UKH

Has anyone here been through one? If so, how did you prepare?

It's a discussion based interview so I understand. So I'm thinking to figure out the 'basic' questions then write an extended response that I can practice/ memorize, using key words that can be used to direct the discussion to topics I can talk confidently about. My command of the language (Norwegian) is passable, but my biggest fear is misinterpreting the question.

Good, bad or terrible idea?

All other interview tips appreciated.

This is only the third interview I have ever attended so naturally I'm sh*tting myself. The other two were as a teenager... 10 years ago.

In reply to GarethSL:

Surely if you don't understand, the interviewers won't mind explaining?

In reply to Rigid Raider:

I do plan to ask if I simply don't get it. But I'm hoping to show enough competency in the lingo to not get penalized because of it.

I technically work for the company now so it's not *that* bad. But I have not met or worked with the interviewers.

In reply to GarethSL:

hopefully it will be disciplined with only one person talking at time, otherwise tuning in is tougher.

your plan is ok, but don't become to focused in your own head thinking about the question and building your own answer, that you miss other peoples response. A quick line of "Jeg er enig delvis med Nils" ... before taking the conversation where you want, make it appear that you understand everything and are listening to what others are saying etc... my mistake when learning was I might be too focused on the verb and I miss if they agree / disagree, like or dislike etc... and you want to tie in your response to theirs, rather than make a stand alone comment.

In reply to GarethSL:

I had one (for my current post) and wasn't very sure before hand which language it would be in (can't remember why I didn't ask). My only preparation was to double check the French for a few key terms just in case. When I arrived, the first question was something like 'is it OK if we speak French?'; as the job required the ability to work in French (& English) I could hardly say no but just said something about it being my first visit to France for a year or more & that my French was a little rusty. Seemed to work as 15 years on I'm still here.

I'm not sure learning phrases would help but definitely learn the jargon that's likely to be used

Good luck

In reply to GarethSL:
Congratulations!

The recommended approach is to have an in-depth knowledge of yourself-skills, experience, qualities, impact. Some people use the STAR technique to structure answers- this may help espcially if you are having to manage the stress of being interviewed in a second language; at the very least using it when starting out in the interview can help you gain confidence/relax a bit. If you're not familiar with it, S & T are situation and task. This should be about 10-20% of the answer, just enough to set the scene. the A & R are actions you took to achieve results and should form the bulk of your answer, because that's what the employer generally will be most interested in. Go back to the advert and person spec and make sure you have examples, possibly 2 just to be on the safe side for each competency/responsibility/whatever. It would be impossible and counter productive to try and prepare every possible question - an unexpected question that you've not prepared could cause you to really stumble.

If you think you've misunderstood the question, just ask for clarification or repeat it back and check that you've both understood it. Interviewers can be nervous and inexperienced, too, and even experienced interviewers may not always ask the best/clearest questions. You can give yourself some thinking time (5 seconds is actually a long time!), and even say something like "that's a good question, can I have a moment to think about it?"

Another tactic for preparing is to ask yourself (and answer) Why are you the best person for the job? Once you convinced yourself, it's easier to convince and employer. This also allows you evaluate all of your best evidence and not have to go rooting around your brain for it on the day.

You can practice typical questions (why do you want the job? focus on particular competencies or responsibilities for the job) and for best results, try recording yourself on an iphone or practice with a friend.

Let me know if you have any specific questions about interview prep. Happy to help.

In reply to GarethSL:





I've been through that quite a few times.
Very recently, had to go through an interview in Cypriot Greek, after only three months of learning modern Greek, which is quite a bit different !

Do not worry, I wouldn't go for memorising by heart a speech, but definitely work on explaining various concepts or ideas you know are going to come up, as it can be difficult to explain complicated concepts in a language you don't fully master.

You want to know as much work related vocabulary as possible, as this is what is most likely to cause misunderstandings.

At the end of the day, they want you for your skills, as long as speaking perfect Norwegian is not the key skill for the job, they are likely to not care that much if you make some language mistake. My advice, focus on showing that you can do the job, the language is not your main concern at this point.

I did quite few of those. English is not my native and not even firs foreign language. My first interview in English was back in Denmark. The dude who was interviewing me wasn't native English speaker either. I was speaking at IELTS level 5 or so. It worked somehow and I got the job.

Just don't be afraid to say that you don't understand and ask to repeat or use different words. It's much better to ask to repeat the question five time than to say some crap.

But generally more you go for interviews better you get at both answering questions and going throw interviews generally. Nowadays I work on contract basis in the City and do about 20 interviews a year. It really feels natural and I even enjoy most of them.

In reply to GarethSL:

I'd be a little wary of memorising a whole answer, you'll come across as a bit wooden and it's unlikely your answer will complete fit the question. Instead I'd work on some key phrases that get your point across.

It's a very good sign to have areas that you are keen to talk about and directing (gently) towards these sounds like a great plan.

I'd use the fact that you've learnt a second language to your advantage, tell them it shows your commitment and adaptability. If I was interviewing someone in their second language I'd be impressed from the start, use it to your advantage!

I'm a bit of a weirdo and quite enjoy interviews but everyone gets a little nervous before them. The key is to go in knowing you're a really good person to be doing the job and you've got absolutely nothing to lose.

Good luck

In reply to GarethSL:
Sure it will be in norsk? I think your norsk is ok enough, og har du noen problemer, spor på avklaring i engelsk. They will know your english, do your best.

Glad to hear you have employment by the way - oljeselskap?

In reply to all:

Thanks for all the thoughtful responses, I will take heed and not memorize too much in case I end up totally thrown.

During the call I did ask specifically if it would be in English or not, but alas it needs to be in the company working language. I do plan to have a couple of note sheets instead with some brief text I can eyeball and build upon without needing to remember too much. Might try and include that STAR concept too, have not heard of that before but can certainly use it as a means of structuring a coherent answer.

In reply to GarethSL:


I can't comment on the language option but I'm massively not a fan of memorising stuff for interviews. People tend to become focoused on saying what they've memorised which can often make them look (a) monomaniacally obsessed or (b) like someone with zero listening skills.


You could perhaps cage things a bit - "If I understand you correctly that you want to know *paraphrase your understanding* then XYZ

I'd not be shy about stating that whilst I have studied Norwegian I have had little opportunity to fluently speak it, and ask that the conversation be slow where necessary. Where I work many non native speakers are hired and if it's clear they've made an effort to learn the language it doesn't matter if they're not up to fast conversation as they'll improve in no time if/when appointed and immersed in the language.

Good luck

In reply to GarethSL: I did one a number of years ago in a combination of French and Arabic. My French is very good and my Arabic really only conversational and colloquial. That was all taken into account and it was actually good fun. It was done in a cafe over food and I think they were almost as interested in how and what I ate as they were in my language skills. All my research and prep was about the area and the company, and then putting that into various sentences. It's a bold move for one so young, but I salute you for going for it.

By way of anecdote, a friend of mine once got a job with BP in Marseilles. His French was average O level standard. After a year he'd had enough of trying to learn French and felt he was really struggling on a day to day basis. He went tosee his manager and had a long conversation with him over coffee, lunch and then wine for most of the afternoon. At the end the manager pointed out to him that he'd been speaking almost fluent French for the last 3 hours. He still lives there and goes skiing most weekends. In other words, what a great opportunity, and if you get the job you'll be fluent very quickly.

In reply to GarethSL:
Actually if you spend the entire interview answering their questions in Norwegian or any language I would say the interview isn't going well. Interviews are supposed to be two-way; you finding out about them as much as they find out about you and in doing so they form a good impression of you as the right person for them.

In reply to Rigid Raider:

Absolutely, but I do have a long list of questions to ask assuming that it's not covered in any discussion.