The Office - Job Interview II(0062)

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 backgroundphrasethe history of the education you've had
with honorsphrasewith special recognition for receiving very high marks
majorcommon noun, singularthe main field of study in an undergraduate degree
specializationcommon noun, singulara limited area of study
minorverbto have a secondary area of study in an undergraduate program
course of studyphrasethe combination of courses taken in a degree program
trackcommon noun, singularcourse of study
postgraduateAdjectivemasters or Ph.D; education above the bachelor's degree level
henceGeneral Adverbfor that reason
pursueprinciple verb, past simpletry to do something over a longer period of time
striveverbtry hard to do something
breadthcommon noun, singulara wide range or scope of something
significantAdjectiveimportant and large enough to have a noticeable effect
contributioncommon noun, pluraladding or giving something

Supplementary Vocabulary

tertiary educationphraseuniversity education
take initiativephrasetake the chance to do something before others do
distinguishverbmake something different in a special way
attributecommon noun, singulara good quality or feature that someone has
scrutinizeverbexamine something in a careful and critical way