When thinking about where you should start your English learning journey, think carefully about the most common words and phrases YOU will use. This is super efficient, and it’s also why following English coursebooks is generally a terrible idea. Why?

English language books are targeted at everyone and no one.

What should I do then, you’re asking?

1. Picture the situations you will get into

Let’s start with picturing the situations you will get into as a recruiter or even in your free time. Getting to know someone, meeting people in a hotel, speaking to clients, attending Zoom meetings. You will be arguing, agreeing, giving your opinions, and talking passionately about things.

2. Think of the vocabulary and phrases you will need in these situations

What topics do you normally talk about with your friends? What hobbies, sports or activities do you normally do? How do you make small talk with clients?

Write down a long introduction about yourself (in your native language). Pretend you are introducing yourself to someone who is just meeting you, and you’re saying all you can about what you love and hate, what you like to do in your spare time, find interesting, talk about, joke about. Write it all down.

3. Learn how to express yourself in the most natural way for your personality

To feel really natural when you speak English, it’s important to think about the phrases and expressions you normally say in your own native tongue. What do you like to say to express liking, or disappointment, great happiness, or curiosity. Start to listen to yourself and notice these expressions. Ask your friends, they will have some fun telling you!

4. Translate it into English

Finally, translate your writing into English. Ask a native speaker or an English coach how they might say these expressions if you are not sure. Start to memorize them and use them with enthusiasm. Have fun with it.

5. Learn it by heart

Now that you have your own personalized version of English, it’s time to learn it by heart. Why? Because when you memorize something, you feel sure about it, and feeling sure means feeling confident.