How to make a good impression when you don’t fluently speak the native language?
Overcoming The Language Barrier
First, you’ll need to get comfortable steering the conversation without studying the whole language. Knowing a few language tricks can help you get back on track and back to talking about the things you can explain well.
In the day(s)/week(s) before the interview, identify any difficult terms or industry-specific questions that may come up. You can find many of these in the job description itself, or on the company’s website. If you can’t find a job description, call the hiring manager and ask for one. Study these terms and anticipated questions ahead of time and never hesitate to bring a notepad for quick reference.
The most common mistake for non-natives to make, is speaking in mixed tense. To keep your language consistent, use past tense to talk about your career and experience.
During the interview, you're likely to get asked a few questions you don’t immediately understand. Anytime this comes up, remember to ask “Can you phrase it another way?” and allow the interviewer to rephrase the question. You can also ask the interviewer for a “synonym” - meaning a word similar to the one you're having trouble understanding.
Make sure you’re heard. Speak slowly and enunciate your words throughout the entire interview. Listen carefully to the interviewer and don’t be afraid to ask for clarification.
Learn all you can. First, be prepared! Learn all you can about the job (again, using the job description), and thoroughly research the company. Become familiar with the company’s history, how the company makes money, identify their competitors, and know what challenges the company may face today and in the future. Not only will this help you look interested in the job, but you can use this information to position yourself as a solution to the challenges they face.
Identify your success stories. You need to be able to communicate how you solve problems and meet goals, and you can do this by utiliziing success stories from your career (Interview Success Formula members can visit: Prepare Your Story). These stories that you choose should highlight the exact skills the hiring manager is looking for. Study the job description and research the company to establish what their ideal candidate would like. Then use your collected data to align your work history and examples to showcase your relevant skills and talents.
We recommend using the STAR approach for explaining success stories:
S: Identify the challenging Situation you faced
T: Describe the Task you had in the situation (your responsibilities)
A: Explain the Actions you took to solve the problem
R: Describe the Results of your actions.
Practice. Practice. Practice.
Another part of being prepared is to practice interviewing with friends/family. You can do this by using the Interview Success Cheat Sheet with 10 of the most common interview questions, and have a native-speaking friend or family member ask you - then do your best answering without reading from your notes. Your comfort level and performance will improve the more you practice.
Prepare your own questions
The interview isn't just for the hiring manager to make sure you’re right for the job; it’s also your opportunity to make sure the company is a good fit for you as well. Asking questions also makes you look more selective, which gives the company incentive to hire faster.
Questions like: "How diverse is the company workplace?" Or, "Have you hired foreign nationals before?"
(Interview Success Formula members can visit: Questions to Ask The Interviewer)
Dress for success
Dressing up for an interview is all about matching the company culture. If the organization feels corporate, then business professional attire is the way to go (even if the recruiter or hiring manager is dressed casually). If the vibe is more laid back, plain t-shirt and casual pants around the office, then business casual works great.
Your dedication to practicing the language and preparing for the interview will be appreciated and is sure to pay off. While you may not get hired after your very first interview, your chances of getting a job will increase with practice.
Don’t give up and keep on applying for the jobs you want. Getting a job in a foreign country, is a major step toward integrating into a new community and can be very helpful if you’re working toward citizenship.
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