IELTS Speaking Part 2 & 3 Topic: Describe a big company that you would like to work in

It’s every girl’s wish to be surrounded by beautiful clothes and latest shoes of the season, especially with recognized fashion brands, which is why I’ve always dreamed of working in a fashion company, Nasty Gal in particular, where my creativity and passion in contributing to women’s image could be fulfilled.

Nasty Gal has been one of the fastest growing retailers in fashion over the past 10 years and its founder – Sophia Amoruso is also a heroine in my heart. I am deeply impressed by how she started the company and build up her reputation. She even has her own podcast called #GirlBoss where she interviews other entrepreneurial women who are also successful and true feminists on how and what they do to be at where they are today. With such an inspirational and quintessential girl boss like Amoruso, there’s no reason any girl wouldn’t want to be at Nasty Gal. In addition, the said fashion empire is also renowned for its trendy, sexy yet classy and total badass collection at the same time, which is also my style when choosing clothing.

However, everything always has two sides. Working in fashion industry would be tough and stressful due to its competitiveness and supreme fast-paced characteristics. You are required to have a fine taste in fashion and a keen eye for what’s popular or what’s potential to become popular to ride the fashion trend and wouldn’t get lagged behind. Creativity and personal touch are just as important to deliver not only qualified but unique products as well. Therefore, those who crave challenges and love to push themselves to the limit like me are best suited for this kind of job and the like. Hopefully, when Nasty Gal is officially launched in my country that would be where I work and pursue my dream.

Entrepreneurial (adj) willing to work hard and take risks in order to build up a business; enterprising

Example: We must reinvigorate the entrepreneurial spirit of America.

Inspirational (adj) giving you the enthusiasm to do or create something

Example: Obama’s speech was really inspirational to listen to.

Competitiveness (noun) a competitive activity is one in which companies or teams are competing against each other

Supreme (adj) very great

Example: Television exposure is of supreme importance in American politics.

A keen eye for (phrase) an ability to notice and recognize something

Example: My friend’s a tireless shopper with a keen eye for a bargain.

QUESTION PART 3

1. What are the differences between big companies and small companies?

There are many noteworthy things to notice between large and small companies. First thing first, the scale and structure can be considerably distinct. While large corporates operate with various departments and hundreds of employees, small companies don’t have that scale and hierarchy, which can be seen clearly in startups’ structure. In startups and small companies, one person can take on various positions and their work arrangements can be fairly flexible. For instance, you can be a founder as well as finance director and sometimes when the company is running low on manpower, you can also jump in to help with designing.

Hierarchy (noun) a series of things arranged according to their importance

Manpower (noun) all the people who are available to do a particular job or to work in a particular place

2. Are there many big companies in your country?

Absolutely. Some of them are state-owned, some are incorporated between the state and foreign companies, and others are multinational companies. These corporates are doing business in various sectors including FMCG, real estates, and electronics and so on. Prominent brands that are widely known to customers and users are Unilever, P&G, Sam Sung and many more.

State-owned (adj) belonging to, funded by, and controlled by the government.

And so on (phrase) etc; continuing in the same way

3. What are the good things about working for a big company?

One of the biggest advantages when working for those recognized brand names is if you apply for another job at a different company, it will probably a plus point when a big name is written on your employee record. Recruiters would regard you with certain interest and respect if you’ve already proven your ability at some high-profile corporate. Furthermore, high reputation comes with high demand in employees as well as reputable training processes. Therefore, once you are an employee, there will be so much things to learn and many opportunities to develop yourself, both professionally and personally.

High profile (noun) a position attracting much attention and publicity

Reputable (noun) generally considered to be honest and reliable

4. How can a small company grow big?

I guess it would have to go through various stages as any big corporate does before reaching that level. There are many ways to scale up a company and depending on what industries of the business, people prefer different tactics. Traditionally, it could be a merger and acquisition in which a company can expand their scale, and market shares. Today, a small company could go public on stock markets to sell it shares. Take many startups for instance. This digital era can be seen as a breeding ground for startups to proliferate, especially in technology and innovation. The usual road many startups take to grow bigger is to attract investors via many funding rounds or attending pitch competition to get money and reputation. Then, after they reach a certain level, they are ready to exit, which is where entrepreneurs become rich when startups going public or being acquired by some big company.

Scale up (phrasal verb) to make something larger in size, amount etc than it used to be

Tactic (noun) A plan or action for achieving a goal; a maneuver

Go public (phrase) the act or process of a company selling stock in itself when it moves from private ownership to public trade.

Proliferate (verb) to increase or spread at a rapid rate

Merger and acquisition (phrase) the buying, selling, dividing and combining of different companies and similar entities that can help an enterprise grow rapidly in its sector or location of origin

Pitch competition (phrase) seminars created for entrepreneurs with new business ideas who are in need of seed money

5. Should big companies donate more to charities?

Undoubtedly. As a part of corporate social responsibilities, profitable companies should be encouraged to contribute more to social development as well as human well-beings. Such activities not only greatly benefit the community but also enhance the company’s image and values. Some common ways to join hands in charitable acts that big companies can consider are sponsoring for several events about social and environmental issues, raising awareness of gender equality or the importance of education and so on. Additionally, these humanitarian aids might also help bonding employees through meaningful charity trips.

Corporate social responsibilities (phrase) the belief that a company should consider the social and environmental effects of its activities on its employees and the community around it

6. Should big companies be punished more seriously if they break the law?

Since large corporates have larger budgets and a whole legal department, they should know better than contravening the law. As a result, should any illegitimate act be conducted, such companies need to receive strict punishments, either financially or with business-related fines. There might be possibilities that employees of these companies will be badly affected by the fines imposed, therefore, it’s worth carrying out in-depth investigations to hold the right people accountable for the misconducts.

Contravene (verb) to do something that is not allowed by a rule, law, or agreement

Illegitimate (adj) not allowed by the rules or laws; illegal