How does it work?
There are two possible hypotheses: Either the entire meeting is conducted in English and in this case you are from the very beginning at the heart of the subject, or that the recruiter moves (without warning) to questions in English.
«Generally, these questions are directly related to the previous point of conversation. It is therefore for the candidate to master a minimum the lexical field of his function, its sector of activity and that of human resources», says Amina Yala, author of the job interview in English and consultant in career guidance at Almena Conseil.
Take your time
The first question in English has been launched yet? Do not panic. Take 10 or 20 seconds to connect to english mode. Do not be afraid of this little silence. At worst, you did not understand the question, ask for clarification. «I prefer to be asked to repeat rather than pretending to understand and thus give an answer outside of the subject», prevents Pauline Labet, recruitment specialist within SGS in France.
Be simple
At first, due to the lack of confidence, avoid the too complex grammatical structures. Even if you take up part of the question of your interlocutor in your answer. Be careful as well from mixing similar words (a little of on line training on the topic is desirable). «When asked about their qualities and defects, many candidates answer «Obvious» thinking about stubborn or something else», notes Pauline Labet. When this means that it is «recognized», it is truly regrettable. In terms of accent, there is no use in imitating Anglo-Saxon, and be normal.
Prepare yourself
As you do in French, prepare questions in English to submit to the recruiter.
«Thanks to that, the candidate will be more Zen and less stressed because he will always have something to say», advises Amina Yala.
Then, of course, increase the chances of speaking, listening and reading in English, this inevitably passes through conversations with Anglo-Saxon people (for example from the surroundings of study or work,), organized meetings of the type of multilingual clubs, but also films in their original English-speaking language, American and English television channels, or reading economic newspapers. «The most important thing is to do these exercises regularly and for long periods of time, because doing them two days before the interview may be useless. » insists Amina Yala.
Other useful advice: Use the English language learning website, which offers simulations including videos on the subject of the interview in English - see below -http://www.apprendre-anglais.tv/
After the oral test, there is a simple written test.
Finally, to check your written english level, some recruiters may ask you, after the end of the interview, to write quickly a letter of motivation in english. So you've been warned. It would be really unfortunate not to do this exercise at home, isn't it. Above all, read it again-and by an Anglophone before attending the interview.
Of course, you will not rewrite all what you memorized, especially since it would be a good idea to introduce the items that are relevant to the interview in a way that shows you understand well what the recruiter is looking for.
