3 steps for getting ready for a job interview
Worried about this important step in the job search process? Fear not! With strategy and the right mindset, you’ll learn the skills to succeed
There are thousands of tips on how to make your job search more successful. However, they all boil down to “Do your homework”, i.e. prepare for every step of the interviewing process. If you are a foreign specialist and an English learner, you may have more “homework” – so much more that you don’t know where to start. But do not worry, we are here to help you to decide what you should focus on. So let’s get started!
- Don’t delegate your writing
Please, avoid the temptation to ask someone to do the writing for you. Yes, it is a challenge to cut through formal English with its long and sophisticated action verbs and names for skills and abilities – but you can not skip this important step. Firstly, it helps you assess your skills and knowledge of professional terminology. Resume and cover letter writing are great indicators of your English level — while writing, you’ll notice if you need to brush up your vocabulary or grammar. Secondly, not only will the hiring manager have an idea of your professional qualities, but also of your English proficiency, deciding if it is enough for the job (if you are afraid that your English level won’t be enough for a job, check out a few tips here ). Thirdly, writing about your experience and accomplishments will help you prepare for the interview. Take your time to think about your biggest accomplishments and the best words to present them.
When you finish, it’s always a good idea to share your resume and cover letter with a friend – or two, or five! They won’t let typos and missed commas ruin the first impression about you.
- Prepare to be a good listener
It’s a proven fact that stress negatively affects our perception. When stressed, we can’t concentrate, we miss information, and make more mistakes than usual.There is no way to make a job interview feel like a visit to Disneyland, but you can get ready for it and increase your chances to succeed.
Spontaneous dialogue is one of the most complex tasks for language learners because it involves short-term memory, word decoding, comprehension, and building your own answer – and all that in a few moments. That is why it is so important to go over the most popular interview questions, like “Tell me about yourself,” “What are your plans for the future?” “What was your role at ABC company?” “What are your strengths/weaknesses?” in advance. Also, read the job posting carefully and think of what knowledge, skills and abilities are important for that particular role. There is a very high chance that you will be asked to tell about a time when you demonstrated those qualities. Prepare short and clear answers and practice giving them with confidence and a pleasant smile. It’s also helpful to use techniques that can get you more time to build an answer, like repeating or rephrasing the interviewer’s question. And don’t be afraid to ask the interviewer to specify, or repeat a question during the conversation.
- Know the Do’s and Don’ts
No matter how much you are interested in a particular job or company, you should consider some questions as red flags or simply unacceptable. It’s critical to know your rights and be ready to protect yourself.
No employer can ask you to undergo an English test or refuse to give you a job if you don’t provide your TOEFL results, for example. However, you can be asked to complete a task assessing your professional skills in English. So a question like “What is correct: I ate lunch yesterday or I have eaten lunch yesterday?” violates your rights, but an exercise like “Please write a short email informing the employees about the birthday party tomorrow” would be absolutely fine. Questions about your native language, origin or citizenship status may potentially lead to discrimination too. The things you can legally be asked for are your eligibility to work in the United States and the English proficiency required for the job. It’s important to remember that hiring managers are people too, and people are interested in other people. Sometimes these questions are prompted by natural curiosity, but the decision to answer or not is your right, and you must be given the choice to reveal as much information as you are willing to reveal.
