Episode 0062

Hello English learners, welcome back to English Pod. My name is Marco.

And I'm Erica.

And today we're going to be bringing you the second part of our job interview series.

That's right. So this is an advanced lesson and we're going to be talking about educational background and experience.

Right. So in the first part, we saw preparing for a job interview. Now we are at the job interview and we're just going to be talking about your educational background and your job experience.

That's right. And the language we're going to learn is going to focus mostly on these two areas.

Okay, perfect. So, let's take a look at some of the difficult words before we listen to the dialogue in vocabulary preview.

Vocabulary preview.

All right, so we're going to talk about a few common words that have to do with education.

Now, the first word we I think we we might know this one, but there's a little trick to it. So, the first one is major.

Major.

Major.

So, yeah, I guess everyone knows what a major is, right?

Yeah, it's the the main subject that you study in university.

Right. So, you can study business as a major or

History.

Exactly.

So, but you can also use it as a verb, right?

That's right. I majored in history.

Majored in. So, usually it's followed by the preposition in.

Yes, always, in fact.

When used as a verb, I majored in science.

I majored in business.

Yes.

Okay, so you can say my major is business administration or history or you can say I majored in business.

Yeah, and the same pattern applies to minor.

Okay, so minor, this is really interesting because this is more common in English-speaking countries, right?

That's right.

So what exactly is a minor?

Okay.

So, if you major in history, maybe 60% of your classes are in history and you minor in French, maybe 30 or 40% of your classes are in French.

So basically, you can have two subjects in your degree. You can have a major in business with a minor in art.

Okay, that's interesting.

Mm-hmm.

All right, and another two simple words: a bachelor's degree.

Bachelor's degree. Okay.

A bachelor's degree is what you get after going to university for four years.

Okay. So a bachelor's degree, after four years, you get that.

Yeah. After that, you get a master's degree.

Right.

So, that's another two years after your bachelor's degree.

Okay. And I guess a master's is more focused on an area, right?

Yes, more specialized.

More specialized.

And then the highest degree you can get is a PhD.

Exactly.

Which is a philosophy doctorate, right?

Uh-huh. But you're not actually getting a degree in philosophy. No.

It could be in um international relations.

Okay.

But this is really hard to get. You have to go to school for another five or six years, right?

Yeah.

And it's a lot of research and not many people have it.

Yeah.

Anyway, some simple words um but you know what it's it's quite unique to the English-speaking world, this system. So we thought we'd bring it to you now.

Right, perfect.

So now let's listen to this guy who is at an interview and uh he's going to be talking about his education and work experience.

Sound of door opening, shuffling, chair pulling

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

Thank you.

Well, let's get started. Tell me a bit about your educational background.

Sure, well, I graduated with honors from Chester 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 the interpersonal skills are essential for professional success. Hence the minor in psychology.

Interesting. And your post-graduate studies?

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 to management and customer service.

Sound of a cough

Uh, very good.

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

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.

Sound of a sigh

Interesting.

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 5%, which had a direct impact on revenue.

Well, those are some pretty good answers uh to those questions, but I don't know, Marco.

Exactly.

But what is really interesting is some of the language he used to describe his educational background and work experience. So let's look at that now in language takeaway.

Language takeaway.

Okay, so in language takeaway today, we have seven words that we want to focus on. Before we give you some tips about doing well on a job interview.

So let's take a look at the first word.

Course of study.

Course of study.

Course of study.

A course of study.

So, what is a course of study exactly?

Basically, it's like a plan of study, or a path of study.

Okay. So his course of study was business administration.

Exactly. So that is his course of study. Mm-hmm.

Now let's take a look at our second word.

Track.

Track.

Track.

So he said he wanted to gain some practical, markable skills that the information management track provided.

Exactly.

So, what does he mean by this track?

Again, basically if the track of study is is like the path of study.

So the direction of your study.

Okay, so I guess it would be like think of a train and the train tracks, right? Where the train travels. So that's where it's taking you. That's the path that he followed or you should follow or you want to follow.

Yes.

Okay, that's pretty interesting.

Mm-hmm.

Now let's take a look at our third word, and it's a really nice conjunction: hence.

Hence.

Hence.

H-E-N-C-E. Hence.

Hence. So it sounds fancy, but yes what what does it mean?

simple. So, therefore.

Yeah. Right.

So you can use it as a conjunction between two ideas.

So he said, what would be an example of how you could use hence?

You could say, the economy is doing poorly, hence people are losing their jobs.

Okay. Hence, so, therefore, in consequence, so.

Exactly.

But it just sounds a lot more like professional. Formal.

Yeah.

Okay. So, try and use this uh conjunction hence, right? Instead of saying so, therefore, yeah, use it.

Okay, our fourth word.

Pursued.

Pursued.

He pursued a master's.

Okay. So, to pursue.

To chase after something.

So you can pursue a master's degree like he did.

Yes, you can pursue a promotion.

A dream.

Nice one.

Can you pursue a girl?

Yes, you can.

Alright, so pursue to chase.

Yes.

Okay.

Now let's look at our next word: strive.

Another great word you can use in talking about your experience. To strive is to try really hard.

To try really hard.

Okay, so I know we have some examples for strive.

Yeah, let's take a listen.

Example one.

At our company, we are always striving to improve our services.

Example two.

He really strived to get a new job and his work paid off.

Yeah.

Alright.

Breadth.

Breadth.

So it's kind of like saying bread, but adding a TH at the end.

Yeah. Breadth.

Breadth of experience.

Okay. So, so this basically means it's wide.

Exactly. So when you have a great breadth of experience, you have a wide variety of experience.

Okay, so maybe in different fields or in different jobs. So you can have experience like in marketing and in a little bit in finance and a little bit in management.

Yes, a breadth of experience.

Alright.

Alright, and now for the last word, it's actually three in one.

A three in one deal.

A three in one deal. That actually they are very related.

Okay.

Right?

So, when he talked about his work experience, he was saying he he supervised and coordinated the customer support team.

Okay, so he watched over, right? And made things work together well.

To coordinate.

Yes.

So, these are really great verbs that you can use when you're talking about your job responsibilities.

Yes.

I supervised.

I coordinated.

Mhm. And he used another really great one that said to implement.

To implement. Um to make something happen, to put it in place.

Right? So he implemented new strategies.

Implemented new policies.

Okay. To set in action.

Exactly.

Alright.

So a lot of great vocabulary, a lot of great stuff and well, you can use it for when you are at a job interview.

Mhm.

So let's listen to this dialogue again and when we come back, we're going to give you some tips so you'll do well in this part of the job interview.

Sound of door opening, shuffling, chair pulling

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

Thank you.

Well, let's get started. Tell me a bit about your educational background.

Sure, well, I graduated with honors from Chester 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 the interpersonal skills are essential for professional success. Hence the minor in psychology.

Interesting. And your post-graduate studies?

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 to management and customer service.

Sound of a cough

Uh, very good.

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

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.

Sound of a sigh

Interesting.

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 5%, which had a direct impact on revenue.

All right, well, I want to talk about two main things. Um and the first thing I want to talk about is um how you address this question about your educational background. Like what what is the interviewer looking to find out?

Okay, perfect. So, when you are talking about your educational background, you shouldn't only talk about your college degree, right?

You should also talk about any type of training that you've had.

Yeah, I think it's really important to let the interviewer know that you're continually trying to update your skills, and improve your your knowledge. So any sort of courses or seminars that you might attend, this is a great chance to highlight those.

And that's what the interview is looking for, right?

Also, any any trade publications, any magazines that you read related to your job is is a great way to sort of highlight your desire to keep learning.

Well, I think that's really important because it's good that you went to a good university, you got this degree and everything, but continuously training yourself and maybe just by listening to business podcasts or or reading specific magazines or stuff like that. That that is demonstrating that you care about what you do and that you are continuously learning, right?

Exactly.

Okay, so those are the main things to talk about in your educational background.

Now when this work experience question pops up, what should you really say?

When you're answering this question, I think there's something really important to keep in mind.

What's that?

You want to make sure that you're being as specific as possible, right?

Right. So giving examples of what you've done.

Like really specifically what you did. All of the sort of the main achievements you have.

Okay, so like for example, we saw in our dialogue that he talked about specific strategies that he implemented to improve customer support in that company.

Right, and he then he gave some numbers.

Right? He said, yeah, he lowered the churn rate to about 5%.

So it's so important whenever you can attach a number to to your success or your achievement to be able to do that in the interview, um really really demonstrates your achievement.

Mhm. Yeah, I think that's really important.

And another thing when you're talking about previous jobs is make sure you keep it on a positive. Yeah, right? Even if your experience was not very good or you didn't like the company or you know, you had problems, you should avoid talking about that and always keep it on a positive note.

Right, so if the interviewer asks you why you why why you want to join this company, why you're looking to leave your your current job, you you want to give these positive reasons.

Right? You don't want to say, well, because my boss was a jerk or or I didn't like the company anymore.

You know, you should answer it with something positive like, well, I think I need a change or this job opportunity is more aligned with what I want to do in the future, etcetera.

Yeah, so positive always on your interviews and just again, prepare for these questions that are always going to be there.

Yes.

So, Erica, I know that you've done a lot of interviews and I understand that you've had a really weird question.

Yes. In an interview, I once got this question.

If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?

Really?

Yeah, I'm not kidding. I really was asked that question.

What did you answer?

Um, I think I said that I would want to be a willow tree because they're really beautiful.

Was that the right answer?

I I don't know, like what are you supposed to answer to that question? I really don't know what the right answer was.

Well, some people, yeah, they'll ask you just, I don't know, random questions just to see what your response is. I think also maybe it's just how you deal with with uh with the pressure or

Or with the unexpected questions.

Right, so it was like, that is pretty unexpected though.

But I guess you handled it pretty well.

All right. Um, I want to know from our listeners, if they were a tree, what kind of tree they would be?

Yeah.

And also tell us about, well, your job experience or your educational background. Uh

Well, I know for example that I've had a lot of different types of jobs. I've even been that person that gets on the bus and charges people the money.

I know. Like.

You've had every job under the sun.

So, but it's great. So tell us what have what's the weirdest job you've had, what's the craziest or the best job or any experiences.

Yes. So visit our website englishpod.com. Leave your questions and comments there on the website.

And we'll definitely be there to answer them, and we hope to see you there.

Thanks for listening and goodbye.

Bye.

The English Pod audio review.

The English Pod audio review.

Listen to the meaning, then say the vocabulary word.

Listen to the meaning, then say the vocabulary word.

The history of the education you've had.

The history of the education you've had.

Educational background.

Educational background.

With special recognition for receiving very high marks.

With special recognition for receiving very high marks.

With honors.

With honors.

The main field of study in an undergraduate degree.

The main field of study in an undergraduate degree.

Major.

Major.

A limited area of study.

A limited area of study.

Specialization.

Specialization.

To have a secondary area of study in an undergraduate program.

To have a secondary area of study in an undergraduate program.

Minor.

Minor.

The combination of courses taken in a degree program.

The combination of courses taken in a degree program.

Course of study.

Course of study.

Course of study.

Course of study.

Track.

Track.

Masters or PhD, education above the bachelor's degree level.

Masters or PhD, education above the bachelor's degree level.

Postgraduate.

Postgraduate.

For that reason.

For that reason.

Hence.

Hence.

Try to do something over a longer period of time.

Try to do something over a longer period of time.

Pursue.

Pursue.

Try hard to do something.

Try hard to do something.

Strive.

Strive.

A wide range or scope of something.

A wide range or scope of something.

Breadth.

Breadth.

Important and large enough to have a noticeable effect.

Important and large enough to have a noticeable effect.

Significant.

Significant.

Adding or giving something.

Adding or giving something.

Contribution.

Contribution.

University education.

University education.

Tertiary education.

Tertiary education.

Take the chance to do something before others do.

Take the chance to do something before others do.

Take initiative.

Take initiative.

Make something different in a special way.

Make something different in a special way.

Distinguish.

Distinguish.

A good quality or feature that someone has.

A good quality or feature that someone has.

Attribute.

Attribute.

Examine something in a careful and critical way.

Examine something in a careful and critical way.

Scrutinize.

Scrutinize.

Take the chance to do something before others do.

Take the chance to do something before others do.

Take initiative.

Take initiative.

A good quality or feature that someone has.

A good quality or feature that someone has.

Attribute.

Attribute.

To have a secondary area of study in an undergraduate program.

To have a secondary area of study in an undergraduate program.

Minor.

Minor.

With special recognition for receiving very high marks.

With special recognition for receiving very high marks.

With honors.

With honors.

The history of the education you've had.

The history of the education you've had.

Educational background.

Educational background.

Try to do something over a longer period of time.

Try to do something over a longer period of time.

Pursue.

Pursue.

Course of study.

Course of study.

Track.

Track.

Masters or PhD, education above the bachelor's degree level.

Masters or PhD, education above the bachelor's degree level.

Postgraduate.

Postgraduate.

For that reason.

For that reason.

Hence.

Hence.

University education.

University education.

Tertiary education.

Tertiary education.

Adding or giving something.

Adding or giving something.

Contribution.

Contribution.

The combination of courses taken in a degree program.

The combination of courses taken in a degree program.

Course of study.

Course of study.

The main field of study in an undergraduate degree.

The main field of study in an undergraduate degree.

Major.

Major.

A limited area of study.

A limited area of study.

Specialization.

Specialization.

Try hard to do something.

Try hard to do something.

Strive.

Strive.

Important and large enough to have a noticeable effect.

Important and large enough to have a noticeable effect.

Significant.

Significant.

Make something different in a special way.

Make something different in a special way.

Distinguish.

Distinguish.

Examine something in a careful and critical way.

Examine something in a careful and critical way.

Scrutinize.

Scrutinize.

A wide range or scope of something.

A wide range or scope of something.

Breadth.

Breadth.

Now say the word and hear it in a sentence.

Now say the word and hear it in a sentence.

Course of study.

Course of study.

I chose this course of study because it offers a wide range of work opportunities.

I chose this course of study because it offers a wide range of work opportunities.

Course of study.

Course of study.

I want to change my course of study before the next semester starts.

I want to change my course of study before the next semester starts.

Course of study.

Course of study.

Pursue.

Pursue.

Pursue.

Pursue.

My mother wants me to pursue a career in law.

My mother wants me to pursue a career in law.

Pursue.

Pursue.

Strive.

Strive.

If you want to be successful, you must strive to achieve your goals.

If you want to be successful, you must strive to achieve your goals.

Strive.

Strive.

We strive to bring you outstanding customer service.

We strive to bring you outstanding customer service.

Strive.

Strive.

Our company always strives to make our products better and better.

Our company always strives to make our products better and better.

Hence.

Hence.

Hence.

Hence.

The project was postponed for three months, hence the delay in delivery.

The project was postponed for three months, hence the delay in delivery.

Hence.

Hence.