15 Phrases Entry-Level Employees Should Know
Orig. Published 2/27/2015
Whether you are an intern or an entry-level employee, starting a new position in a company can be an exciting and nerve racking experience. Taking the leap into the corporate sphere comes with a new set of rules, dress codes, traditions and language. While becoming aquatinted with corporate culture can be a daunting task, knowing these simple and easy phrases will help make your transition to the office a smooth one. Just sprinkle a few of these into your conversations and emails your first week on the job and you are sure to sound like a pro.
15 Phrases Every Entry-Level Employee Should Know

EOD — End of the day
COB — Close of business
EOW — End of the week
EONW — End of next week
OOO/OOTO — Out of the office
SWOT — (Also referred to as a SWOT analysis or SWOT matrix) An analysis performed to assess one’s strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats related to entering a new project, line of business or market.
SMART — An acronym used as a guide to set objectives and goals. It is typically used by management, but can be helpful to entry-employees to focus on creating their path in the workplace. The acronym represents the following:
- Specific — What exactly do I want to achieve?
- Measurable — How will I measure my progress or success?
- Achievable — Can I reach this goal?
- Realistic — Is it reasonable?
- Time-related — I will achieve my goal by…
Brand — The story that surrounds you, a product or company that helps customers and/or colleagues identify you, or it, from the others in the same field. It is constructed through strongly unique aesthetics, i.e. imagery, content production, presence and voice, as well as product or service offerings.
Wheelhouse — An area of interest or expertise, e.g. “That’s not really in my wheelhouse. You may want to consult with Karen.”
Bandwidth — Availability, time or space to do something, e.g. “Do you have the bandwidth to complete the Fredrickson project?”

Bottom-line — The net income or earnings for a company. It can also refer to the main point of a conversation, e.g. “The bottom-line is that we have to acquire Pepsi as a client to reach our billings next quarter.”
Double bottom-line — Extends the idea of the “bottom-line” (refer to above) to include qualitative measures of profit or loss, i.e. the social and environmental impact of an organization or company.
Pipeline — Items typically covered in meeting agendas and projects to come. e.g. “So, this is what is in the pipeline this week…”
Deliverables — Completed assignments/tasks that are due to your boss or team.
Synergy — The combined efforts of individuals on a project or team that results in something greater than if these individuals had worked alone.