Describe a workaholic person you know.
You should say:
- Who this person is
- What the job or profession of this person is
- How you know about this person
And explain how you think this person feels about his/her job.
Sample Response 1
“We live in an odd world where some individuals have it easy and have absolutely nothing to worry about, while others are burdened with numerous chores and responsibilities. Of course, not everyone is meant or programmed to carry such enormous duties, but those that do deserve our appreciation and applause. Today, I’d like to discuss with you one of the most workaholic people I know.
My eldest cousin is the individual I’m referring to. He is a medical doctor. Being a medical doctor is a tremendous duty in and of itself because he needs to treat a number of patients on a regular basis. Some of them are critically ill. He is also an elected public figure in our local city government, which requires him to meet with a large number of individuals on a regular basis to discuss concerns and problems that impact our community. You can’t help but compare him with a “superhuman” when you consider the amount of work he does every day. In addition, he also has to administer an orphanage of about 200 tiny children, taking care of their food, education, and health issues on a daily basis.
Anyway, I’m not sure how my cousin manages to juggle so many duties at the same time. Then I realized he has an uncanny ability to organize his time. Furthermore, I believe that, as a medical practitioner, he just understands how to stay physically and psychologically fit at all times.”
Follow-up Question 1
Why do you think other people tend to have more than one job at a time?
Response:
“I think there are various reasons why there are people who take more than one job. For one, I believe that they want to earn more money. Another reason why I think they do this is to grow more as a person and develop more skills. Lastly, I think there are those who get bored with having just one job so they want to break away from it from time to time.”
Follow-up Question 2
For you, which is the most important factor when accepting a job offer: salary, work environment, or the brand or company’s name?
Response:
“I would have to say work environment. I believe I can perform at my best if I am working at a place where I like the people I’m working with. I feel like everything else will fall into place if there is a harmonious relationship among employees.”
Sample Response 2
“My father is the most workaholic individual I’d ever known. My paternal grandparents were both farm laborers, so my father had grown up performing physical labor. He worked in a Carmelite-run hospital in his hometown from his teenage years until his early twenties, and one of the Carmelite priests financed his high school and vocational schooling. He ultimately found work as a mechanic and driver in a nearby sugar factory, where my brothers and I grew up.
When my father isn’t working, he is either doing other tasks to supplement his money or tinkering with something. He doesn’t spend a lot of time doing nothing. He is a spatial thinker who could figure out how anything was built just by looking at it once. My father used to do carpentry when I was younger. In fact, he constructed our house with only one or two carpenters each time. He also does upholstery for others as well as for us. While he was working, he was hired by his sugar factory boss to reupholster all of the chairs in the trailer trucks that transport sugar cane and refined sugar. After work and even on weekends, he worked on the upholstery.
Even though he didn’t have to, my father worked. When my 60-year-old father received huge job orders from his former firm, he would begin sewing the tarpaulins at 8:30 AM. and work until 2:00 AM! My father’s former employer was distraught when he got sick a few months ago and needed to stop working because he couldn’t locate an upholsterer as good as my father. For his work ethic, my father’s ex-boss holds him in high regard.”
Follow-up Question 1
What do you consider the best way to unwind after a long day at work?
Response:
“Well, I think that we all deal with exhaustion differently. Some would rather rest and sleep to replenish their energy, while some treat themselves. I am one of those who prefer to pamper myself after a tiring day at work. I do that by eating at my favorite restaurant.”
Follow-up Question 2
How do you think employers should reward the hard work of their employees?
Response:
“In my opinion, one of the best ways that employers can reward their hardworking employees is to give them incentives. These incentives can come in many forms. It could be cash incentives, paid trips, or gifts. There are lots of incentives they can give employees. I know that employees are paid to do their job, but as an employee myself, it’s a nice feeling when the people you work for recognize your efforts.”
Vocabulary List
Below are some words from the sample responses for the cue card topic ‘Describe a workaholic person you know.’ with their definitions and example sentences to guide you.
| Word | Part of Speech | Definition | Example Usage of the Word in a Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| applause | noun | Praise or approval expressed by clapping | “The audience erupted in applause as she performed her acrobatics.” |
| burden | verb | To cause someone pain or anguish | “Why do you burden yourself looking after your sister’s dog?” |
| chore | noun | A mundane task, especially one that is performed in the home | “Doing the grocery shopping every day is such a chore!” |
| critically | adverb | To a dangerous degree, with the possibility of death | “He’s in intensive care because he’s critically ill.” |
| distraught | adjective | Disturbed and agitated | “They were distraught when they learned of his accident.” |
| enormous | adjective | Massive in size, volume, or scope | “The master bedroom is enormous.” |
| finance | verb | To give funds for | “The majority of the money from the fund has financed the construction of federal prisons.” |
| impact | verb | To have a strong influence on something or someone | “Companies are beginning to experience the full impact of the economic downturn.” |
| juggle | verb | To be successful at organizing your life so that you can devote time to two or more different pursuits or groups of individuals | “Juggling children and a profession can be difficult for many parents.” |
| psychologically | adverb | In a way that influences the mind or has something to do with a person’s emotional state | “Those hard days are behind him, and he is psychologically stronger as a result.” |
| spatial | adjective | Pertaining to the size, shape, and location of things | “Routine work squandered his hand dexterity and fine spatial skills.” |
| supplement | verb | To add a new element or a different amount to | “Every Monday, the newspaper provides a sports supplement.” |
| tinker | verb | To fix or try to improve something in a hasty or ineffective manner, typically to no avail | “Give my brother an old motorcycle to tinker with, and he’ll be content for the rest of the day.” |
| uncanny | adjective | Weird or enigmatic, especially in a disturbing way | “The castle looked to be emitting an uncanny glow.” |
| workaholic | adjective | A person who works long and hard hours on a regular basis | “He is a self-described workaholic and can’t recall the last time he took a vacation.” |