It's no secret that it is much more profitable to work abroad. And it’s no secret that foreign employers are quite willing to hire Ukrainian specialists. In principle, finding a job abroad is not so difficult if you have the necessary skills and knowledge, have sufficient work experience, and so on. But find suitable vacancy that's not all. One of the most difficult stages lies ahead: an interview with a potential employer. On English, as a rule.
Statistics show that Western employers conduct more than half of interviews with foreign applicants via Skype. This is not surprising, since a Skype interview, although different from a real one, is small, and allows you to fully evaluate the applicant, at least, make the first, most important impression about him.
Yes, such an interview is an important stage, and you need to pass it with dignity. How to pass a work interview via Skype? Let's talk about this.
Secrets of a successful Skype interview
1. Environment, your appearance.
Yes, you need to pay attention to all this. It is unlikely that your interlocutor will be happy to see you in your home clothes, household members or pets flashing in the background, or, excuse me, the chaos in the background. You are undergoing an interview, the severity is exactly the same as in the office. Therefore, make sure that the environment is as reminiscent of an office environment as possible. Minimum details on background, strict, albeit not office clothes, neat hair - all this will be a plus. As well as silence, absence of distracting sounds (turn off other instant messengers, phone, music, etc.), absence of strangers in the room. In a word, imagine that you are in the office.
2. Technical support.
The laptop battery must be fully charged, the webcam must provide high-quality image and sound. Make sure you have a respectable Skype login; frivolous, vulgar or “game” logins are definitely not suitable. By the way, it wouldn’t hurt to look for yourself on the Internet and evaluate your image. This concerns social networks, photographs and other things - all the information that search engines provide.
If any problems suddenly arise, do not panic. Equanimity and calmness are your plus in the eyes of the interlocutor, so if there is a problem with communication, tell or write that you will call back in a couple of minutes. It's much best option than panic, confusion in the eyes and attempts to troubleshoot problems right during the interview.
Don't forget about the time difference - if it's broad daylight outside your window, it may be late at night at your employer's. Therefore, determine the time of the interview in advance, and at the same time, clarify who should call whom.
3. Behavior during the interview.
Skype interviews have their own nuances. First of all, this is the direction of your gaze. Do not look into the eyes of your interlocutor - the camera is above his eye level, look into it. Otherwise, the interlocutor will see you with downcast eyes; this is not the best angle. If you are not used to communicating this way, practice beforehand. Or, somehow mount the camera so that you can look into it without difficulty.
You shouldn’t get too close to the camera, but you shouldn’t move away either - the interlocutor should see you in approximately the same way as he would see you in a real interview, sitting at the table.
During the interview, everything you need should be at your fingertips, but out of sight of the interlocutor.
Your behavior should be calm, friendly, positive and confident in every sense. Do not answer questions instantly - you should delay your answer slightly, literally for a second.
And most importantly: the interview will be conducted in English. And you must be prepared for this.
Passing a Skype interview in English: how to prepare for it?
Of course, you need to know English. At what level? But here it all depends on the position for which you are applying. If you are a specialist in a certain field, whose work will not involve serious negotiations or writing kilometer-long texts, the Intermediate level is enough for you. If you are applying for a position related to working with people, you need a higher level, special attention It is worth paying attention to spoken English. And the accent - Russian or Ukrainian, a pronounced accent always hurts the ear, so practice your pronunciation.
If your position is related to finance, analytics, law, medicine, or other “narrow” areas, then you should place more emphasis on business or technical English.
It is clear that you need to learn the language, practice listening and study specific terms before you take an interview in English. Online help will help you with this - you can start from the level you need, and for quite a bit short term achieve great success in knowing the language. A large selection of online courses allows you to quickly find the one that best suits you - business English, a specialized course or a general English course. In any case, you will be satisfied with the result of the training, which means that during the interview your potential employer will be pleased with you. At least in terms of English proficiency.
But knowing English is not everything. It is worth preparing for the interview itself, again, with the help of specialists. The fact is that during interviews there are often typical questions, but the answer to them is not typical. Tell us about your professional experience. Why do you want to work for our company? Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Familiar questions, they are often asked here too. But this does not mean that you should answer such questions in a standard way. The best option will make a list typical questions, and as an answer to them, compose a short “essay” - under the guidance of a teacher, preferably a native speaker. In this case, you will be confident in yourself at the interview, and this is important.
: we will talk about the features of communication using the most popular Skype program, which, due to its convenience and versatility, is increasingly used for work purposes. Has your potential employer scheduled you for a Skype interview? In our article you will find some tips, following which you will feel at your best.
We tried to cover all aspects of a professional interview via Skype- from optimizing communication quality to psychological preparation for an interview.
Consider the time difference
The reason you are interviewing via Skype is most likely due to the physical distance of your potential employer: often they are in another city or even another country. Suppose you are going to contact a foreign employer via Skype (this is where the conversational skills acquired during the course will be more useful to you than ever!). First of all, take an interest in the time difference between your countries and find out the exact local time of contact, otherwise, you risk missing the interview and ruining your first impression of yourself.
If you are talking to the UK, make sure you calculate the time difference correctly: many people assume that the UK time zone is GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), but don't forget that in the summer the British switch to GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). summer time(British Summer Time) - keep this in mind.
The image on the screen is your business card
Before you contact your future interlocutor, find out whether you will need a video camera. Often, professional interviews are conducted without it - for example, among IT specialists it is usually not customary to “call with video.” But if you are going to have a video call, try to prepare properly for it.
First of all, take care of how you will appear on the screen of your interlocutor. There is no need to say that your clothes and hairstyle should be neat, but it is also a good idea to think about what background will be most advantageous: if you are calling from home, it will be awkward to call from the kitchen or bedroom - it is better to go to the living room or another room with a neutral interior.
Think carefully about your costume: Depending on the type of job you're applying for, your attire may be business casual, or less formal if your "dream job" doesn't have a dress code (though chances are, if you're taking a call at home, formal office attire will be inappropriate - but decide for yourself).
You, of course, may not care much about clothing if the camera does not capture the area below the neck. However, experienced “negotiators” do not advise placing the camera too close to the face: it is better that the camera also captures the shoulders. When positioning the camera, try to place it not directly in front of you, but slightly obliquely, so that the interlocutor does not feel uncomfortable under your gaze (if you still want to “meet the eyes” of your interlocutor, just look through the peephole of the webcam).
Ensure silence
Before your proposed Skype interview, you should take care of the issue of audibility: this is really very important. An ordinary city apartment is a surprisingly noisy place. Someone is listening to loud music, there is a TV on in the next room, children are making noise... Your interlocutor may be uncomfortable with sharp sounds interjecting into the conversation: agree with your family that During your conversation, silence should reign in the house.
Turn off all programs on your computer that may interrupt your call with unexpected sound notifications (for example, about a new comment on a topic, etc.) - this can distract and irritate the interlocutor.
If you want to choose a status in Skype busy To avoid being distracted by extraneous calls, do not do this: your potential employer will also not be able to reach you. If during the interview your people still try to call you, you will have to simply ignore them.
Optimize your call quality
A special issue is Internet communication. If we talk about working on Skype, mobile phone or iPad - no best choice for you: computer or laptop has higher performance. Generally speaking, in recent years the quality of communication has been steadily improving, but, nevertheless, you can optimize it: during the interview, refuse to download large amounts of data, ask your family not to load the home computer network at this time.
Next, before the communication session, check your audio settings: in the main Skype window, click on the menu title Calls and in the drop-down list click Sound settings. At the bottom of the sound settings window that opens, click Make a follow-up call toSkype- this way you will check the sound level on the microphone and headphones/speakers. If you can hear your speech during the test call, everything is fine and you are ready for the call. If not, use the program’s prompts to configure the sound settings - the Skype interface is simple and, as they say, user-friendly. Checking your audio settings before a call is very important: minor problems like these during an important interview can throw you off your feet.
If communication problems appear during the call, it is better to hang up and call again(however, if you have done a preliminary test call, you will at least know that the problem is not with your settings or headset). With the consent of your interviewer, instead of a video call, you can use a regular audio call via Skype: a call without video requires slightly less computer and network resources.
Needless to say, your webcam should display a fairly high-quality picture, and your headphones, speakers and microphone should reproduce and transmit sound clearly enough - you should take care of this in advance when choosing these devices.
If the sound from the speakers is bad, sometimes the problem is solved by choosing good headphones - increasing the volume will not solve communication problems.
Also Before the interview, go through the functionality of Skype, to remember all its capabilities - it may well be that during an interview you will have to perform actions in it that you do infrequently (for example, transfer or receive files, with several subscribers at once, etc.).
Calm, just calm!
Now let's talk about your voice. Many people feel insecure when talking on the phone or Skype: from excitement, their voice trembles, breaks, which makes an unfavorable impression. If you are a timid person, tune in to overcome your fear, restore your breathing, try to control your voice. Excitement during a professional interview is a natural thing, but often we worry out of nowhere just because the situation is unusual, because it’s not every day that we have an interview via Skype. Calm down, concentrate - and everything will work out!
Who wouldn’t agree that knowledge of English opens up broad prospects for us? It is considered the leading language in the world, spoken by millions of people, regardless of nationality. In addition, the most important global decisions are made in English. Therefore, in order to prepare for the interview and achieve the desired goal, it is important to make an effort special efforts. A unique opportunity – interview preparation courses via Skype.
Reliable help from professionals
For every person, passing a successful interview is not an easy task. After all, it is important to appear before the employer in at its best and leave good impression. This is especially difficult to do in a foreign language.
Even if you are an exceptional master of your craft, if you cannot answer questions correctly, this will not help. Understanding of professional vocabulary and phrases business speech, plays an important role in decision making.
Often, those who want to receive good job V international company do not achieve their cherished goal. The reason is errors when writing a resume in English. As well as the inability to conduct a conversation during an interview and present oneself correctly.
To avoid disappointment and failure, you should prepare diligently for such a decisive event. The best way to do this is with a qualified teacher. Without leaving your home, you can take special courses via Skype. Together with your teacher, you will learn how to competently write a resume in English. It will help you rehearse your answers to tricky questions that arise during the interview in advance. Will provide guidance on how to correctly draft a supporting document in the original language. In addition, an experienced teacher will conduct a test interview with you to give you confidence before the important test.
Positive aspects of the courses
Many people are familiar with the saying that something is hard to learn, but easy to apply in battle. In fact, courses to prepare for an interview in English are not only theory, but also practice.
By working with your teacher on the answers and questions that may arise during the dialogue, you will be able to see the real picture. This will undoubtedly help you gain confidence when meeting with an employer in person.
The courses provide the service of studying business vocabulary, as well as special terms that are practiced in a given company.
Personal attention from a specialist in the preparation of documents required for employment. In competent English, you can write a resume or supporting document.
In addition, the courses have the following advantages:
- Convenient training periods. Due to the fact that prestigious jobs are not lying around, it is important to respond quickly to vacancies. Our courses allow you to choose the duration of your studies, and the teacher - the appropriate material. Thus, in a short time you can show yourself masterfully at an interview. Knowledge English vocabulary in a business style can be your ticket to a successful future.
- Personal teacher. The best understanding of foreign speech is achieved with individual lessons. This approach will allow the teacher to pay full attention to you personally. Any issues that arise during training are resolved immediately. The first free lesson will allow the teacher to select suitable material in individually. Studying with a personal teacher is a great opportunity to move towards your cherished goal.
- Operational organization of training periods. Living in this world, we realize the importance of doing everything on time. Therefore, we understand that you are often tied to the assigned number. Considering this fact, in just 12 hours a teacher and package are selected for you required material and terms of training. This saves time and effort. Online lessons via Skype will help you prepare for an interview in English on time.
As can be seen from the above, the courses are designed for serious and business people ready to achieve their goals. By using our services, you will be able to behave confidently during an interview, speaking fluently in English.
Manager, teacher, journalist - for “sociable” professions, the requirement to speak a language when applying for a job abroad does not surprise anyone. But why does the language barrier prevent you from getting a job where you don’t need to speak at all? The answer is given by Celia Roberts in her study “Institutions and Linguistic Penalties”, published in 2013 in the UK. These facts may change your idea of how to prepare for an interview in English.
Celia Roberts chose several jobs that did not require intensive communication, high qualifications and a large salary (stocking shelves in a supermarket, packaging goods in a factory, delivering packages). The employer, as a rule, arranges interviews for everyone at once and recruits many employees at the same time. It turned out that 70% of UK-born applicants (including minorities!) get the coveted place, while less than 50% of expats get the coveted place.
The first thought: the employer deliberately chooses locals, ignoring visitors - language proficiency, it would seem, has nothing to do with it. But the researcher also discovered a linguistic background.
What is the main quality that employers want to see in this case? Willingness to perform routine, monotonous tasks. Ability to cope with boredom. How to demonstrate this? Tell them that you once did similar work, peppering the story with a joke if possible.
For example, the manager liked the candidate who told how he painted the wall of a huge warehouse with the same color for three weeks in a row. “But it was so nice to choose a different shade for the roof - that’s already a variety!” - he finished cheerfully. Another successful applicant reported that he learned to “completely relax his mind” while doing repetitive work.
Such stories made the interview more relaxed, and therefore it was easier for the candidate to demonstrate his good side, show friendliness and optimism.
Many emigrants did not speak the language well enough to offer interesting story in response to the question: " What in your opinion is the advantage of a repetitive job?” (“What do you see as the advantage of monotonous work?”). There was no “switching” to a friendly wave; the conversation proceeded very formally, and the candidate was assessed more strictly.
So, the language barrier really became an obstacle on the way to the desired position. But it's not just about accent, grammar or vocabulary. Knowledge of the language was required to put the interlocutor on a friendly wave, demonstrate a sense of humor and willingness to perform a specific type of work.
To be fair, we note that in addition to the art of putting words into sentences, numerous non-verbal factors are also important: a friendly open look, turned shoulders, a firm handshake.
Some statistics:
Do you speak English?
For someone who studies English at home in order to later get a job in a foreign company, increased language requirements may seem unfair, especially if the profession is not associated with intensive communication.
However, the problem can be solved: you need to devote more time to live communication. Recognizing how important language fluency is to our students, Skyeng offers a range of options depending on what you would like to focus on:
- English tutor via Skype. The lesson is individual, so you will definitely have to talk a lot! Studying English with a native speaker will help you understand the native speaker and learn typical expressions and intonations;
- involve communication with a teacher and in groups;
- a club where you can practice spoken English online - another opportunity to learn how to maintain a casual conversation.
We wish you to be fully armed at the interview!
Working with the teacher on answers to the recruiter’s questions and self-presentation to a potential employer, you don’t just play out the most typical questions and answers, but find yourself in real situations that can happen SPECIFICALLY to YOU when interviewing for the position YOU want. You learn special vocabulary that is used in the field of activity of the company in which you will be interviewed, and you also learn to speak in a business style. The teacher will also help you create (correct) a resume and cover letter.
Convenient course duration
Our short-term interview preparation course in English via Skype is designed to meet the minimum deadlines, because your dream job won’t wait long. You yourself choose a convenient number of classes to fully prepare for the interview, and the teacher selects the materials and workload for you during the lesson.
Personal teacher
In our School, you will take an interview preparation course in English via Skype with a personal teacher who will devote the entire lesson time only to you. He, just like you, is interested in quick and high-quality preparation, and will worry about you and keep his fingers crossed on the day of the interview. And he will be glad if you inform him personally about the results. On free trial lesson You will tell the teacher what industry you are going to work in and when you will be interviewed. Knowing this information, the teacher will be able to prepare the necessary vocabulary and educational materials, as well as develop the pace of learning and the load in the lesson.
Fast process organization
We understand that preparing for an interview in English must take place as quickly as possible, because you are tied to a specific date. We take into account your needs and select a teacher for you within 12 hours, after which you can immediately begin classes. This is the advantage of an online course, because regular courses foreign language they don’t have such speed, and live lessons with a tutor will cost 2–3.5 times more than online lessons.
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