𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 | 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 | season 3 | 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 19 - en

[music] 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 [music] 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?

>> Well, just like your major but smaller. >> 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 uh art. >> Yes.

>> Okay. That's interesting. >> Mhm. 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 4

years you get that. >> After that you get a master's degree,

>> right? So that's another 2 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? >> Uhuh.

>> 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? >> 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 speakaking 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. [music]

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

seat. >> Thank you. So, 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

masters 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. 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. >> 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 turn rate to about 5% which

had a direct impact on revenue. >> [music]

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

Marco, >> there was a little awkward moment. I

don't know if you guys heard it. Um natural body, what's [music] it called?

Functions. >> Functions.

>> Yeah. [laughter] >> Oh dear.

>> Well, making the interview a little bit more interesting, right? It doesn't have

to be boring. >> 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.

>> Mhm. >> Now let's take a look at our second

word. Track. >> Track.

>> Track. >> Track. So he said he wanted to gain some

practical markable skills that the information management track provided.

>> Exactly. [music] >> So what does he mean by this track?

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

>> Okay. >> So the direction of your study.

>> Okay. So I guess it would be like think of a train and the train tracks, right?

Exactly. >> 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. >> Mhm.

>> 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 it's what is it?

>> 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 inconsequence, so

>> exactly. >> But it just sounds a lot more like

professional >> informal.

>> Formal. >> Yeah.

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

therefore. >> Yep.

>> Use it. Okay. Our fourth word, >> pursued.

>> Pursued. >> He pursued a master's.

>> Okay. So to pursue >> to chase after something

>> to chase after [laughter] >> So you can pursue a master's degree like

he did. >> Yes, you can pursue a promotion,

>> a dream. >> Mhm. Nice one.

>> Can you pursue a girl? >> Yes, you can.

>> All right. So pursue to chase. >> Yes.

>> Okay. Now let's look at our next word. Strive.

>> Another great word you can use when talking about your experience. To strive

is to try really hard. >> To try really hard. Yeah. 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.

>> Okay. Great examples of strive to fight, to try really hard.

>> Yep. All right. Okay. Now, the next word, I didn't really know what it

meant. So, this is really interesting. Breadth.

>> Breath. >> So, it's kind of like saying bread but

adding a th at the end. >> Yeah.

>> Bread. >> 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. >> All right. All right. 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. 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.

>> All right. 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.

>> 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 [music] part of the job interview.

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

seat. >> Thank you. So, 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 postgraduate studies?

>> Well, I am really passionate about consumer behavior. So, I pursued a

masters 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. >> [cough and clears throat]

>> 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 breath 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.

>> 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 turn rate to about 5% which had a direct impact on revenue.

[music] 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? >> Yeah.

>> 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 uh 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. [music] 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 note, 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 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, etc." Yeah. So, positive

always on your interviews and just [music] 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 a 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. [laughter]

>> 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

>> with the unexpected questions, >> right? So, it's like that is pretty

unexpected [laughter] though, but I guess you handle it pretty

well. >> Okay. Well, I mean, I got the job, so

>> Oh, nice. All right. >> All right. Um, I want to know from our

listeners, if they were a tree, what kind of tree they would be?

>> Yeah. [laughter] And also tell us about well your job

experience or your educational background. Yeah. 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 [laughter] >> you've had a 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. >> The English Pod audio review.

Listen to the meaning then say the vocabulary word.

The history of the education you've had, >> educational background,

>> with special recognition for receiving very high marks

>> with honors. >> The main field of study in an

undergraduate degree. Major

>> a limited area of study. Specialization

>> to have a secondary area of study in an undergraduate program.

>> Minor. >> The combination of courses taken in a

degree program. >> Course of study.

Course of study >> track

master's or PhD education above the bachelor's degree level

>> postgraduate >> for that reason

>> hence >> try to do something over a longer period

of time >> pursue Who

>> try hard to do something? >> Strive.

>> A wide range or scope of something. Breth

>> important and large enough to have a noticeable effect.

Significant. >> Adding or giving something.

>> Contribution. University education.

>> Tertiary education. >> Take the chance to do something before

others do. >> Take initiative.

>> Make something different in a special way.

>> Distinguish. >> A good quality or feature that someone

has. >> Attribute.

Examine something in a careful and critical way.

>> Scrutinize. >> Let's try that faster.

Take the chance to do something before others do.

>> Take initiative. >> A good quality or feature that someone

has. >> Attribute.

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

>> Minor with special recognition for receiving

very high marks >> with honors.

>> The history of the education you've had. >> Educational background.

>> Try to do something over a longer period of time.

pursue >> course of study

track >> master's or PhD education above the

bachelor's degree level >> post-graduate

>> for that reason >> hence

>> university education >> tertiary education

>> adding or giving something >> contribution.

>> The combination of courses taken in a degree program.

>> Course of study, >> the main field of study in an

undergraduate degree. >> Major,

>> a limited area of study. >> Specialization:

>> Try hard to do something. Strive.

>> Important and large enough to have a noticeable effect.

>> Significant. >> Make something different in a special

way. >> Distinguish.

>> Examine something in a careful and critical way.

>> Scrutinize >> a wide range or scope of something.

>> Breth. Now say the word and hear it in a

sentence. Course of study.

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

opportunities. Course of study.

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

Course of study. My sister didn't choose her course of

study. My parents decided for her pursue.

They wanted to pursue their dream of traveling around the world, but it

didn't happen. Pursue.

My mother wants me to pursue a career in law.

Pursue. You should really pursue that master's

degree. It would really help your career.

Strive. If you want to be successful, you must

strive to achieve your goals. Strive.

We strive to bring you outstanding customer service.

Strive. Our company always strives to make our

products better and better. Hence

the project was a complete failure. Hence the project manager was fired.

Hence the project was postponed for 3 months.

Hence the delay in delivery. Hence

I never studied for my exams. Tense Milo marks.

[music] [music]

>> [music] [music]

>> Heat. Heat. N. >> [music]