EnglishPod

The Office - Job Interview II #E0062

A: Thanks for coming in today, did you have any trouble finding us? Please take a seat.

B: Thank you.

A: So, let’s get started; tell me a bit about your educational background.

B: Sure! Well, I graduated with honors from Chesterton University with a major in Business Administration, with a specialization in Information Management, and I minored in psychology. I chose this course of study for two reasons: I wanted to gain some practical, marketable skills, which the information management track provided, and I also feel that interpersonal skills are essential for professional success, hence the minor in psychology.

A: Interesting. And, your postgraduate studies?

B: Well, I am really passionate about consumer behavior, so I pursued a master’s in that area. I also strive to keep my professional skills current, so I continuously attend seminars and conferences related management and customer service.

A: Very good. Now, tell me a little bit about your work experience. I see here that you previously worked at Oracle.

B: Yeah, I worked as their customer support manager, which brought me a breadth of experience in both client care, and process management. I supervised and coordinated the customer support team as well as implemented new strategies to achieve better customer satisfaction.

A: Interesting...

B: Yes, in this position I was able to make some pretty significant contributions to the overall success of the company. With the different initiatives that we implemented, we lowered our churn rate to about five percent, which had a direct impact on revenue.

Key Vocabulary

educational background - the history of the education you’ve had

with honors - with special recognition for receiving very high marks

major - the main field of study in an undergraduate degree

specialization - a limited area of study

minor - to have a secondary area of study in an undergraduate program

course of study - the combination of courses taken in a degree program

track - course of study

postgraduate - masters or Ph.D; education above the bachelor’s degree level

hence - for that reason

pursue - try to do something over a longer period of time

strive - try hard to do something

breadth - a wide range or scope of something

significant - important and large enough to have a noticeable effect

contribution - adding or giving something

Supplementary Vocabulary

tertiary education - university education

take initiative - take the chance to do something before others do

distinguish - make something different in a special way

attribute - a good quality or feature that someone has

scrutinize - examine something in a careful and critical way