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The lobby is buzzing with applicants. Crisp suits, leather portfolios, rehearsed handshakes. Your heart races as you review your prepared answers one last time. This is it –– your big interview for that dream role! You’ve worked hard to master English, and now you want to put those skills to use in landing your dream job.
Your experiences and qualifications are strong. But the nerves still creep in. What if you blank on the perfect word? Will your accent throw them off? Can your body language compete with the native speakers around you?
Relax. With dedication and practice, you can ace any interview in your non-native language. The employer is looking for the best candidate, not perfect English. You already have the capabilities. With preparation and practice, you can polish your English skills and feel confident in any interview situation. Get started right away with these 15 challenges to enhance your English language skills for the new year.
Read on for tips across three crucial areas - verbal skills, nonverbal skills, and mindset - to have engaging conversations that show you're the right fit for the job during your next interview.
At its core, a job interview is a conversation to determine if you have the hard and soft skills needed for a particular role. That means you need to not just talk about your qualifications, but listen and interpret questions accurately.
Start by mastering responses to typical questions. Familiarize yourself with common queries like:
Practice answering these questions out loud. Record yourself, if possible, and listen back to spot areas for improvement in vocabulary, sentence structure, and fluidity. When recording yourself, consider these practices:
You can also use resources such as the British Council’s Learn English free tools and podcast series for better speaking or Dave’s ESL cafe for a comprehensive repository of grammar lessons.
You may be concerned about your accent as a non-native speaker. Having an accent, however, does not mean your English is inadequate. Focus on articulating clearly rather than eliminating your accent, which is a mark of your cultural identity. Practicing with native speakers will help train your ear and refine your pronunciation.
Beyond simply preparing answers, focus on strengthening your listening skills and ability to interpret questions quickly and completely. Remember: an interview is a two-way conversation.
Practice with colleagues or those familiar with your future role using industry-specific vocabulary and terminology. If you can’t access anyone like this, resources on YouTube like Teacher Phil contain sections on business English. The more exposure before the interview, the better.
What you say during an interview is just as important as how you say it. One scholarly review of nonverbal communication found that smiles, eye contact, expressiveness, hand gestures, facial appearance, and head nodding are all positively associated with interview success. Another group of researchers found that a firm handshake can convey sociability, friendliness, and confidence.
These factors, along with vocal elements such as tone and enthusiasm, may have more of an impact than you realize. A tip for working on your tone: emotions usually dictate our tone, so focus on your feelings, and the tone will follow.
If you’re ever unsure or overwhelmed by all these different elements, consider the following guidelines:
Refer to YouTube videos for demonstrations of effective handshakes. For eye contact, briefly look at the interviewer when greeting them, and when you or they are speaking. Avoid staring, which can be uncomfortable. Keep good posture by sitting up straight with your shoulders back. When gesturing, movements should enhance your words rather than distract from them. The more practice you get, the more natural these positive body language habits will become.
Interviewing in a non-native language understandably leads to anxiety for many. Nerves can manifest through physical cues like clammy hands, poor posture, lack of eye contact, and tense gestures. Anxiety can lead to conversational issues like overly lengthy pauses, rambling, and forgetting prepared answers.
The key to overcoming them is acknowledging these nerves as normal, but also actively working to manage them. Physical relaxation techniques like deep breathing and power poses before the interview can help. Mentally preparing responses in advance also minimizes awkward pauses. If you go blank, ask the interviewer politely if you can take a moment to gather your thoughts. There’s no shame in that! Overall, staying calm and focused is heavily driven by preparation and mindset.
Language anxiety also diminishes as your overall confidence grows. The more practice you get, the more comfortable interviews will become. Everyone makes minor mistakes, so don't let small grammar mix-ups or lack of specific vocabulary derail you! Keep the focus on touting your qualifications and strengths, while actively listening to your interviewers.
Minimize self-limiting beliefs as you go through multiple rounds of interviews for different roles––it’ll keep you in the right place mentally and confident knowing that you have what it requires to excel.
Interviews are the perfect opportunity to go beyond just listing qualifications and responsibilities. Storytelling allows you to bring your experiences to life while showcasing skills uniquely. Narratives help create a personal brand for you. Craft brief anecdotes that convey key competencies like leadership, teamwork, problem-solving, or work ethic.
You can prepare for these anecdotes and ideal answers by being well-versed in the requirements of the role. Consider what skills, attitudes, values, and behaviors are your employers looking for. Once you have an understanding of the job and the company culture, you can use the STAR framework to build your anecdotes.
For instance, you can tell a story about the time you overcame conflict between team members by mediating and finding compromise. Or share how you solved a complex technical problem through creative thinking. Use vivid details but stay concise. A short three or four-sentence story can communicate volumes. Focus on how the stories specifically relate to strengths needed for the target role.
Good storytelling shifts interviews from dry Q&As to engaging narratives where your personality and abilities shine.
While most of the interview focuses on you as the candidate, you also need a reverse stream of information to determine if the role and company culture is a fit. Asking insightful questions also conveys engagement. Make sure to mix logistical queries with big-picture ones. For example:
Keep your questions succinct and thoughtful. They signal what is important to you as a candidate. Avoid anything too personal or negative. Prepare questions in advance, but also let the conversation flow naturally to follow up on what you discuss. Don’t directly ask about the compensation at this stage. Be prepared, however, to negotiate salary when the time comes.
Now it’s time to put these verbal, nonverbal, and mental skills together.
Take notes to remember key details you want to highlight. Ask for clarification if a question is unclear. Stay focused on emphasizing your fit through concise, relevant responses.
Once the interview is over, you can think of following up with a thank-you note reiterating your interest and qualifications. Proofread your writing to polish your English communication skills as well. With dedication and persistence, you can master English interview skills for success.
Putting in work to master English can be a significant added source of stress when trying to focus on the rest of the interview. The objective is to be able to talk about your skills and experience without being hindered by communication. That is where Immigo can help!
Our interactive platform enables you to practice natural conversations and build real-world language skills. Connect with top teachers to get personalized feedback so you can fine-tune your vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and flow before interviews. We've already helped over 5,000 students from 140+ countries improve their English abilities. Our safe, reliable, and affordable plans are a perfect fit for your learning needs.
Sign up for Immigo today for just $1 a class to gain the confidence you need to pass job interviews, thrive in social situations, and achieve your goals.
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