Is English your second language (ESL)? This can cause significant communication problems during job interviews with US companies. These problems can keep you from getting the jobs you are qualified for.
I’ve worked with many job seekers from China, Japan, Mexico, France, and Dubai, among others, to help them overcome language and/or cultural barriers so they can communicate more effectively in job interviews.
How a Coach Can Help
For instance, I just got off the phone with a highly skilled job seeker from China. She knew that her phone interviews weren’t going well, but she didn’t realize just how much trouble she was having until she worked with a coach.
Even though she speaks English, she wasn’t communicating effectively. She wasn’t asking for clarification when she didn’t understand a question, a phrase, or a term her interviewer used. She wasn’t conveying confidence in her abilities, so companies didn’t feel confident in asking her for face-to-face interviews. We corrected these issues, practiced a few skills, and she was able to secure a wonderful new job.
A Coach Can Help You Communicate Your Value (and Get a Better Job)
Another person I coached was an amazing executive business analyst who’s worked with big U.S.-based companies like Starbucks and KFC. In her experience, the companies she worked for thought she was OK, but treated her very coolly. They weren’t enthusiastic about her until she’d worked in the job for about a month. Once they had experienced how amazing she truly was, their attitudes toward her changed dramatically.
This experience of hers was a direct result of her ability to communicate effectively in English. When I began working with her, I found that she dropped letters of the backs of certain words, and had difficulty pronouncing other words. As a result, others didn’t perceive her to be as intelligent as she is.
To address this, we practiced questions and answers. I recorded our sessions for her so she could also practice on her own. After just a few hours of coaching, she experienced a dramatic difference. It changed everything–her interview quality, interview outcomes, and confidence level. She landed a big job she loves because she improved her language skills in order to better communicate her value.
Not Just For ESL–A Coach Can Help Anyone’s Communication Skills
It isn’t just ESL job seekers who have trouble communicating their value because of language issues. I also work with native English speakers to improve their communication skills. Everyone can benefit from this. I know I did. My coach was my great aunt, who was born in 1903. She was an English teacher and became a Superintendent of Schools in the state of Oklahoma. She taught me about enunciation, pausing for effect, listening, and how much of an effect you can have with how you say things. She taught me how to convey confidence with my speech.
Every job seeker must convey confidence in interviews–it’s essential. No employer will hire someone who isn’t confident they can do the job. You need to be able to communicate well to impress in phone interviews and perform in face-to-face interviews to get good job offers.
How to Get Coaching
If you know this is a problem for you, schedule some coaching time today: Get Coaching Here
If you’re not sure this is for you, then just get 30 minutes. Everyone can benefit from time with a career coach. If you try it and believe that it will change your life, then we can add time from there: Career Coaching