How To Ace An Interview As An Immigrant [ Part 1 ]

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Interviews are particularly stressful for immigrants, therefore it is difficult to ace an interview as an immigrant.

There are different reasons why immigrants struggle with finding jobs and interviews.

You usually must do an interview through an online platform, such as Skype, which adds to the stress of the situation, which makes it even more difficult to ace an interview as an immigrant.

Also, it might be with someone who is from another culture or speaking a language which is not our first language

The best you can do is to prepare as best possible for an interview.

1. Good preparation means that you lower your stress levels and do not have to “think on your feet’ as much.

2. It helps you to relax, which in turn contributes to your chances to ace an interview as an immigrant.

This will be a mini-series, helping you to prepare for interviews as an immigrant. Note – it is not about what to do during the interview, but more about how to prepare.

As I said, great preparation is a battle 80% won!

Part 1 will be about researching the organisation.

Part 2 will be about researching the role.

Part 3 will be about researching the person.

Part 4 will be about some technical preparations which you need to take care of to prepare for all kinds of interviews which immigrant are exposed to.

Before we begin, remember this:

Remember, that when a company is satisfied that you can do the work, the technical skills, which are on your CV – is already satisfied when they invite you to an interview, they are looking for attributes which will indicate that you will fit into their business. 

These are attributes which cannot be found on a CV, like enthusiasm, interest, communication and interpersonal skills and measuring your potential future behaviour based on past behaviour.

If you can address this “fit” during an interview, you will ace an interview as an immigrant and be the preferred candidate!

So, without further ado – here is part ONE of how to prepare well and ace an interview as an immigrant:

Researching the company:

Before the interview – you must do certain kinds of research to ace an interview as an immigrant

1. Researching the company is the best place to start if you want to ace an interview as an immigrant.

Go on their website and LinkedIn Page and find out how big they are, what their values are, what they are currently involved in, like projects etc.

2. See if you can find relevant information on their careers page

This will provide information about their recruitment and hiring processes. 

It might also include information about their culture, ways of work and values.

3. Then, look at the Team or About Us page

Read as much as possible there. This will give you an idea of the management of the company, their history, how they formed, how long they have been in existence and what they are trying to achieve now, in other words, their goals and objectives. 

This is very important information for you to ace an interview as an immigrant, and to form an understanding of how you will fit into these goals and objectives.

4. Projects Information

Some companies have information about projects which they are working on, and also other organisations which they are working with, or some of their major partners or clients.

I recommend you look at these projects or organisations or clients a little bit, to see if there is information there which stands out.

5. Relevancy during your interview

The more you know about them the more relevant your answers will be and the more it will resonate with them. This will enhance your chances to ace an interview as an immigrant, because it shows that you have done your homework!

6. Take notes

Write some of the information down, and you can possibly use it in your interview.

7. Charity and community involvement?

Some businesses are heavily involved in charity or community projects in their immediate town or city. 

This is invaluable information for you, to moment on or ask about during your interview, also showing your shared interest in these types of involvement, and cementing your fit for within this business.

8. Asking questions

For example asking questions, or making comments about this information during your interview is highly likely to directly indicate your enthusiasm and interest and the fact that you have gone the extra mile to do your research well. This will strongly contribute to your chances to ace an interview as an immigrant.

9. Show your interest and enthusiasm to ace an interview as an immigrant

This way it will show your interest in them and their work. Small business owners value this very much. 

Most often this business is their baby, and you being interested in it, being enthusiastic about it, goes far beyond your CV and skills and into the 85% of the hiring decision requirements, like enthusiasm and interest.

Ok, that it as far as researching the company goes. 

You should now have a great idea who they are, what is important to them, what their company goals are and what they are looking for in an employee.

In the next video, we will look at further preparation – researching the role and being able to answer some behavioural and technical questions which are more related to the actual role and work to ace an interview as an immigrant.

Remember, there are 4 parts to this mini series about acing your interview as an immigrant, and you can find the links to each somewhere around, above, or below this video.

If you need hand-holding assistance to find your job as an immigrant, fill out our quick questionnaire here, to see how we can assist you. See you in the next video

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