Top 10 Phrasal Verbs for Job Interviews in English

1. CARRY OUT
 
This is a formal way to say “do”, and in a job interview you want to sound more formal! Examples..

• In my current job I carry out many important duties/tasks
• I currently carry out research for a large multinational company
  
   

2. KNUCKLE DOWN
 
Your knuckle is a part of your hand and is used in this phrasal verb, knuckle down. This phrasal verb means that you don’t get distracted but you focus and work hard. Examples...

• In the current economic crisis, it’s more important than ever to knuckle down, work hard and be the best you can be.
  
   

3. HAND IN
 
You might know this from school or university, you hand in your homework or an assignment (In other words, you have to give it to your teacher). IT is the same in business, if you are preparing a report or an analysis for your boss, you have to hand it in, in other words, give it to your boss!

 

4. SPEAK UP
 
Speak up has two meanings, the first meaning is to speak more loudly but the meaning (useful in an job interview) is to defend what you believe is right. Example...

• If many people are saying things that you disagree with, it’s important for you to speak up and say what you believe is right, to defend what you believe to be true! 
• If some colleagues are acting inappropriately, you should speak up and tell the boss.

 
5. KEEP UP WITH
 
If you keep up with something it means that you stay up to date with something. Examples...

• I like to keep up with new technology.
• It's important to keep up with all the latest developments in the market. 

 
6. GET AHEAD
 
If you get ahead you have planned for the next few days or next week. You’ve planned, you’ve scheduled and you are prepared for what is coming. Example...

• In my job, I always try to get ahead. I’m now producing two videos every week on YouTube and I usually record them on Saturday mornings, but I always have the next week’s video planned and the videos for the week after planned too so that I’m always ahead! 

 
7. CATCH UP
 
The opposite of get ahead is to catch up and this is when you are behind schedule, you’re doing things today that you should have done yesterday or last week. So, it’s not a good situation to be in if you always have to catch up.


 
8. TAKE ON
 
Take on means you accept a new responsibility, you accept a new position or a new client. So in a job interview you probably want to let the interviewer know that you are happy to take on new responsibilities. You might also want to mention what new responsibilities you have taken on in your previous job. Examples... 

• I started as a regional salesman, but I took on new clients from different parts of the country and eventually became national salesman for my company. 

 

9. PULL TOGETHER
 
Teamwork is always a common theme in a job interview, and pull together is related to teamwork. If you pull alone you are not going to be as strong as if you have a team pulling together. Pull together means work together to reach a common goal. It’s always a good idea to pull together so you might want to mention in your interview that you are a team player and when the team pulls together you can achieve great things 


10. FOLLOW UP
 
At the end of an interview you will probably be wanting to know when you are going to hear the outcome. So, you will want to know when the interviewer is going to follow up with you about the interview. Example...

• Interviewer: "I’ll be in touch with you early next week to follow up about the interview".