The big day’s approaching and with it your level of anxiety. The global organization that you want to join liked your CV, and you’ve been invited to the next stage of recruitment – an interview…in English!
For most of us going for an interview is stressful – double or triple that when it’s not in our native language. So what can you do to prepare to be at your best? Here are 5 tips to help you ace your interview.
TIP No. 1: Do your homework!
You may be surprised by my first tip because it has less to do with English and more to do with common sense. Many of the people I work with on preparing for interviews in English neglect to learn about the company they’re interviewing for and the person/team who will be interviewing them.
When we’re nervous, one of our coping mechanisms is to create a sense of control. In the case of an interview, knowledge can bring a feeling of confidence and the opportunity to exhibit some of what you’ve learned in the interview itself. Done in the right way this can reflect your professionalism to the interviewer. So, my first tip is to research the organization from as many aspects as possible – company website, relevant reports and articles, Dun & Bradstreet ranking, etc. Make sure you know what this company is in to, who is on their team, what products/solutions they provide, where they provide it, who their target market are, market share, competitors, whether they’re experiencing any difficulties currently or in the past…in short, get a big picture of the organization and its activity.
Of equal importance is to read as much as possible about the person who will be interviewing you. Their names are usually included in the invitation mail and if not, you are completely at liberty to call HR and ask. You will, of course, be tempted to go into their LinkedIn page but before you do, be sure to go into private browsing mode on your LinkedIn page. That way, they will see that a fellow LinkedIn member has browsed their profile, but will not see any details about who that was. Click here to learn how to become a private browser.
LinkedIn profiles can give us a lot of information about the people and organizations who create and maintain them. That’s why your personal LinkedIn page should absolutely make you shine, but more about that in a future blog. With regard to preparing for interviews, just knowing how the interviewer looks, his/her approximate age and professional background is an enormous advantage and one that you can leverage for your own benefit.
TIP No. 2: Get ready!
Taking time to reflect and anticipate questions, making sure you know how to express your ideas clearly and correctly in English is a crucial part of getting ready for an interview. A few POWER English sessions to prepare the messages that you want to convey to the more commonly asked questions in interviews, raise your confidence and improve your communication skills can make the difference between landing the job or not. Strengths and weaknesses, conflict management, working under pressure, future vision and more, are very important topics, and ones which the person interviewing will be interested in hearing about.
TIP No. 3: K.I.S.S.
In its original context K.I.S.S. is an acronym for KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID! I first came across it years ago when I was working as a graphic artist in an advertising studio. Since then, K.I.S.S. has become a guiding principle in my life. Whatever challenge or opportunity I am facing, I will try to see it through the eyes of K.I.S.S. and to act accordingly.
Within the context of POWER ENGLISH, K.I.S.S. has been modified to KEEP IT SHORT AND SIMPLE! Why? Well, it’s as simple as this – when English is not your native language, the shorter your messages, the less likely there are going to be mistakes; the simpler your message, the easier it will be for you to find the words and phrase them, and for the listener to understand you.
By implementing K.I.S.S. in your interview, you can bring clearer messages, express yourself better and, most of all, make a great impression. You’d be stupid not to use it!
TIP No. 4: Make a great first impression!
Unfortunately, we will never have the opportunity to make a second first impression. Research shows that we have around 7 seconds to communicate who we are so making sure you communicate appropriate appearance, body language, manner and self-confidence is crucial. Those first moments of interaction create the tone of the meeting and can be leveraged to advantage when given enough attention and intention. To ace an interview, it’s very important to ‘look the part’, but it’s not enough.
One of the most common pains/complaints of people approaching POWER English is a sense of feeling less confident in English than they do in their native language. That’s why raising self-confidence is one of the 3 key foundations of POWER English and that’s why POWER English can be such a game changer. Together with strong language tools and communication skills, a higher level of self-confidence is essential for bridging the communication barrier to success.
POWER English works in a highly communicative and dynamic way, focusing on issues that are directly related to you and your world. When you come to prepare for an interview that is exactly what we will focus on in all its simplicity and complexity! The beauty of this method is that self-confidence naturally increases as ease of communication becomes more flexible and fluid. In testimonial to this, every POWER English client has reported feeling more self-assured fairly early in the process, with a high sense of self-confidence in English towards the end.
TIP No. 5: Listen carefully!
The Collins English Dictionary defines a job interview as, “a formal meeting at which someone is asked questions in order to find out if they are suitable for a post of employment”. The 5th and last tip to prepare for an interview in English connects to how we listen to the questions being asked of us. When we listen carefully, we give ourselves the opportunity to hear what the other person is saying or asking, and to listen to what is being said between the lines. That’s where POWER English comes in. By taking the space to listen and process, you can maximize the interaction by transmitting to the interviewer that you’re respectful, interested and want to understand everything being asked and shared, AND create ways to communicate ‘must deliver’ messages in a clear and sharp way.
All that remains is to wish you good luck in your interview!
