Karla: Thanks for coming in today, Kevin. So, you’re interested in the admin assistant post
Bob:Yes, that’s right. Thank you for inviting me.
Karla: Well, your CV looked interesting. Your experience certainly fits the bill.
Bob:That’s good to hear!
Karla: We’d like to know a bit about why you are applying for this position.
Bob:The job is exactly the kind of work I love doing and I’ve always wanted to work for this company.
Karla: Really? Why is that?
Bob: I’ve read great things about how you treat your staff, the opportunities for personal development and most of all , your reputation for sustainability.
Karla: Yes, we try hard to be a responsible company. Do you have any questions for us?
Bob:I’m thinking of doing a Master’s and would like to know if there is any flexibility in working hours.
Karla: Sure. It’s not a customer-facing position and as long as you get the job done, within reasonable hours, we could certainly accommodate you there.
Bob: That’s excellent news!
Karla: Great. Let me speak to my colleagues and we’ll get back to you within a few days. Thanks for your time.
NOW LET’S REVIEW THE VOCABULARY!
Administration is often shortened to ‘admin’.
Post and ‘position’ are both words to describe a job.
CV is short for ‘curriculum vitae’ (‘resumé’ in the US.)
To fit the bill means to be suitable for a specific purpose.
Job can refer to a paid position of employment (as it is used here) or an individual task or project.
Staff refers to all the people employed by a company. Synonyms include ‘personnel’ or ‘workforce’.
Personal development relates to self-improvement. Here, it relates to career goals, for example, confidence, conflict resolution, time management, active listening or teamwork.
Sustainability is a broad topic, usually referring to environmental and social impact.
In the context of sustainability, responsible is often used as an adjective to describe companies, processes and behaviours that are ethical and environmentally-friendly.
A ‘customer-facing’ worker is literally that: an employee who deals directly with customers. Typical customer-facing jobs are shop assistants, salespeople or helpdesk workers.
In this context, to accommodate means to fit in with a person’s wishes.
To get back to someone means you will contact them soon with an answer.