If you are a tech talent with at least four years of experience you must have been through some job interviews. Maybe you are even kind of used to how they work and that’s great. However, assuming international hiring processes are just the same as the ones in your home country may cost you some opportunities and we don’t want that to happen.
Each country has its cultural influences and it reflects on the way people talk, ask questions, and behave during a conversation. The number one difference in an international hiring process is that behavioral interviews tend to be a lot more important than candidates usually expect. Apart from the technical knowledge and work experience that you will be asked to demonstrate, international recruiters are also looking for the best possible cultural fit with the company and the team. What you say and how you behave account for an important part of why you get hired or not.
Behavior is just as important as technical skills during job interviews
Ukrainian developer Ievgeniia was surprised by how long her behavioral interview took – it was an hour-long conversation – and advised other VanHackers to focus on HR screenings as much as on the technical aspects of the hiring process. “I think you should pay attention to algorithms and data structures and systems design, but behavioral interview preparation is also important. They want to understand how you work as a team member. They are looking for people, not robots”.
You can hear Ievgeniia’s story on the VanHack Podcast:
Or you can watch her interview on our YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRgiTPfCm_0
Don’t get lost in cultural differences
Our Interview Preparation Team helps candidates present their best in both the behavioral and technical interviews. Here are some of the mistakes you should avoid during the cultural fit conversations with HR recruiters:
- Talking about your personal life: In some countries, it may be very common to introduce yourself by saying “I am 35 years old, I am married and I have two children”. Most international companies don’t need to know your personal information and are even prevented by law from asking you about them. Preparing for interviews will help you know what to say instead.
- Using the wrong pronoun: In most casual conversations, it’s better to be modest. During job interviews, however, this could backfire. Sometimes candidates use the pronoun “we” when describing past work experience to distribute credit and not sound arrogant. The problem is that recruiters get confused by “we” and can’t be sure which task was attributed to you specifically or to the team you were part of. Learning to be assertive in describing how you solve problems is very important.
- Using names, not descriptions: Companies may be very well known locally but not as much internationally. The same goes for education institutions. When you apply for jobs abroad big household names don’t carry the same weight. For international interviews, candidates must learn how to describe their activities and accomplishments.
You can learn more about hiring interviews’ “do’s and don’ts” here.
And here’s what you need to know about mock interviews.
Your behavior impacts your recruitment process.Here’s how.
How can Premium Academy help me to be confident enough for a Job Interview in Canada and other countries?
Being prepared and knowing what to expect is the best way to navigate HR interviews when you apply to jobs in Canada, the US, or Europe. We offer you prep sessions for international candidates looking for opportunities abroad.
With our Premium Academy, you will have access to more than 40 hours of live classes monthly that will help you respond to questions confidently and feel more comfortable facing a real-time interview abroad. Our mission in class is to simulate an interview environment where you’ll improve your public speaking skills in English. Our live sessions are divided into behavioral, technical, and English for work & interviews classes. You’ll have the opportunity to get hands-on practice with all the most common questions and situations you might get in an international job interview while boosting your English grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and confidence.
Sign up here: www.vanhack.com/premium
Visit www.vanhack.com/candidates to be one of our many VanHackers hired 🙂
For success stories and tips about working in Canada check out the VanHack Podcast.
Learn more about Premium Academy at www.vanhack.com/premium
Check the next events in VanHack at https://vanhack.com/platform/#/events