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Specialized Track · Career · Reference

Vocabulary Bank: Business Administration

60 words and 52 real workplace phrases for this specialization, organized by topic. Tap the speaker icon to hear the pronunciation. Use this as a reference alongside your lessons — it's not graded.

Human ResourcesOffice OperationsManagement & StrategyProfessional Self-PresentationHiring & HROffice CoordinationManagement TalkMeetings & ReportsTalking About Your Career

Human Resources

Hiring, onboarding, and employee relations.

candidate
a person applying for a job
candidato/a
resume / CV
a document summarizing a person's work history
currículum (CV)
interview
a formal meeting to evaluate a candidate
entrevista
job offer
a formal proposal of employment
oferta de trabajo
onboarding
the process of integrating a new employee
incorporación de personal
payroll
the process of paying employees
nómina
benefits
extra advantages like insurance or paid leave
prestaciones
performance review
a formal evaluation of an employee's work
evaluación de desempeño
termination
the ending of someone's employment
despido, terminación
policy
an official rule followed by a company
política (empresarial)
compliance
following labor laws and company rules
cumplimiento normativo
recruitment
the process of finding and hiring new employees
reclutamiento
turnover
the rate at which employees leave a company
rotación de personal
headcount
the total number of employees
número de empleados
promotion
a move to a higher position
ascenso
probation period
a trial period for a new employee
período de prueba
grievance
a formal complaint by an employee
queja formal
severance
payment given to an employee who is let go
indemnización por despido
workplace culture
the shared values and behavior at work
cultura laboral
employee handbook
a document outlining company policies
manual del empleado

Office Operations

Running the day-to-day office.

supplies
materials needed for office work
insumos, suministros
filing system
a method for organizing documents
sistema de archivo
inventory
a list of items a business has in stock
inventario
procurement
the process of obtaining goods or services
adquisiciones
vendor
a company that supplies goods or services
proveedor
invoice
a document requesting payment
factura
purchase order
a document confirming an order for goods
orden de compra
workflow
the sequence of steps in a work process
flujo de trabajo
scheduling
planning when tasks or events will happen
programación (de horarios)
correspondence
written communication, like letters or emails
correspondencia
archive
a place where old records are stored
archivo (histórico)
data entry
the process of entering information into a system
captura de datos
spreadsheet
a document used to organize data in rows and columns
hoja de cálculo
database
a system that stores and organizes information
base de datos
confidentiality
keeping information private
confidencialidad
liaison
a person who coordinates between groups
enlace (persona de contacto)
logistics
the planning and movement of goods or people
logística
facilities
the physical spaces and equipment of an office
instalaciones
compliance audit
a review to confirm rules are being followed
auditoría de cumplimiento
standard operating procedure
a set process followed for a task
procedimiento operativo estándar

Management & Strategy

Planning, leading, and organizing.

delegate
to assign a task to someone else
delegar
KPI
a measurable value used to track performance
indicador clave de desempeño
workflow optimization
improving how tasks are completed
optimización de procesos
restructuring
reorganizing a company's structure
reestructuración
cross-functional team
a team with members from different departments
equipo multidisciplinario
succession planning
preparing future leaders for key roles
planificación de sucesión
change management
guiding an organization through change
gestión del cambio
stakeholder
a person interested in or affected by a decision
parte interesada
governance
the system of rules guiding an organization
gobernanza
accountability
being responsible for results
rendición de cuentas

Professional Self-Presentation

Vocabulary for interviews, self-presentation, and professional advocacy.

expertise
specialized knowledge and skill in a particular area
experiencia especializada, pericia
track record
a history of past achievements and performance
historial de logros
responsibilities
the duties and tasks someone is expected to handle
responsabilidades
qualifications
the skills, degrees, or experience that make someone suitable for a role
calificaciones, requisitos
strengths
the skills or qualities someone is particularly good at
fortalezas
professional growth
the ongoing development of one's skills and career
crecimiento profesional
career goals
the specific things someone wants to achieve professionally
metas profesionales
achievement
something successfully accomplished
logro
contribution
something someone adds or gives to a project or team
contribución, aporte
credentials
official qualifications or proof of expertise
credenciales

Hiring & HR

Everyday HR conversation.

fill a position
"We're trying to fill the position by next month."
cubrir una vacante
put in a request
"I put in a request for time off next week."
hacer una solicitud
report to
"The new intern reports to the marketing manager."
reportar a (un superior)
cover for someone
"Can you cover for me while I'm out sick?"
cubrir a alguien (en su ausencia)
set up a meeting
"Let's set up a meeting with HR this week."
organizar una reunión
follow company policy
"All employees must follow company policy."
seguir la política de la empresa
hand in
"Please hand in your timesheet by Friday."
entregar (un documento)
get up to speed
"It took her a week to get up to speed."
ponerse al día
go through onboarding
"New hires go through onboarding on their first day."
pasar por el proceso de incorporación
conduct an interview
"The manager will conduct the interview tomorrow."
realizar una entrevista

Office Coordination

Managing schedules and resources.

run out of supplies
"We ran out of printer paper again."
quedarse sin insumos
order more stock
"Can you order more stock before Friday?"
pedir más existencias
book a meeting room
"I'll book a meeting room for 2 p.m."
reservar una sala de reuniones
update the schedule
"Please update the schedule with the new dates."
actualizar el horario
file a document
"Can you file this document under 'Contracts'?"
archivar un documento
process an invoice
"Finance will process the invoice this week."
procesar una factura
keep records up to date
"It's important to keep records up to date."
mantener los registros actualizados
streamline the process
"We streamlined the process to save time."
agilizar el proceso
follow up with a vendor
"I need to follow up with the vendor about delivery."
dar seguimiento a un proveedor
handle the logistics
"She's handling the logistics for the event."
encargarse de la logística

Management Talk

Expressions used by coordinators and managers.

keep everyone in the loop
"Please keep everyone in the loop about the schedule change."
mantener a todos informados
take ownership of
"She took ownership of the new onboarding process."
hacerse responsable de
bring someone up to speed
"Can you bring the new hire up to speed?"
poner a alguien al día
on track
"The restructuring plan is still on track."
según lo planeado
allocate resources
"We need to allocate resources more evenly."
asignar recursos
streamline operations
"The merger will help streamline operations."
agilizar las operaciones
build consensus
"It took time to build consensus among the team."
construir consenso
drive change
"She was hired to drive change across departments."
impulsar el cambio
empower the team
"Good leaders empower their teams to decide."
empoderar al equipo
hold people accountable
"Managers must hold people accountable."
hacer que la gente rinda cuentas

Meetings & Reports

Everyday admin meeting language.

give a status update
"Can you give a status update on the project?"
dar una actualización de estado
attach the report
"I've attached the report to this email."
adjuntar el informe
circulate the agenda
"Please circulate the agenda before the meeting."
circular la agenda
take the minutes
"Who's taking the minutes for this meeting?"
tomar la minuta
follow up in writing
"I'll follow up in writing after the call."
dar seguimiento por escrito
finalize the details
"Let's finalize the details before Friday."
finalizar los detalles
get sign-off
"We need sign-off from the director first."
obtener la aprobación
escalate an issue
"I had to escalate the issue to my manager."
escalar un problema
close the loop
"Let's close the loop with the client today."
cerrar el ciclo (concluir un asunto)
action the feedback
"We'll action the feedback from the review."
actuar sobre la retroalimentación

Talking About Your Career

Common expressions to describe your role, strengths, and goals.

I'm responsible for
"I'm responsible for office and HR operations across the business administration department."
soy responsable de
My main strength is
"My main strength is problem-solving under pressure."
mi mayor fortaleza es
I specialize in
"I specialize in business administration."
me especializo en
What I bring to the table is
"What I bring to the table is years of hands-on experience."
lo que aporto es
I've had a lot of success with
"I've had a lot of success with cross-team projects."
he tenido mucho éxito con
One of my proudest achievements was
"One of my proudest achievements was leading that project to completion."
uno de mis logros más importantes fue
I'm passionate about
"I'm passionate about business administration."
me apasiona
I'd like to grow into
"I'd like to grow into a leadership role."
me gustaría crecer hacia
I stay up to date by
"I stay up to date by reading industry publications."
me mantengo actualizado/a
In my experience,
"In my experience, clear communication solves most problems."
en mi experiencia,
I work well under pressure
"I work well under pressure and tight deadlines."
trabajo bien bajo presión
I'm a quick learner
"I'm a quick learner and adapt easily to new systems."
aprendo rápido