Unit 15

Word

Definition

Example

ambition 

a strong desire to achieve something

My biggest ambition is to climb Mount Everest.

ambitious 

determined to be successful, rich, powerful etc

She's extremely ambitious – she wants to be CEO of this company by the time she's twenty-five.

appraisal 

a statement or opinion judging the worth, value, or condition of something

She had a bad performance appraisal while working for a food company.

appraise 

to officially judge how successful, effective, or valuable something is

The aim of this meeting is to appraise your performance and set goals for the next six months.

caring 

thinking about what other people need or want and trying to help them

Ana's colleagues nominated her for being caring and understanding.

challenging 

difficult in an interesting or enjoyable way

What's one thing about your job that you've found challenging and how have you dealt with it?

confidence

the feeling that you can trust someone or something to be good, work well, or produce good results

I have a great deal of confidence in how my company is run and in its success.

confident 

sure that something will happen in the way that you want or expect

She looks so confident – she doesn't seem to have any doubts about her abilities.

creative 

involving the use of imagination to produce new ideas or things

You can't be creative or innovative without making mistakes.

creativity

the ability to use your imagination to produce new ideas, make things etc

We've been very impressed with your creativity in coming up with solutions to problems.

dedicated 

someone who is dedicated works very hard at what they do because they care a lot about it

My company is dedicated to its employees and puts their needs before those of the customer.

dedication 

hard work or effort that someone puts into a particular activity because they careabout it a lot

Our staff are well known for their dedication.

dependable

able to be trusted to do what you need or expect

Nathan was chosen for being so hard-working, dependable and efficient.

efficiency 

the quality of doing something well and effectively, without wasting time, money, or energy

Lean management is the approach of making small but regular changes to processes to improve efficiency.

efficient 

if someone or something is efficient, they work well without wasting time, money, or energy

Nathan was chosen for being so hard-working, dependable and efficient.

enthusiasm 

a strong feeling of interest and enjoyment about something and an eagerness to be involved in it

He's young and has lots of enthusiasm, so we should probably spend time and money on training him.

enthusiastic 

feeling or showing a lot of interest and excitement about something

He's very enthusiastic – whatever the plan, he's always happy to try it out.

extrovert 

someone who is active and confident, and who enjoys spending time with other people

Is a sales representative always an extrovert?

flexibility

the ability to change or be changed easily to suit a different situation

I think flexibility is one of my main strengths.

flexible 

a person, plan etc that is flexible can change or be changed easily to suit any new situation

I'm fairly flexible. I can start when it suits you.

generally speaking 

used to introduce a statement that is true in most cases but not always

Generally speaking, I drive to work.

graduate 

to obtain a degree, especially a first degree, from a college or university

She'd applied for the job by the time she graduated.

hard-working 

working with a lot of effort

He's so hard-working. You never see him resting.

introvert 

someone who is quiet and shy, and does not enjoy being with other people

Most jobs need a combination of skills; from the social skills of the extrovert to the quiet hard work of the introvert.

motivated 

very keen to do something or achieve something, especially because you find it interesting or exciting

Everyone who works here is highly motivated.

motivation

eagerness and willingness to do something without needing to be told or forced to do it

My company offers incentives to ensure enthusiasm and motivation amongst staff.

nominate 

to officially suggest someone or something for an important position, duty, or prize

Ana's colleagues nominated her for being caring and understanding.

nomination 

the act of officially suggesting someone or something for a position, duty, or prize, or the fact of being suggested for it

Nominations can be submitted either by members of staff or by patients.

on the whole 

used to say that something is generally true

On the whole, I'm happy with my job at the moment.

patience 

the ability to accept trouble and other people's annoying behaviour without complaining or becoming angry

Ana is well known for her patience on the job.

patient 

someone who is receiving medical treatment from a doctor or in a hospital

I'm not a very patient person – I always want everything to be done now.

performance review 

a meeting between a manager and a worker to discuss the quality of someone's work and how well they do their job

I've just had my first performance review and the feedback from my manager was very positive.

personality

someone's character, especially the way they behave towards other people

Can we guess a person's personality by their job description?

prepare 

to make plans or arrangements for something that will happen in the future

I prepared very thoroughly for the interview.

punctual 

arriving, happening, or being done at exactly the time that has been arranged

Inga is always punctual and never off work.

punctuality 

quality of arriving, happening, or being done at exactly the time that has been arranged

Punctuality is one of my strong points – I'm never late.

satisfactory 

something that is satisfactory seems good enough for you, or good enough for a particular situation or purpose

Your performance has been satisfactory but not outstanding.

scheme 

an official plan that is intended to help people in some way, for example by providing education or training

The employee of the month scheme, which recognizes the work of individual staff, has been very successful.

strength

the quality of being brave or determined in dealing with difficult or unpleasant situations

What would you say is one of your main strengths as an employee?

summarize 

to make a short statement giving only the main information and not the details of a plan, event, report etc

So let's summarize what we've agreed.

take on 

to agree to do some work or be responsible for something

Paula really likes coming to work and she loves taking on new projects.

transfer 

to move from one place, school, job etc to another, or to make someone do this, especially within the same organization

I was transferred to another department.