Business Vocabulary: Departments, Roles, Skills, and Work Schedules

Vocabulary flashcards derived from lecture notes covering company departments, job titles and roles, workplace skills, and employment terms.

Human Resources (HR)

Manages recruitment, training and employee relations

Finance

Handles budgeting, payroll and financial planning

Marketing

Promotes products or services to customers

Sales

Responsible for selling the company's products/services

Customer service

Assist customers with inquiries or complaints

Research and development (R&D)

Develops new products or services.

Operations

Overseas day-to-day business activities

IT (information technology)

Manages computers, networks and software

Legal

Deals with contracts and compliance with the law

Procurement / purchasing

Purchases goods and services for the company

Export

Sell goods or services to another country

Import

To bring goods into a country from abroad

Manufacturing and production

Process of making goods and or services

Shipping

Preparing goods for shipments (packaging, labeling, arranging, coordinating tracking, confirming deliveries….)

Technical support

Troubleshooting hardware/software issues. Assisting customers or employees with technical problems. Installing and configuring systems or applications…

CEO (chief executive officer)

PDG

CFO (chief financial officer)

Directeur financier

Board member

A person who helps oversee an organization and makes decisions

Head of department

Chef de service

Executive

High level manager or decision maker

Office manager

Organizes day to day operations of an office

Floor manager

Supervises employees and daily activities

Intern

A temporary trainee often is student or recent graduate

Clerc, clerical worker

Office worker

Maintenance crew

Carries out repairs, cleaning, upkeep of buildings, equipment…

PA (personal assistant)

Supports a manager or team with administrative tasks

Engineer

Designs or builds products or systems.

Accountant

Manages financial records and tax reporting

Consultant

Provides expert advice to businesses

Temp / temporary worker

A person employed for a short period of time

Job seeker / job hunter

A person who is actively looking for a job

Contractor

Self employed worker a company hires for a specific job

Security guard

A person whose job is to protect people, buildings, or property.

Sales rep, sales person

Sells products, assists customers

Technician

Handles technical or mechanical tasks

Receptionist

Greets visitors and answers phones

Project manager

Plans and overseas specific projects

Recruitment

The process of hiring new employees. Training teaching employees' new skills.

Negotiation

Discussing to reach an agreement

Budgeting

Planning how to spend money

Scheduling

Organizing times for tasks or meetings.

Reporting

Giving updates or data about performance

Supervising

Overseeing work and ensuring tasks are done

Networking

Building relationships with others in business.

Auditing

Checking financial or operational accuracy

Brainstorming

Generating creative ideas in a group

Full-time job

A job where you work the normal number of hours each week, usually about 35-40.

Permanent job

A job that has no fixed end date and is intended to continue for a long time.

Flextime

A work schedule where you can choose when to start and finish work, within certain hours.

Work in shifts

A job where you work at different times of the day or night, depending on your schedule.

Part-time job

A job where you work fewer hours than a full-time job.

Temporary job

A job that lasts for a limited period of time.

Overtime

Extra hours you work beyond your normal working hours, often for extra pay.

Teleworking

Work from home