My work experience
My work experience
Type the missing word(s) exactly. Empty answers are not checked.
Ethan’s first real job was in a small ___.
He got that job when he was ___.
The first week was ___ because he had to learn many details.
He had to learn things like prices, plans, and ___.
He learned that customer service is not only about being polite. It’s about ___.
After the shop, he moved to an office job as a ___.
In the office, he had to keep track of ___.
At the beginning, his common mistake was saying “___” to everything.
Two days before the event, the venue had a problem with the ___.
Ethan says the key is how you ___ when something goes wrong.
My work experience
My work experience (Sofia)
Choose the correct order (1–9). Then click Check answers. Empty items are not checked.
Sofia says her work experience started in a café while she was studying.
Her shifts began very early, and by 6 a.m. there was already a line of customers.
Some customers were impatient, so she learned to work fast, listen carefully, and keep smiling even when tired.
She made a mistake once and gave a customer the wrong order, and he got angry.
Her supervisor told her to fix it, apologise, and move on, so she learned not to freeze and to solve problems quickly.
Over time she became confident, knew the menu by heart, handled difficult customers, and helped train new employees.
Later she got a job as a receptionist in a small medical clinic, with calmer work but bigger responsibility.
She answered calls, booked appointments, managed paperwork, and learned routines quickly while protecting patient privacy.
She concludes that communication and teamwork matter in every job, and now she is studying healthcare administration.
My work experience
Daniel’s two jobs — what they taught him
Listen to the audio, then type the missing word(s) exactly. Empty answers are not checked.
Daniel’s first work experience was in a ___.
The warehouse job was ___.
At 7 a.m. they started and ___.
The real challenge in the warehouse was the ___.
Everything was ___, so he felt pressure if he slowed down.
After a few weeks, he became more organised and more ___.
After college, he moved into ___.
In marketing, the stress was mental: ___.
When the results were disappointing, his first reaction was ___.
He learned to fix problems by looking at ___, making a plan, and testing.
My work experience
💼 Transcription — My work experience
Three speakers: Ethan, Sofia, Daniel.
Hi, I’m Ethan. My first real job was in a small electronics store when I was twenty. I thought it would be easy: smile, sell phones, and go home. But the first week was stressful because I had to learn a lot of details—prices, plans, returns, and all the “small rules” customers love to test. Some people were friendly, but others came in angry before I even said hello. I learned quickly that customer service is not only about being polite. It’s about staying calm and solving problems fast. After that, I moved into an office job as a junior project assistant. The work was very different. In the shop, everything was immediate. In the office, tasks lasted weeks, and I had to follow processes, write emails, and keep track of deadlines. At the beginning I made a common mistake: I said “yes” to everything. I wanted to look helpful, so I accepted tasks even when my schedule was full. Then I started missing small deadlines, and I felt embarrassed. My manager gave me simple advice: “If you can’t do it today, say when you can do it.” That changed everything. I began to plan my day, use a task list, and set realistic expectations. One project I remember well was a company event for clients. I had to book a venue, coordinate catering, and prepare a short presentation. Two days before the event, the venue called and said they had a problem with the electricity. It was a nightmare. I spent the whole day calling other places, comparing prices, and checking availability. In the end we found a new location, and the event went well. I was exhausted, but I felt proud because I didn’t panic. Now I work in operations, and I still use lessons from my earlier jobs. I’m better at communication, I don’t take complaints personally, and I know that problems are part of the job. The key is how you respond when something goes wrong.
Hello, I’m Sofia. My work experience started in a café, and I will always remember it because it taught me more than any school lesson. I worked as a barista while studying, and my shifts began early in the morning. At 6 a.m. we already had a line of customers. Some people needed coffee to survive, and they were not very patient. I learned to work fast, listen carefully, and smile even when I was tired. The hardest part was dealing with mistakes. One time I gave a customer the wrong order, and he got angry. I felt terrible, but my supervisor told me: “Fix it, apologise, and move on.” I realised that in service jobs, mistakes happen, and you can’t freeze. You have to solve the issue and keep the line moving. Over time, I became confident. I knew the menu by heart, I could handle difficult customers, and I helped new employees learn the basics. Later, I got a job as a receptionist in a small medical clinic. The environment was calmer, but the responsibility was bigger. Patients were sometimes nervous or in pain, and I had to speak gently and clearly. I answered phone calls, booked appointments, and managed paperwork. I also had to protect privacy, which was very important. At the beginning I was worried I would say the wrong thing, but I learned the routines quickly. What surprised me was how much communication matters in every job. In the café, communication meant speed and clarity. In the clinic, it meant empathy and patience. And in both places, teamwork was everything. If one person had a bad day, the whole system suffered. These jobs helped me understand what kind of work I enjoy: I like working with people, but I also need a structured environment. Now I’m studying for a career in healthcare administration, and my past jobs give me a strong base.
Hi, I’m Daniel. I want to tell you about two very different work experiences that shaped me. The first one was in a warehouse. I worked there during a summer break, and it was physically hard. We started at 7 a.m., scanned boxes, packed orders, and moved heavy items all day. The pay was okay, but the real challenge was the pace. Everything was timed, and the supervisor checked numbers constantly. If you slowed down, you felt pressure. At first I didn’t like it, but after a few weeks I noticed something: I was becoming stronger, more organised, and more disciplined. I learned to prepare my station, plan my movements, and work efficiently. I also learned respect for people who do physical work every day. It’s not easy, and it requires focus. Still, I knew I didn’t want to do that job long-term. After college, I moved into a role in digital marketing. Suddenly my day was full of emails, meetings, and reports instead of boxes. The stress was different. In the warehouse, stress was physical and immediate. In marketing, stress was mental: deadlines, client expectations, and constant changes. Sometimes a campaign looked great on Monday, and on Tuesday the numbers dropped and everyone wanted answers. One important moment for me was a project where we launched ads for a new product. In the first week, the results were disappointing. My first reaction was panic. But my team leader asked me to analyse the data calmly: which audience clicked, what time people engaged, and which message worked best. We made small changes, tested new versions, and slowly the results improved. That experience taught me a key lesson: you don’t fix a problem by guessing. You fix it by looking at evidence, making a plan, and testing. Now, when I think about work, I don’t expect everything to be comfortable. Every job has pressure. But if you learn from each experience, you become more confident and more useful—no matter what you do next.