LIFE025 · Work and Career Collocations: The Verbs That Signal Competence

🔗 Collocations for Work and Career

Level: C1  |  Time: 5 min  |  Focus: Lexis — high-frequency work collocations

📖 From Sourov’s world: I have held many job titles: bar manager, sommelier, barista, teacher, writer. What I noticed is that English career language works in fixed pairs. You don’t “do” a career — you “pursue” one. You don’t “take” a skill — you “develop” it. The verbs are not interchangeable, and getting them right instantly marks you as someone who knows their field.

🔑 Career Collocations

Verb	Noun partners
pursue	a career · an opportunity · a goal · a qualification
develop	skills · expertise · a strategy · a relationship
meet	a deadline · targets · expectations · criteria
gain	experience · recognition · insight · a reputation
build	a network · rapport · a portfolio · a career
manage	a team · a workload · expectations · a budget

💡 The False Collocations Trap

❌ “I did a lot of experience.” → ✅ “I gained a lot of experience.”
❌ “She made a career in finance.” → ✅ “She built / pursued a career in finance.”
❌ “He achieved the deadline.” → ✅ “He met the deadline.”

✏️ Quick Activity

Choose the correct verb: pursue · develop · meet · gain · build · manage

1. She plans to _______ a career in education.
2. I need to _______ my presentation skills before the interview.
3. The project team failed to _______ the deadline.
4. He has _______ a strong professional network over ten years.
5. It’s difficult to _______ a large team remotely.

👀 Show Answers

1. pursue   2. develop   3. meet   4. built   5. manage

⭐ Takeaway: A collocation dictionary is worth more than a thesaurus at C1 level. The right verb with the right noun is how you sound like you belong in the room.