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Regardless of motive, learning English remains a smart choice for millions and millions of working adults and ambitious students. It presents possibilities for better-paying jobs and additional choices in pursuing an international education. Plus, it helps immigrants to...

“Strong waves make strong sailors.” – English proverb Why do so many hiring managers ask open-ended questions in job interviews? What possibilities – and perils – do these questions present? How can job-seekers prepare for ten tough, yet common, interview questions? When...

  “Hiring is a manager’s most important job.” – Peter F. Drucker (1909-2005), American management consultant and author How do many job seekers self-sabotage during interviews? What qualities often make a successful job interview? Liz Ryan, founder and CEO of Human...

As both lecturer and master lecturer, respectively, in the Engineering Writing Program and American Language Institute, I have worked with many international engineering students at USC (home of award-winning engineering publication, Illumin). To my knowledge, engineers sometimes...

“In business for yourself, not by yourself.” ~Ray Kroc (1902-1984), McDonald’s founder How do people get jobs in the United States? Internship season is almost upon us, and finding work is not always an easy thing – particularly in an uncertain economy....

“If you don’t know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else.” ―Dr. Laurence J. Peter (1919-1990), Canadian-American educator When looking for a job, it’s important to assess what employers really want from potential hires. This is a...

“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” ~Vidal Sassoon (1928-2012), British hairstylist and businessman   Late last year, we published a blog post on mock job interviews and self-evaluation. In connection to that, here are some...

“Habits change into character.” ~Ovid (43 BCE-17 CE), Ancient Roman poet Which is correct: fireman or firefighter? The answer is both! But one has been gaining traction lately, along with many other gender-neutral terms for occupational titles. Here’s why: Many...

Yeah Yeah Yeahs is a popular indie band, but “Yeah, yeah, yeah” is a problematic response to job interview questions. “In common use almost every word has many shades of meaning, and therefore needs to be interpreted by the context.” -Alfred Marshall...

Speaking skills – especially in stressful situations – matter. Most quality Business English and VESL (Vocational English as a Second Language) programs provide extensive training and practice  in both short and long job interviews. Job interviews are stressful...