CONNECT
Small Companies, Big Opportunities
B1 video lesson on career growth, initiative and building your resume.
Lesson Overview
Students watch a career advice video about working at small and midsize companies. The lesson practises B1 language for career opportunities, taking initiative, building a resume and learning new skills at work.
Before you watch
- Would you prefer to work for a small company or a big company?
- What skills can you learn in a small company?
- How can young employees build their resume?
Prep
Drag the correct ending into each gap.
Mixed answer options
you volunteer to help or take responsibility.you agree to do more tasks.you do many different types of work.you use it in a positive way.you get experience that helps your career.something important is missing.Watch the Video
Watch the full video once. Focus on the speaker’s first job, the advantages of small companies and the advice to raise your hand and come up with ideas.
Open full videoComprehension
Click each question to reveal the answer. Each question is synced to the video time.
Vocabulary from the Video
Small companies let you wear different .
Her first job was as an administrative .
She worked in a life insurance .
She helped with .
She was shadowing insurance .
Raise your and come up with ideas.
You can build your .
She built a training .
Mixed options
resumehandprogrammarketinghatsassistantagentsbrokerageVocabulary Review
| Word / phrase | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| small company | a company with fewer employees | Small companies can offer many opportunities. |
| midsize company | a company that is not very small or very large | Midsize companies can be flexible. |
| wear lots of different hats | do many different kinds of work | At a small company, you can wear lots of different hats. |
| administrative assistant | a person who helps with office tasks | Her first job was administrative assistant. |
| brokerage | a business that arranges deals or services for clients | She worked in an insurance brokerage. |
| get your hands on something | get practical experience with something | She got her hands on marketing. |
| shadow someone | watch a person work to learn from them | She shadowed insurance agents. |
| raise your hand | volunteer to help | Raise your hand and offer ideas. |
| come up with ideas | think of new ideas | Employees should come up with ideas. |
| take on extra work | agree to do more work | Small companies may let you take on extra work. |
| build your resume | gain useful experience for your career | The project helped her build her resume. |
| boutique investment bank | a smaller, specialised investment bank | She worked for a boutique investment bank. |
| learning and development | training and professional growth | She became interested in learning and development. |
| gap | something missing | There was a gap in training. |
| needs assessment | a study of what people need | She did a needs assessment. |
Collocations
small and midsize
administrative
life insurance
build your
training
extra
Mixed options
workassistantprogramcompaniesbrokerageresumePhrasal Verb Questions
What ideas can you come at work?
What extra work would you take to learn more?
How can you build your resume?
Who could you reach for advice?
What skill would you like to get in the future?
Mixed options
out toonintoupup withB1 Grammar: Verb Patterns for Opportunities
Use these patterns to talk about interests, opportunities and extra work in a professional way.
| Pattern | Meaning | Example from the lesson topic |
|---|---|---|
| be interested in + -ing | say what you want to learn or do | I’m interested in learning and development. |
| be willing to + verb | say you are happy to do something | I’m willing to take on extra work. |
| allow someone to + verb | say what opportunity someone gives you | The job allowed me to learn different skills. |
| help someone + verb | say how something supports someone | Small companies help you build your resume. |
Grammar Exercise 1: Complete the verb patterns
I’m interested in new skills.
I’m willing to extra work.
This job allowed me to my resume.
Small companies help you different skills.
She was happy to a training program.
Mixed options
buildlearningcreatetake onlearnError Correction
Click each sentence to reveal the correction.
Sentence Transformations
I want to learn about marketing.
I can do extra work.
The project gave me the chance to build my resume.
Discussion
- What are the advantages of working for a small company?
- What are the disadvantages?
- Would you like to wear lots of different hats at work?
- How can young workers build their resume?
- Why is it important to raise your hand?
- What extra project would you like to take on?
- Would you prefer a formal department or a flexible role?
Useful Language
| Giving opinions | Talking about opportunities | Taking initiative |
|---|---|---|
| I think small companies... In my opinion... | You can learn... It gives you the chance to... | I’d like to raise my hand for... I could come up with... |
Role Play: Raise Your Hand
Student A: Employee
Explain your idea, why it helps the company and what you want to learn.
Student B: Manager
Ask questions about the project, the time needed and the expected result.
Challenge
Use: raise my hand, take on, come up with, build my resume, training program, gap.