Practice using “Should” to give advice, look at examples from an interview about finding the perfect job, and then see how much you understood by taking a short quiz.

Does the perfect job exist?

The idea that finding the “perfect job” that will give your life meaning and make it complete has been around for the past few decades. Simone Stolzoff has studied this topic, and through his research, he has found that there can be negative consequences of making work the most important aspect of our identities. In addition, he contrasts how jobs were viewed in the past with how they are seen today. First, let’s practice using “should” to give advice and state expectations. Then we will look at examples from his interview.

Before we look at examples from the interview about finding the perfect job, let’s start with the basics.

How do you give advice?

You can use these modal verbs to give advice, make a suggestion or recommendation, or state an expectation.

(Should) + (Simple Verb)

Should go

(Ought to)

Ought to study

(Could) + (Simple Verb)

Could leave

(Might want to)

Might want to work

Take a look at this advice for Yui. What else do you recommend?

Yui works 50-60 hours a week for a tech company. She invests so much time and energy at her job that she has little time left for hobbies, relaxation, and spending time with friends and family. Use “should” and “ought to” to give Yui advice.

Modal +simple form	Sentence	Meaning
Should + take	Yui should take more time off of work.	advice, a good idea, a recommendation
Ought to + start	She ought to start a new hobby.	advice, a good idea, a recommendation (Ought to is pronounced “otta” in informal speech)
Should + have	You should have 30 vacation days available, Yui. So you definitely ought to use them!	We expect or think she has 30 vacation days.
Ought to +be	She ought to be refreshed after her time off.	We expect that she’ll feel better and refreshed. (Ought to is pronounced “otta” in informal speech)

Modal Tips and Other Tricks

1. Notice that the modal does not change based on the subject. Look at the example below.

Incorrect: She shoulds find some new hobbies.

Correct: She should find some new hobbies.

2. The modal “ought” always includes “to” ( to go, to have, to study, to learn). Look at the example below.

Incorrect: She ought go to the training tomorrow.

Correct: She ought to go to the training tomorrow.

3. When talking about advice, you can use the verb (advise) or the noun (advice). The noun form is non-count, so it doesn’t take the plural form.

Incorrect: I need some advices on how to write an effective cover letter.

Correct: I need some advice on how to write an effective cover letter.

Incorrect: She gave me an advice about how to ask my boss for a raise.

Correct: She gave me a good piece of advice about how to ask my boss for a raise.

Now let’s make our advice sound nicer! Use the following words to soften your advice

• Might want to
• Maybe
• Could
• I think

Justin is a video editor for a film and production company. He hasn’t gotten a lot of sleep lately because of his demanding work schedule and deadlines. After working at this company for three years he is stressed and burnt out. Give him some advice, but make it a little softer since he is in a tough situation.

Might want to	Justin, you might want to take some time off.
Maybe	Maybe you should talk to a therapist to learn some effective strategies for a healthy work/life balance.
could	You could take a mental health day to catch up on sleep.
I think	I think you should look for a new job. This one is too demanding.

Next, let’s practice the negative forms of these modals.

(Should + not)/ (Shouldn’t)

(Might not want to)

What shouldn’t you doing during a job interview?

• You shouldn’t give false information about yourself during a job interview.

• You should not be late for a job interview!
• You shouldn’t dress inappropriately. Make sure to wear professional attire.

• You might not want to speak negatively about your current or past employers.

Finally, look at these examples from Simone Stolzoff’s interview about finding the perfect job.

In the sentences below, “should” is being used as an expectation, or norm of how things should be.

The modal should + simple verb is highlighted.

1. “There’s this narrative that we should keep searching and never settle. And if your job isn’t perfect, then there’s something wrong and you should keep looking for a new one. And it creates massive expectations and also is dangerous.”
2. “But the book argues that the concept that our job should be the main characters in our lives is actually quite new. In fact, it’s only been around for a generation or so.”
3. “And then my generation, you know, I’m probably smack in the middle of the millennial generation, we were raised with certain scripts that jobs should be callings, jobs should be something where that you can find that you can do what you love. And so I think a lot of people among my peer group have been searching for work as a means of self-actualization as a way to make themselves whole and looking for a vocational soulmate that can deliver on that promise. And I think it actually sets us up for a lot of disappointment.”
   

Based on these quotations, what points do you think the speaker is making about finding that “perfect job?”

What do you think?

1. Do you think people should keep searching for the perfect job, or do you think it is okay to settle for a “good-enough” job?
2. How big of a part of your life is your job? Do you think it should be the “main character?” Explain.
3. Did you grow up with the script that a job should be one of the most important things in your life? How is this different than the way past generations viewed work?
4. What is your dream job or career? What advice would you give to someone who is looking for their dream job?

Got it? Now practice using the present perfect in this short quiz.

Quiz Maker – powered by Riddle

Great job! Keep on improving those grammar skills!

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Sources

Dr. Laurie Santos, host. “Stop Looking for the Perfect Job – a “Good Enough Job” is Just Fine.” The Happiness Lab, Pushkin, 22 Jan. 2023,

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stop-looking-for-the-perfect-job-a-good-enough-job/id1474245040?i=1000595961715