View Content #19292

By Haley McCormick, University of Oregon graduate student in the LTS program.

The research of Louw, Derwig and Abbott (2010), makes clear the difference in interviewer perceptions of native and non-native speakers of English interviewees for an Engineering job. In general, the non-native English speakers’ first interview answers were weaker in substance due to not correctly interpreting the desired way to answer the interview questions. For example, they were asked “Why did you choose this field?” and in the non-native speakers responses, instead of personal anecdotes or reasons for being passionate about engineering, they simply said that engineering was their field, or that they had experience in the field. Other examples from this study make clear the need for non-native English speakers to focus on specific job interview skills.

This activity is based around a short sample job interview dialogue, that was found online or fabricated for the class. In line with the characteristics and behaviors extracted from the research, the activity will address some of the more pragmatically-based issues for non-native speakers attempting English interviews. The goal of this activity sequence is for the learners to be aware of the general expectations for job interview, including analyzing real interview questions and a sample mock interview. Students will also have an opportunity to practice answering interview questions in a follow-up assignment.

More on the context, rationale and procedure can be found here, and the accompanying handout here.

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this activity sequence, students should be able to:

• Identify selected linguistic and cultural features that are desirable in a successful English speaking job interview.
• Imitate some of those features in a controlled practice of a mock or role-play interview.