Today I would like to talk about a topic that we all deal with at people-s-place every day at work. It is about English skills in your international recruiting process.
If you decide to work abroad you will mostly face the fact that your recruiting process will be in English. The working language in most international companies is English although they are looking for candidates with specific other (language) skills.
You do not have to be scared if it is new for you to do your interviews in English. All you need to do is prepare well. Nobody expects from you that your English is perfect, but recruiters expect from you that you try your best. Making mistakes, especially during phone or Skype interviews, is not a big deal, but they can be avoided by preparing a few things.
What you really should have in mind is that the whole recruiting process starts with your CV (and with your motivation letter). If you apply for a position outside your home country you have to write a CV in English. It is important that you put in all relevant information about you, your current and past positions (description of your positions) and your education. Your CV is your personal marketing brochure and it reflects yourself and your skills.
Think about how you want people to see you as a first impression and then have a look at your CV if you really think that the current version looks like you want to be seen. Your CV should be perfect with no errors or mistakes and with all relevant information.
The better you have your CV prepared the higher is the chance that you are invited to an interview. If you are not sure about your English grammar you can look the sentences up using e.g. google or an English online dictionary. Maybe you can ask also a friend to check your CV.
It is also important that you put in the dates in a correct why. Please write down the exact period (month and year) you have been working or studying, etc. If you have gaps in your CV please explain the gaps (including the time frame) or leave a note. What we often experience, in our interviews is that candidates leave certain jobs out of the CV since they think they are not relevant for the application. A gap appears in the CV and the recruiter will ask the candidate what did you do during this time. It is absolutely to add e.g. jobs in hospitality or as au pair, working in a warehouse, etc. Some candidates had to start over in a new country and did not find e.g. an office job right away, but they wanted and needed to earn money and did not want to be unemployed.
If a recruiter sees your CV he/she does not know you at all and he/she should see the most relevant things in a very nice and clear way at the 1st glance!
As a next step, companies often ask for a motivation letter in English. You should also look up in the internet how to write this letter best. It is important to avoid grammar or spelling mistakes.
What we do for our candidates is that we check the CVs and motivation letters and give advices that you are well prepared for your application with our clients.
If you are not used to job interview in English, this is also not a problem. It is important that you read the job description, that you need to prepare your CV in English how you would explain each part of your CV and you should have a close look at the company you apply for. You can practice yourself at home talking English to yourself or to family and friends. Your confidence will grow doing so.
Recruiters really appreciate if candidates have a clear answer why you apply for a certain position and recruiters also like to hear good examples about your current and previous working experience.
When you apply via people-s-place for a position and get the chance for an interview with our client, we give you a detailed briefing for each interview. The more you know about the role and the company you apply for the easier you manage your recruiting process.
In average, a recruiting process consists of one or two Skype Interviews, but it can be also only one personal interview at the client’s office. Most of the times, you get informed about your interview date soon enough to sit down and practice for your interview.
Take notes, write your strengths and some examples down, be clear about the motivation, inform yourself about the company you apply for as well about the area you would work at. Hard work and good preparation pays off to get a nice job abroad even if you have no experience in applying abroad.
If you have questions, please contact us! We are happy to assist you and help you through your recruiting process!
Your application is all about you! Please keep that in mind!