English Lesson — Friday Morning: Career & Growth English
🎯 Session goal: Master the vocabulary and phrases that open doors — in interviews, promotions, salary negotiations, and leadership conversations.
📖 Word of the Day: Negotiate /nɪˈɡoʊ.ʃi.eɪt/
Vietnamese: đàm phán, thương lượng
3 Example Sentences:
- “I’d like to negotiate the salary before signing the offer letter.”
- “She negotiated a four-day work week and a 15% raise in the same conversation.”
- “Effective tech leads negotiate technical debt paydown with product managers every sprint.”
🔗 Pronunciation Resources:
📚 Vocabulary Table
| Phrase | Vietnamese | Example |
|---|---|---|
| leverage /ˈlev.ər.ɪdʒ/ | đòn bẩy, lợi thế | ”Use your competing offer as leverage in the negotiation.” |
| compensation package | gói đãi ngộ tổng thể | ”The compensation package includes salary, equity, and health benefits.” |
| take ownership | chịu trách nhiệm, làm chủ | ”In interviews, show that you take ownership of problems, not just tasks.” |
| upward mobility | cơ hội thăng tiến | ”I’m looking for a role with clear upward mobility into a lead position.” |
| circle back | quay lại vấn đề sau | ”Let me circle back to the compensation question after we discuss the role.” |
🗣️ Pronunciation Guide
Word: negotiate /nɪˈɡoʊ.ʃi.eɪt/
Break it down:
- nɪ — short “nih” sound, unstressed
- ˈɡoʊ — stressed syllable, long “go” sound
- ʃi — “shee” sound
- eɪt — rhymes with “late”
Full pattern: nɪ-GO-shee-AYT (stress on 2nd syllable)
Practice sentence (read aloud 3 times):
“I plan to negotiate my compensation package before I accept the promotion.”
Stress pattern: ne-GO-ti-ATE → com-pen-SA-tion → pro-MO-tion
✏️ Exercise 1: Fill in the Blank
Fill in with the correct word: negotiate / leverage / take ownership / upward mobility / compensation
- “You should _______ your 3 years of experience when asking for a raise.”
- “The company offers strong _______ — many engineers become team leads within 2 years.”
- “Don’t wait for your manager to fix problems. _______ and propose solutions.”
- “I want to _______ the start date so I have two weeks to wrap up my current role.”
- “My _______ package includes base salary, bonus, and stock options.”
✅ Answers
- leverage
- upward mobility
- Take ownership
- negotiate
- compensation
✏️ Exercise 2: Translate to English
- Tôi muốn thương lượng về mức lương trước khi ký hợp đồng.
- Đây là cơ hội thăng tiến tốt nhất trong sự nghiệp của tôi.
- Hãy để tôi quay lại câu hỏi đó sau khi chúng ta thảo luận về vai trò.
✅ Sample Answers
- “I’d like to negotiate the salary before signing the contract.”
- “This is the best upward mobility opportunity in my career.”
- “Let me circle back to that question after we discuss the role.”
💬 Idiom of the Day
“Bring something to the table” Vietnamese: mang lại giá trị, đóng góp điều gì đó có ích
Used to describe what unique skills, experience, or value you contribute.
Examples:
- “In this interview, I want to show what I bring to the table as a senior engineer.”
- “Every team member brings something to the table — your job as a lead is to find and amplify it.”
📺 Recommended Watching
- English with Lucy — Professional English for career conversations, interviews, and business communication
- TED Talks: Career & Leadership — Real-world English from top professionals
- Linda Raynier Career & Interview Tips — Interview English with step-by-step frameworks
🎯 Friday Challenge
Today’s action (5 minutes): Write 3 sentences in English answering this interview question:
“Tell me about a time you negotiated something successfully at work.”
Use at least 2 words from today’s vocabulary table. Say them out loud. Record yourself on your phone and listen back once.
Come back for the Noon session — deeper Career vocabulary dive! 🌟