When taking the BULATS test, you have to exchange information with an examiner to demonstrate your ability to get needed information. In this context, you would have to ask questions and give opinions about a given topic, such as ‘making arrangements for a one-day conference in a local hotel.’

Vocabulary for Gathering Information when Making Arrangements

Vocabulary you would use in this situation may include:

• Conference room size
• Conference room capacity
• Equipment available
• Projector
• Microphone
• Speaker
• Conference room services
• Materials for the attendees

Lesson Summary

The Business Language Testing Service (BULATS) determines the level of your business English language skills. When assessing your ability to speak English, BULATS tests three basic topics and related vocabulary.

Job Interview

Topics may include personal background, education, future plans, etc., and vocabulary includes terms like:

• Applied
• Accepted
• Work experience
• Coordinated
• Collaborated
• Documented
• Managed
• Upgraded

Work-Related Topics

Work-related topics include business meetings, office suppliers, working with colleagues, and the best place you have ever worked. These topics include vocabulary like:

• Meeting agenda
• Agreement
• Shared responsibilities
• Rapport
• Warehouse
• Products
• Mission
• Benefits

Information Exchange Topics

Topics relate to gathering information to make arrangements for a conference, business meeting, etc. These topics include vocabulary like:

• Conference room size
• Capacity
• Equipment available