Introduce yourself at a social event and professionally at a Job Interview. Text and audio. Meaning of Idiom: `Break a leg´

Introducing yourself at a social event

When you meet someone for the first time in a social event, let's say a party, 

wedding, at the gym or even in the park while walking your dog, you talk about 

yourself and ask questions to get to know the other person. Mind you, dog lovers 

know that when you are walking the dog in the park the only thing you talk about 

is ´your dog´.

Some general questions that you can ask:

Where do you live? or Do you live around here?

Do you come ...very often?

What do you like doing in your spare time? or Do you have any hobbies?

Are you studying or working at the moment?

Some of these questions would also be relevant at a Job Interview. 

Be ready for that!

At a job interview 

Basically, what you should focus on is Selling yourself by pointing out your key 

skills, relevant work experience and strengths or strong points. It's essential to

 have a balance between professionalism and friendliness. That is to say, you can 

talk about your work experience but you can also be friendly to your interviewer,  

find a common interest and show your enthusiasm. In some cases the interviewer     

could even find a common interest to make you feel more at ease or relaxed and 

that is a good way to break the ice. In my case, in an interview the Manager told 

me that he knew one of my previous Managers which was really nice. I took the 

opportunity to say something nice about him and let him know that I had a great 

experience at that job. You should customize

 your introduction based on your actual experience, the company and role you're

 applying for.

You should provide:

• Polite greeting

• Educational background

• Brief Personal background

• Relevant work experience 

• Professional career future objective

• You could also promote or sell yourself by talking about your key skills

• Thanking the interviewer for the opportunity shows a grateful and positive attitude

There is a sample of Job Interview Introduction below and the audio. You can 

adapt this sample to your social and cultural conventions, depending on the 

country you live in. This is only a sample for you to get some ideas or key 

vocabulary.

A sample of introduction at a social event

Hello, my name's Mary. {I live in Barcelona - Intermediate level : I've been living in Barcelona all my life / for 10 years}.

In my spare time I like reading articles about (your specialization) / English books 

to improve my level.  {I don't like doing exercise outdoor I prefer to go to the gym - Intermediate / Upper-Intermediate level: I'm not very into outdoor activities, I'd rather work out at the gym}.

I'm studying a degree in law. But every weekend I go away to stay with my 

parents and visit my family and friends. I get on really well with my sisters and 

we normally hang out together.

I'm very busy taking care of my children so I don't have much time to socialise or 

exercise so I walk to places and that helps me keep fit. I love social media, this 

way I can catch up with my friends ank keep up to date with the latest news. 

A sample of Job Interview Introduction 

Good morning Mr Gonzalez, I appreciate the opportunity to have this interview 

with you. My name is Oscar and I'm thrilled about the possibility to join 

MercaTrucks. I hold a Degree in Electronics Engineering and I'm passionate about 

my job. I've been working in this industry for 5 years. In my current role, I 

[highlight a key achievement or responsibility relevant to the position you're 

interviewing for]. This experience has provided me with [mention a relevant skill 

or quality], which I believe will contribute to the success of your company.

I am particularly drawn to MercaTrucks because of [mention something specific 

about the company that aligns with your values or career goals]. I am confident 

that my specific skills or experiences make me a strong fit/good asset for this 

role.

Outside of work, I am passionate about [mention a relevant hobby or interest], 

which I believe adds to my well-rounded perspective. I am eager to bring my 

skills, enthusiasm, and commitment to excellence, to your company.

Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to discussing in more 

detail how my background and skills align with the needs of your company if you 

wish to see me in a second interview. 

Good luck! or *Break a leg!

*Break a leg is a colloquial expression or Idiom that you say when you wish someone Good luck in a more informal setting.

Etymology: In Shakesperean times when people used to go to the theatre if they 

liked the play they would bang their chairs on the floor to make noise instead of 

applause. Sometimes they banged for so long and so hard that they would 

break a leg of their chair, in which case they showed that they enjoyed the play 

so much and so the actors and director were really lucky as their performance 

had been very successful. It's a charming story! Hope you liked it.

Now, listen to the Job Interview Introduction.

How to sound more natural

When we already know some vocabulary, we can build sentences and we can produce them. Provided we know the pronunciation, we can start working on ´how to sound more natural` connecting the sounds of a sentence and producing a good intonation.

So

1^st We learn some vocabulary

2^nd We practise how to pronounce the words. Check the speaker of an online 

dictionary to reproduce the sound.

3^rd We can build some sentences

Now we can link the words together following some patterns, see below. And 

then we can start practising saying this sentences and sound more natural 

adding a suitable intonation.

* ‘ symbol in front of a syllable indicates the stress of the word, e.g. /ˈsɪn.ə.mɑ. In the dictionary you can see this symbol.

* The consonant + vowel or vowel + consonant groups are linked together because we can link the sounds and produce ONE long word instead of two words.

* The transcription is how we say the words together.

We can have lunch here and go to the cinema afterwards Transcription: /wi kən həv lʌnʧ hɪərənd ɡəʊtə ðəˈsɪnəmə ˈɑːftəwədz/ wi kən həv lʌnʧ hɪər ənd ɡəʊt tə ðə ˈsɪnəmə ˈɑːftəwədz kkkk

Should I go? /ʃədaɪɡəʊ/ We have to rise the intonation on ´go’ to stress the question. wi kən həv lʌnʧ hɪər ənd ɡəʊ tə ðə ˈsɪnəmə ˈɑːftəwəd

The car’s over there /ðə kɑːzəʊvəˈðeə/ ð This sound is a vibrant d. See the vibrant sound /z/ of the ´s´in contact with a vowel ´a´. wi kən həv lʌnʧ hɪər ənd ɡəʊ tə ðə ˈsɪnəmə ˈɑːftəwədz

You should’ve told me  When we speak we can link should + have = should’ve / ˈʃʊdəv təʊld miː/ /mi:/ is a long i sound. wi kən həv lʌnʧ hɪər ənd ɡəʊ tə ðə ˈsɪnəmə ˈɑːftəwədz

Listen to the sentences and repeat them.

New Year's Resolutions

 

Happy New Year 2024 🎈

Think about your aspirations and achievable goals for this year and write them down.

This year I will:

1. Make time for my family
2. Work out at the gym more often, go trekking once a week to keep fit
3. Read more books in English
4. Get good sleep every night
5. Start a new hobby

Grammar Tip!

You can use ´will´for new year's resolution when it is a promise you make to yourself.

But you can also use ´going to´ if it is a plan that you have for this year.