Phrasal verbs like "follow up" and "figure out" are everywhere in interviews and the workplace. Learn what they really mean — in plain English.
Contact someone again after an initial conversation
In an interview:
"I'll follow up with you by Friday about next steps."
At work:
"Can you follow up with the client about the invoice?"
Mention or introduce a topic in conversation
In an interview:
"Feel free to bring up any questions during the interview."
At work:
"I'd like to bring up the budget at our next meeting."
Review or examine something in detail
In an interview:
"Let me go over your resume with you."
At work:
"We need to go over the report before submitting it."
Find a solution or understand something
In an interview:
"Tell me about a time you had to figure out a complex problem."
At work:
"I need to figure out why the system is down."
Be noticeably better or different from others
In an interview:
"What makes you stand out from other candidates?"
At work:
"Her presentation really stood out at the conference."
Accept a responsibility or challenge
In an interview:
"I took on the project when my manager was on leave."
At work:
"Are you ready to take on more responsibility?"
Complete or perform a task
In an interview:
"How do you carry out quality checks in your work?"
At work:
"The team carried out the migration over the weekend."
Find something unexpectedly, OR how you appear to others
In an interview:
"You come across as very confident. (= You seem confident.)"
At work:
"I came across an interesting article about our industry."
Investigate or research something
In an interview:
"I looked into the company's recent projects before this interview."
At work:
"Can you look into why sales dropped last quarter?"
Draw attention to something, often a problem or detail
In an interview:
"I'd like to point out that I increased sales by 30%."
At work:
"My colleague pointed out an error in the report."
Respond to someone later
In an interview:
"We'll get back to you within a week about the decision."
At work:
"Let me get back to you on that after I check the data."
Arrange or organise something
In an interview:
"I'll set up a second interview with the hiring manager."
At work:
"Can you set up a meeting for next Tuesday?"
Stay informed about or maintain the same pace as
In an interview:
"How do you keep up with changes in your industry?"
At work:
"It's hard to keep up with all the new regulations."
Find a solution or succeed
In an interview:
"Tell me about a time things didn't work out as planned."
At work:
"We need to work out the budget for next quarter."
Encounter a problem unexpectedly
In an interview:
"What challenges did you run into during the project?"
At work:
"We ran into some issues with the new software."
Contact someone, usually for the first time or after a break
In an interview:
"Thank you for reaching out about the position."
At work:
"I'm reaching out to discuss a possible partnership."
Create or compile something from multiple parts
In an interview:
"I put together a portfolio of my best work."
At work:
"Can you put together a summary of this week's progress?"
Complete a form or give someone information they're missing
In an interview:
"Please fill in the application form before the interview."
At work:
"Can you fill me in on what happened at the meeting?"
Finish or conclude
In an interview:
"Before we wrap up, do you have any questions?"
At work:
"Let's wrap up the meeting — we're running over time."
Have a brief conversation to share updates
In an interview:
"Let's touch base next week about the offer."
At work:
"I'll touch base with the design team before our deadline."
Give your opinion on something
In an interview:
"We'd love for you to weigh in on our current strategy."
At work:
"Would you like to weigh in on this decision?"
Return to a topic or discuss it again later
In an interview:
"Let's circle back to your experience with project management."
At work:
"We'll circle back on the pricing discussion next week."
Check your interview readiness for free
These pages describe what interviewers commonly look for. They cannot tell you what a specific interviewer decided, and nothing here guarantees an interview, an offer or a visa. Practising is preparation — it shows you what to fix next.