If you’re an English speaker, chances are you’ve had to speak English in a professional setting at some point. You may even have had to do so in an interview setting. For most American or British people, this isn’t usually a problem; they grew up speaking English from day one and have been using it for years in their daily lives. But if you’ve come from another country and haven’t been exposed to English on a regular basis, knowing how to handle yourself in an interview can be difficult. Going to your first job interview in English can be an intimidating experience, but you’ll find here some tips to handle it.
Your resume and cover letter should be in perfect English.
Your resume and cover letter should be in perfect English. Make sure you have an English speaker check them over, and make sure you use the right words and phrases. Use simple language, not jargon; simple, clear sentences; and a simple, clear layout. Use a spellchecker before sending your application to your potential employer!
Try to keep your resume and cover letter simple, clear, and concise. Use plain English and avoid jargon; the simpler the language, the better.
Be prepared to answer the common questions from your recruiter.
One way to ensure that you feel ready for the interview in English is to prepare what I would call elaborations. The interviewer does not expect you to give him the information that is already in your resume so when they ask you questions about your work experience or your education, they are asking you to elaborate or to give more information beyond what’s there.
Try looking at all of the parts of your resume individually and guess what questions they might ask you to elaborate on that aspect of your history.
For example, if you list work experience in a bank, they may ask you the following questions:
- What were your duties?
- What did you enjoy most about this job?
- Was there anything you did not like about this position?
- Why did you leave?
- What did you learn from this experience?
Check out some job interview sentences in English that you can use to answer these questions.
If you can prepare good, positive answers for the most common questions, you will feel more prepared and therefore more confident on the day.
Confidence is half the battle.
Of course, you will not be able to predict every question so the second step is to relax. Looking confident even when you are asked a question that you did not prepare for is all about controlling your mind to focus. Remember, getting nervous is a good thing. It releases adrenaline that can help you if you can control it. Just stay focused.
One last tip is to line up the right number of interviews. If you feel that you need to take them more seriously, arrange them one at a time. If you need to relax more, set up a few so that each one doesn’t seem so important. Creating the right frame of mind is the key to looking confident and well-prepared in the interview so take a deep breath before you go in and just take it easy.
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If you have more time to get ready, check out our regular English courses.
