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Saturday, February 13, 2016

Job Interview in English: Where to Start?


Many new graduates of non-native speakers may have to face the challenges in their job interviews conducted in English. In Thailand, several job-seekers struggle to get their interviews smooth as they still cannot speak English well. Some of them ended up memorizing the answers that they searched on the Internet for the interview. Of course, we could imagine that the interview perhaps did not last that long – because the interviewees could barely communicate at all!

A few years ago, I was working as an HR Manager in a multinational factory in Thailand. Below is one of many replies which I often got from the interviews I conducted.

Me:                 “How are you?”  

Candidate:     “I twen-ti yea oh”

The candidate tried to reply to my question saying “I (am) twenty years old” which was supposed to be for the question “How old are you?”  Many Thais often make this mistake.

If we compare a Job Interview to being in a battle, you would have to lead your army to victory.  You would indeed ensure your soldiers were well trained with all tactics and strategies to be ready for the fight. Without such training, none would even dare to imagine how the ending would be like.

Likewise, in order to win your battle, you must train yourself well and be prepared. These 3 Questions will help you to know where to begin.




1 .  Can you communicate in English?

The point here is if you are able to convey what you need to say to the interviewers and make them understand you. If your answer to this is “No…” or “Not really…,” it is time to train yourself for the battle! We will discuss on how to practice your English Communication skills separately. So, please stay tune ^^ 

2.  Have you prepared your personal document for the interview?
·         personal document
       ·         educational document
·         application letter
·         resume/ CV
·         photograph, etc.

3.  Have you got any information about the position and the company profile that   
     you applied for?
·         interview location
·         dress code
·         company profile
·         applied position
·         who is the interviewer?
·         Thai/foreign interviewer?
·         expected salary, etc.

No. 2 and 3 are very important as it could help reduce your stress and fear while having the interview.

So, to sum up, there are 3 questions to ask yourself to find out where to start in preparation for your Job Interviews.
      1.   Can you communicate in English?
2.    *Are your Personal documents ready?
3.    *How much do you know about the position and the company you are going to apply for?

*Make sure you get no. 2 and 3 prepared, so you could focus on improving your English skills to answer interview questions.

What are your answers??


See you again soon ^^

KRUBOW SUNIDA

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