Shadowing Practice: 10 Powerful Phrasal Verbs for Job Interviews in English - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Hey, it's Annemarie with Speak Confident English.
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You and I both know that for a successful job interview in English, it's essential to clearly demonstrate your expertise.
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One way you can do that is by using the right phrasal verbs in English, phal verbs add depth and precision to your statements. As a result, you're able to better convey ideas, past actions, and your overall experience. Moreover, phrasal verbs offer versatility so you can communicate concisely.
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All of this allows you to better communicate in a job interview and stand out with recruiters to help you communicate your skills and experience with confidence. In this lesson today, you're going to learn 10 common phrasal verbs for job interviews in English.
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But first, if you don't already know, I'm Annemarie, an English confidence and fluency coach.
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Everything I do is designed to help you get the confidence you want for your life and work in English. That, of course includes job interviews.
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So while you're here, make sure you subscribe to my Speak Confident English Channel so you never miss one of my Confident English lessons.
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Let's get started right away with our list of 10 common phrasal verbs for job interviews. With each one, you'll learn its meaning and I'll share a real-life measurable example sentence that will resonate with recruiters and help you stand out in the interview process. Now, if you want to take your English job interview skills to the next level, I recommend you get my free masterclass training on how to respond to tell me about yourself.
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This is the most common way for interviewers to start the interview process.
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In that free masterclass, here's what you'll learn. First, why do interviewers begin with tell me about yourself and what are some alternatives that you're likely to hear. Second, you'll learn a simple formula you can follow to quickly develop your response and demonstrate your professionalism and experience.
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Lastly, you'll learn three fail-proof strategies so you can prepare your response from start to finish.
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I'll leave a link to that free masterclass training on how to respond to tell me about yourself in the notes below the video With this lesson, I want you to stick with me to the end because I do have some questions for you to practice these phrasal verbs, and I'm going to share with you some tips to help you remember them so that you can use them in the moment of speaking.
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Phrasal verb number one is to carry out this means to complete or perform a task or a responsibility, and here's an example sentence. In my previous role, I carried out market research to better understand customer preferences in order to improve our social media outreach.
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The second phrasal verb on our list to take on, to take on means to accept or assume responsibility for something. For example, I took on a leadership role in managing five of our team and employees for our largest ad campaign. Now, before I go on to phrasal verb number three, I am sharing with you one example sentence for each phrasal verb.
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If you'd like to see more examples of how to use these phrasal verbs in measurable real-life examples, be sure to visit this lesson at my Speak Confident English website where I've added additional example sentences you can follow, and now phrasal verb number three to bring about, to bring about means to cause or initiate a change or result. For example, I brought about a cost-saving measure that reduced operating expenses by 12%. Number four, to follow up to follow up means to communicate or pursue further action after an initial contact. In other words, you've already met someone either via email or in person, and you're taking another step to initiate some action or an opportunity to meet again in the future. For example, I followed up with potential clients for market research, and the result of that research led to improvements on our user platform.
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Rael Verb number five.
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To set up this means to establish or organize something, for example, I took the initiative to set up and manage an efficient filing system, allowing us to improve our file organization and retrieval.
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Number six, to carry through, to carry through means to complete a task or a project successfully.
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For example, I carried through a complex project from conception to implementation, meeting all the necessary deadlines and number seven on our list to work out this means to resolve or find a solution to some problem or challenge you're experiencing. For example, I led my team through working out led logistical issues to ensure our event went smoothly. As a quick reminder, if you want more examples of how to use these phrasal verbs in real life sentences, be sure to check out this lesson at my website. And with that, let's go on to phrasal verb number eight. To bring in, to bring in means to introduce or implement something.
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For example, I brought in innovative ideas to streamline our process, and as a result, we improved productivity in our data call center.
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Number nine is to step up.
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This means to increase your level of effort or responsibility. For example, I stepped up as a team leader during a colleague's absence to ensure we completed our project on time, and now number 10, to look into this means to examine or investigate something. For example, as part of my role, I looked into customer complaints to identify opportunities for improvement. Now, with these 10 phrasal verbs you can use to precisely communicate your expertise in a job interview in English.
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I have two tips for you and some recommendations for how to remember what you've learned. First, it's important that in any job interview, it's important to provide statements that are tangible or measurable.
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Not only does this help you showcase your abilities, skills and know-how. It also makes your statements more compelling, helping you stand out among your competitors, and as you may have noticed, many of the examples I shared with you today included measurable details.
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For example, increasing profits by 12% or reducing operating expenses by 20% leading a team of five.
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My second tip, remember to adapt these phrasal verbs to your specific areas of expertise and your accomplishments.
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One way you can do that is by sharing your own example sentences, and that leads me directly into how to remember these new phrasal verbs.
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I know it's difficult to learn and remember new vocabulary. There are two keys to helping you do that successfully.
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Number one, when you learn new phrasal verbs, learn them in context, and that's exactly what you've done here in this lesson.
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What that means is rather than just learn a specific phrasal verb and its definition, it's important to see how that phrasal verb is used in a real life example sentence or a real life scenario.
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Here we have focused on how to use all 10 of these phal verbs in statements that might be used in a job interview in English, and again, if you want more examples, you can visit this lesson at my Speak Confident English website.
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The second key to remembering new vocabulary is to practice actively use these phrasal verbs in your own speaking and your own writing.
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That means going beyond watching this lesson.
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So here's what I want you to do.
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I want you to choose two or three of these phrasal verbs that apply to your area of expertise and adapt the sentences to your background.
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I want you to try using those phrasal verbs in your own example sentences.
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You can always share those sentences with me and the comment section below.
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While you do that, I recommend you also review examples from other students.
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Doing so will broaden your understanding of how these phrasal verbs are used and give you new ideas for how you might use each of these phrasal verbs to talk about your know-how, your skill, your abilities, and your accomplishments. With that, if you found today's lesson helpful to you, I would love to know, and you can tell me in one very simple way, give this lesson a thumbs up here on YouTube, and while you're at it, don't forget to subscribe, so you never miss one of my Confident English lessons.
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Thank you so much for joining me, and I look forward to seeing you next time.

About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will practice using essential phrasal verbs that can significantly enhance your communication skills during job interviews in English. By mastering these terms, you will learn how to convey your experience and expertise with clarity and confidence, ultimately improving your chances of making a strong impression on recruiters. This targeted practice will not only help you shine in interviews, but also improve your overall English-speaking abilities, making it easier for you to articulate your thoughts and skills in various professional settings.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Carry out: To complete or perform a task.
  • Take on: To accept or assume responsibility.
  • Bring about: To cause or initiate a change or result.
  • Follow up: To communicate for further action after initial contact.
  • Set up: To establish or organize something.
  • Work out: To resolve or find a solution to a problem.
  • Step up: To increase your level of effort or responsibility.
  • Look into: To examine or investigate something.

Practice Tips

As you work on these phrasal verbs, I recommend engaging in shadowspeak exercises to heighten your understanding and pronunciation. Listen to the original video carefully, mimicking Annemarie's tone and cadence. Keep your practice sessions focused, especially since the pace of the video can guide your shadow speak. As you listen, pause the video at the end of each sentence to repeat what you hear. This will not only help you improve your English pronunciation but also reinforce the context in which each phrasal verb is used.

Try to naturally incorporate the vocabulary into your conversations. For example, recreate real-life scenarios where you might use these phrasal verbs during an interview. Reflect on your past experiences and adapt your responses, utilizing phrases like "I carried out market research," or "I took on new responsibilities." This active use of vocabulary will cement your learning and aid in long-term retention.

Lastly, don't hesitate to record yourself while practicing. Listening to your speech will allow you to identify areas for improvement and align your pronunciation with that of fluent speakers. Make it a habit to review your recordings and compare them with the original to refine your skills further. Let the power of shadowspeaks guide your learning journey in mastering English for job interviews.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.