Contributed by Hasib Ahmed, 26 January, 2016
Appearing for an interview is always a tough thing and the process associated with it is often intimidating. When it comes to a place other than your own country, it becomes a more different experience and adds to a whole new level of pressure. The differences in culture affect the interview process to a large extent and if you are not too careful about these differences it will be a big mistake on your part. It is a known thing that there is a huge cultural gap between the work culture and workplace communication of the West in respect to that of the East. Sometimes countries from the same continent have a lot of differences, no matter how subtle they may be.
If you are an expat appearing for a job interview, there are a lot of things that you should keep in mind to perform well and be accepted. Getting a job into a company is not just about accepting the skills of a candidate but also accepting the fact that he/she can fit perfectly well with the culture and environment of the company. So, there are many things that go beyond just language and skills, which the interviewer often looks for in a candidate. This article will provide some of the points that an expat should know before appearing for an interview:
Dress and appearance
The first thing that an interviewer notices is your dress and appearance. Every culture has its own dress code in work places and thus, you should make sure that you do conform to the dressing code the people of that country follow. European nations usually are particularly fashion conscious and you will need to be smartly dressed, while Asian countries have moderate dressing sense. For example in Middle Eastern countries the dress code for women is very strict and you need to be very careful about that so that you do not send inappropriate message.
Body Language
Body language also plays an important part in interviews and it may be interpreted in different ways in different cultures. So you need to make a research about the body language of the particular region before appearing for the interview. Some cultures require the candidates to have a formal body language while some require a casual attitude. Likewise you need to be friendly or reserved with the type of environment that is being preferred in the workplace where you are interviewed. In some Asian countries, handshaking is not seen as a proper way of communicating. So be aware of such practices of the region and do what is common.
Do not fall in the stereotype pit
It is a very dangerous thing to be in and will make all your efforts go in vain. Stereotyping is a very common thing and you will not even know that you have made such a mistake until you have done it. So do not get your curiosity pique or fall into a trap where you make a comment or remark something which is offending to the culture of the country you are interviewing.
On punctuality
It is a very much standard interview behaviour which can be related to almost all cultures globally, but there are some countries where arriving on time for the interview is not enough. You need to be at the interview place well before time.
Language skills
Even though language is not a much important factor if you know the lingua franca of the country (which is English in most cases), it would give you an advantage if you can speak or understand the language of that country. This makes the interviewer feel that you will fit perfectly with the work culture and be a good team player if you can communicate easily with the employees of the company.
Self-promotion
In some countries it shows good self-confidence if you can promote yourselves and beat your trumpet about all the achievements that you earned. It is common in many European and American countries. But in some Asian countries, doing self-promotion is a sign of disrespect to the interviewer and you should only reply to what has been asked.
Remember that being an expat you need to always respect the culture of the country you are staying and the same goes during interviews. Take a note of these points while appearing for your next interview and you will surely come out with flying colours.