Explaining Your Work Simply in English Interviews.

In many interviews you need to talk about technical work with people who are not specialists. This lesson helps you explain complex tasks in simple, clear English without sounding childish. You start by exploring common cross-industry vocabulary such as project, stakeholder, deadline, budget and process. You then practise explaining your tools, systems and procedures in everyday language, using phrases like in simple terms and it basically means. Short role plays contrast talking to a technical manager with talking to an HR interviewer, so you can adjust detail and language. You also learn how to admit gaps in knowledge politely and show that you are willing to learn. By the end, you can describe what you do day to day, how your projects work and how you add value, in English that both HR and managers can easily follow.

1. Introducing your job to an HR interviewer.

Imagine you are in a first interview on a video call. The HR interviewer smiles and says, "So, could you tell me what you actually do in your current role?" In that moment, many candidates start using heavy jargon, acronyms and internal words that HR does not really understand. In this block, we will slow down and build a clear, simple version of your job description that almost any interviewer can follow. You will see two versions of the same answer on the screen. One is full of technical language and inside jokes from the company. The other uses more general business words, like project, client, deadline and system. Both answers are about the same real work, but they feel very different. Our aim is not to remove all technical words, but to make sure the main story is easy. By the end of this block, you will write a short introduction to your own job, speaking to an HR interviewer who is not a specialist. You will practise using cross-industry vocabulary and one or two key phrases from the chunk bank, such as "Basically, my job is to" and "Most of my work involves". Let us look at the examples together, and then you will try it for yourself.

The interview moment.

Picture the scene: you join a video interview with Julia, an HR Business Partner from an international company. After a quick greeting, she says:

> "So, could you tell me what you actually do in your current role?"

Your goal is to give a clear, confident answer that Julia understands easily without knowing your tools or internal systems.

Two versions of the same answer.

Below are two versions of an answer from Ana, a candidate who works in a data-related job.

Version A – very technical

> I am a senior BI analyst in the EMEA squad. I mainly work with our internal ETL pipelines, optimise SQL queries in our data lake and maintain dashboards in Power BI for the sales ops team.

Version B – simple, HR-friendly

> Basically, my job is to help colleagues make decisions using data. Most of my work involves collecting information from different systems, cleaning it and turning it into clear reports and dashboards. I work closely with our sales team on their weekly and monthly targets, so they can see problems early and reach their goals.

Both answers are true, but Version B is easier for a non-technical person to follow.

Useful general business words.

Here are some general words and phrases that work in many jobs:

• project, task, process, system
• client, customer, user, stakeholder
• team, manager, colleague, department
• deadline, budget, goal, target
• report, data, information, update
• issue, risk, change, improvement

When you talk to HR, these general words are usually more helpful than very specific technical terms.

You can combine them with lesson chunks such as:

• "Basically, my job is to…"
• "Most of my work involves…"
• "A typical project looks like this…"

In the activity below, you will write a short introduction to your own job using some of this language.

Practice & Feedback

Now imagine that you are speaking to Julia, the HR interviewer from the scene above. She has just asked: "So, could you tell me what you actually do in your current role?"

Write 3–5 sentences to introduce your job in a simple, clear way. Please:

• Use at least four general business words from the list on the screen (for example: project, client, team, deadline, process, system, report).
• Use one useful phrase such as "Basically, my job is to…" or "Most of my work involves…".
• Imagine Julia is not a specialist, so avoid or reduce heavy jargon, acronyms or internal tool names. If you must mention a tool, keep it short and clear.

Write your answer as one short paragraph, as if you are speaking in the interview.

2. Explaining a tool in simple terms.

You have just practised a simple introduction to your job for an HR interviewer. Now, let us zoom in on one typical follow-up question. After you describe your role, HR might ask something like, "You mentioned a customer system. Could you explain what that is?" If you only repeat the technical name, the interviewer still does not really understand what you do. In this block, we will focus on explaining **one tool or system** in everyday English. On the screen you will see some useful patterns, such as "In simple terms, it means that…", "You can think of it as…" and "From a business point of view, this helps to…" These phrases help you move from the technical world to the business world. I will play a short listening example: an HR interviewer asks Ana about a tool, and she gives a clear, simple explanation. Your task will be to show you understand the explanation and then write your own summary in one or two sentences, using at least one of those patterns. While you listen, do not worry about every detail of the tool. Instead, listen for the **main idea** and for how Ana explains the **benefit** of the system for the business.

Moving from tool names to clear explanations.

After you describe your job, HR often picks one tool or system and asks for more detail. For example:

> "You said you use a project management platform. In simple terms, what does it do?"

If you only answer:

> "We use Jira and Confluence."

the interviewer still does not know how they work or why they matter.

Helpful patterns for simple explanations.

Use these patterns to explain tools in an accessible way:

• "In simple terms, it means that…"

> In simple terms, it means that all our customer information is stored in one place.

• "You can think of it as…"

> You can think of it as an online filing cabinet for our projects.

• "Basically, it helps us to…"

> Basically, it helps us to track tasks and see where we are with each deadline.

• "From a business point of view, this helps to…"

> From a business point of view, this helps to reduce mistakes and save time for the team.

These phrases guide the interviewer step by step: what it is, what it feels like, what it does, and why it is useful.

Before you listen.

In the listening activity below, HR asks Ana about a CRM system she uses in her job. As you listen, focus on two questions:

1. What is the main function of the CRM system?
2. How does it help the business?

After the audio, you will write one or two sentences to answer these questions in your own words, using at least one of the helpful patterns above.

Practice & Feedback

Listen carefully to the short interview. You will hear HR asking Ana about a CRM system, and Ana giving a simple explanation.

After listening, answer in two sentences:

1. In your first sentence, explain what the CRM system does, using your own words. Try to start with a phrase like "In simple terms, it means that…" or "You can think of it as…".
2. In your second sentence, explain how it helps the business or the team. Try to use "From a business point of view, this helps to…" or "Basically, it helps us to…".

Do not worry about remembering every detail from the audio. Focus on the main idea and a clear, simple explanation. Imagine you are answering the HR interviewer directly in an interview.

3. Adjusting detail for HR and technical interviewers.

So far you have practised giving simple explanations that anyone can understand. However, in many interviews you meet **different types of interviewers** in the same process. HR may want a very clear, high-level answer, while a technical manager may want more detail. The skill you need is to adjust your level of detail while keeping your English organised and clear. In this block, you will see two short dialogues. In the first, Ana speaks to Julia from HR. In the second, she speaks to Tom, a technical manager from the same company, about the same project. Notice how the general story is the same, but the amount of technical detail changes. On the screen, you will find some simple strategies to move up or down in detail. For example, you can start with an HR-friendly sentence and then say, "If you would like more detail, I can explain the technical side". You can also use signposting to keep your answer structured. Your task will be to take a more technical explanation and rewrite it in a way that is easier for HR to follow, using phrases from the chunk bank such as "A typical project looks like this" and "In simple terms, it means that". This is excellent practice for real mixed interview panels.

Two types of interviewer, one project.

You often need to explain the same work to different people. Look at these two mini dialogues about one project.

Dialogue 1 – Ana with Julia (HR)

> Julia: Could you tell me about a typical project in your current role?

> Ana: A typical project looks like this: a sales manager asks us to help them understand why their numbers are going down. In simple terms, my job is to collect the right data, clean it, and build a simple dashboard so they can see what is happening. Most of my work involves talking to the manager, preparing the report and then explaining the results in a meeting.

Dialogue 2 – Ana with Tom (technical manager)

> Tom: And on a technical level, what does that process involve?

> Ana: First, I define the problem with the stakeholder and agree the main questions. Then I pull data from our CRM and billing systems with SQL, and I run some basic checks for missing values and duplicates. After that, I create a draft dashboard in Power BI and review it with the sales manager to see if it answers their questions.

The story is the same, but the level of detail is different.

Strategies to adjust your answer.

• Start simple, then go deeper if needed.

> "A typical project looks like this…"

> "In simple terms, it means that…"

• Signal more detail.

> "On a technical level, the process is…"

> "If you would like more detail, I can explain the tools I use."

• Keep the structure clear.

Use simple sequencing: first, then, after that, finally.

In the activity below, you will practise taking a technical-style explanation and rewriting it so that an HR interviewer like Julia can follow it easily.

Practice & Feedback

Read the technical-style explanation in the box carefully. Imagine it was given to a technical manager. Now your task is to rewrite it as if you are speaking to Julia from HR, who is not a specialist.

Write 4–6 sentences. Please:

• Keep the same basic story, but make it easier to understand.
• Use at least one of these phrases: "A typical project looks like this…", "In simple terms, it means that…", "Most of my work involves…".
• Use clear sequencing words such as first, then, after that, finally.

Avoid long lists of tools, acronyms or code. If you mention a tool, explain briefly what it is or what it does. Write your answer as a short paragraph, like an interview answer to HR.

4. Talking about limits and willingness to learn.

So far we have focused on what you already do and what you already know. In real interviews, however, you will almost certainly meet questions about tools or areas where your experience is limited. For example, an interviewer might ask, "Do you have much experience with Salesforce?" or "How confident are you with managing project budgets?". Many candidates feel nervous and either say too little, such as "No, not really", or they try to pretend they know more than they do. Both of these options can damage trust. What interviewers really want is a calm, honest answer that shows your **attitude to learning**. In this block, you will see some polite phrases that allow you to be honest without sounding negative, such as "I have some experience with…, but I am keen to learn more" or "I am not an expert in that area, however…". We will also look at a short dialogue where a candidate answers a question about a tool they do not fully know. Your task will be to write your own answer to a similar question. You will show what you already know, be clear about limits, and highlight your willingness to learn. This is a powerful skill in interviews, especially when talking about technical topics.

When you do not know everything.

Imagine you are in an interview and you hear this question:

> "Do you have experience with Salesforce?"

You have seen it once or twice, but you are not a daily user. How can you answer honestly and still sound positive and professional?

Helpful language for limits and learning.

Use these patterns to balance honesty and confidence:

• "I have some experience with…, but I am keen to learn more."

> I have some experience with Salesforce, but I am keen to learn more and use it in a deeper way.

• "I am not an expert in that area, however…"

> I am not an expert in that area, however I have used similar systems and I learn new tools quite quickly.

• "So far, most of my work has been with…, but…"

> So far, most of my work has been with smaller budgets, but I would be very interested in taking on larger projects.

You can then add a short example of how you learn:

> "For example, when we introduced a new reporting tool last year, I completed an online course and practised every day for a month."

Model dialogue.

> Interviewer: Do you have much experience with Salesforce?

> Candidate: I have some experience with Salesforce, but I am keen to learn more. In my current role I mainly use our internal CRM, which is quite similar. I am not an expert, however when we introduce new tools I usually learn them quickly. For example, last year we changed our reporting platform and I became one of the main users in the team within three months.

This answer is honest, specific and shows a positive learning attitude.

In the activity below, you will write a similar answer about a tool or area that is relevant for your own work.

Practice & Feedback

Imagine you are in an interview for a real job you want. The interviewer asks you:

> "Do you have experience with [choose a tool or area relevant for you, for example: Salesforce, SAP, Python, large budgets, managing teams]?"

Choose one real example that fits your situation. Write 4–6 sentences to answer the question. Please:

• Be honest about your level, but keep a positive tone.
• Use at least one phrase like "I have some experience with…, but I am keen to learn more" or "I am not an expert in that area, however…".
• Add a short example of how you learned a new tool, process or responsibility in the past.

Write your answer as if you are speaking in an interview. Do not just write "no" or "yes". Show your learning attitude and how you can grow into the role.

5. Chatting about your day-to-day work online.

Interviews do not always happen only in formal meetings. Sometimes a recruiter or hiring manager will start with a short chat message, for example on Microsoft Teams, Slack or LinkedIn, to understand your profile before they invite you to a full interview. Even in chat, you still need to explain your work clearly and simply. In this block, we will move into a more informal, chat-style situation. You will see a short example conversation between Julia, the recruiter, and Ana, the candidate. Notice how Ana uses short, clear messages, with simple sentences and general business vocabulary. She does not write long paragraphs, but she still explains what she does and how she adds value. We will look at some tips for writing professional chat messages: keeping one main idea per message, avoiding heavy jargon, and using our useful chunks like "Basically, my job is to…" or "Most of my work involves…". Your task will be to continue a chat conversation with an HR recruiter who is asking about your day-to-day work and the tools you use. This will help you practise explaining your job in short written form, which also supports your spoken answers later.

A realistic pre-interview chat.

Here is a short example chat on Microsoft Teams between Julia (HR) and Ana (candidate):

> Julia: Hi Ana, thanks for connecting. Could you briefly tell me what you do in your current role?

> Ana: Hi Julia, thanks for your message. Basically, my job is to help our sales team make better decisions using data.

> Julia: Interesting, and what does that look like day to day?

> Ana: Most of my work involves preparing reports and dashboards, joining project meetings, and explaining results to managers.

> Julia: Do you use any particular systems or tools?

> Ana: Yes, we use a CRM system to store client information and a reporting tool to create dashboards, but I can learn new tools quite quickly.

The style is friendly but still professional. Messages are short and easy to read on a screen.

Tips for clear, professional chat.

• Keep one main idea per message. It is easier to read three short messages than one huge block.
• Use the same general business vocabulary we practised: project, client, team, deadline, process, system, report, and so on.
• You can use the same chunks as in spoken interviews:

> "Basically, my job is to…"

> "Most of my work involves…"

> "A typical project looks like this…"

• Avoid very informal abbreviations like "u", "lol" or too many emojis. A simple smiley is fine in many companies, but not necessary.

In the activity below, you will write your own short chat-style answers to an HR recruiter who is asking about your day-to-day work and tools.

Practice & Feedback

Imagine you are chatting on Microsoft Teams with Julia, an HR recruiter. She sends you the following messages:

> Julia: Hi, thanks for connecting. Could you briefly tell me what you do in your current role?

> Julia: And what does that look like on a normal day?

> Julia: Do you use any important tools or systems in your work?

Write 3–6 short chat messages as your replies. You can write them in one box, but please put each message on a new line, for example:

> You: [your first message]\

> You: [your second message]

Try to:

• Use at least one chunk like "Basically, my job is to…" or "Most of my work involves…".
• Mention at least two general business words (project, client, team, deadline, process, system, report, etc.).
• Keep each message to one or two sentences, clear and professional.

Write as if this is a real recruiter you want to impress, but keep the tone friendly and natural.

6. Explaining a recent project from start to finish.

You have now practised several key micro-skills: introducing your job in simple terms, explaining a tool, adjusting detail for different interviewers, and talking honestly about limits. In a real interview, all of these come together when you answer a bigger question like, "Could you walk us through a recent project, step by step?". In this final block, we will create a complete, clear explanation of one recent project or piece of work. The goal is that both HR and a technical manager can follow your answer. You will use general business vocabulary, simple sequencing language, and some of the helpful chunks from this lesson, such as "A typical project looks like this", "In simple terms" and "From a business point of view". On the screen, you will see a suggested structure for your answer, plus a model paragraph from Ana. Notice how she explains the context, her role, the main steps, the tools in simple terms and the results using numbers. Your task will be to write your own 8–10 sentence answer about a real project from your work. This will be your mini script for interviews, and you can adapt it later for speaking. Take your time to choose a project that shows your value.

The big interview question.

Interviewers often ask:

> "Could you walk us through a recent project you worked on?"

This is a great opportunity to show what you do, how you work and how you add value.

A simple structure you can follow.

Use this 6-step structure:

One-sentence overview

> "A recent project I worked on was…"

Context and stakeholders – who was involved, what was the goal?

> client, team, manager, deadline, budget

Your role – what were you responsible for?

> "Most of my work involved…"

Main steps and tools – explain the process in simple terms.

> "A typical project looks like this… First…, then…, after that…"

Result with numbers or clear impact.

> "As a result, we…" plus a number, percentage, time or quality change.

Link to the new role.

> "From a business point of view, this experience helps me to… in this role."

Model answer from Ana.

> A recent project I worked on was helping our sales team understand why their numbers were falling in one region. The main stakeholders were the regional sales manager and my analytics team, and we had a tight deadline of four weeks. Basically, my job was to collect the right data and turn it into clear information for the managers. A typical project looks like this: first I agree the main questions with the manager, then I gather and clean the data from different systems, and after that I build a simple dashboard. In simple terms, it means that instead of looking at hundreds of lines in a spreadsheet, they see a visual picture of what is happening. From a business point of view, this helps them to focus on the biggest problems quickly. In this project we discovered that one product group had a 15% drop in repeat orders, so the team could act fast. This experience would help me in your company because I could support your sales managers in a similar way.

In the activity below, you will write your own full answer about a recent project or key responsibility.

Practice & Feedback

Now it is your turn to create a full interview-style answer.

Choose one recent project or important piece of work from your real experience. It does not have to be huge, but it should show how you work and how you create value.

Write 8–10 sentences that follow the structure on the screen:

1. One-sentence overview of the project.
2. Brief context and main stakeholders.
3. Your role and main responsibilities.
4. The main steps and tools, explained in simple terms.
5. The result, with at least one number or clear impact.
6. A final sentence linking this experience to the role you want.

Try to use at least two chunks from this lesson, such as "Basically, my job is to…", "Most of my work involves…", "A typical project looks like this…", "In simple terms, it means that…", or "From a business point of view, this helps to…".

Write as if you are speaking to both HR and a technical manager in the same room.