Which Language Should You Choose During a Job Interview?
A Lesson I Learned in Canada
Designed by Magnific – www.magnific.com
Canadian recruiters are often very pragmatic during job interviews, and you really need to be be ready when it comes to improvisation.
At HP Canada, for instance, I had to improvise throughout the entire job interview in French, as I hadn’t expected it.
As an expat preparing for a French job interview, besides practicing your French for an upcoming job interview, you will also carefully prepare how to present your resume and answer questions.
But sometimes, the biggest challenge is not what you say:
- It’s deciding in which language you should say it.
And in Canada, where improvisation is often required during job interviews, you also need to be well prepared.
The Context: A Job Interview in Montreal
In the early 2010s, I was looking for a new job in Montreal.
At that time, I was interested in working as an IT trainer, and I was eventually invited to an interview with a big Canadian company.
I felt very happy because the job was offering me everything I was looking for:
- Delivering technical training sessions
- Travelling all across Canada to visit local offices of the company
- Speaking both English and French
I was studying the company website when I received an email from the recruiter, with a simple instruction to follow:
- Prepare a training session about a software application of your choice. You will deliver it during the interview.
They want to know what you are capable of, so they just ask you to prove it.
Get your Free Professional French Assessment
- Are you an expat? Do you speak French?
- Do you struggle in real work situations in French? (business presentations, job interviews, meetings with customers…)
I will assess your Professional French through a short practical exercise.
Challenge 1: Choosing a Topic
As I felt very excited about delivering training sessions, I found this challenge very stimulating, as I could choose any software.
But I had to choose it wisely. I decided to choose a software:
- Technical enough to have an interesting training to deliver.
- That anyone could understand easily during a job interview.
- That I already mastered and could talk about naturally.
As I have a passion for music, I decided to choose “FL Studio“, a Digital Audio Workstation quite easy to use.
At that time, I used it a lot, so I could explain how it worked easily.
I understood that the topic I chose was not the most important thing:
- The recruiter needed to know if I could explain a technical topic clearly to different audiences.
So I needed a topic I was comfortable with.
Tips for expats preparing for a job interview: Always choose a subject that you know well.
Challenge 2: Choosing the Language
But there was another challenge for me, maybe more important than the choice of the topic:
- Should I prepare the job interview presentation in English or French?
The participants of the training sessions were employees of the company, all across Canada.
It may have been obvious that I was supposed to be able to deliver it both in English and French, as Canada is a bilingual country where both English and French are used professionally.
Moreover, the headquarters were located in Montreal, a bilingual city as well, so there was no question about the needs of both languages for the job.
But I was concerned about other things:
- Recruiters communicated with me in English by email, so it could be the official language of the company.
- I’m French, so they will obviously test my English.
My Strategy to Manage Both Languages
I had to prepare the PowerPoint slides, as well as the explanations, and I had to choose a language, so I decided to prepare:
- 80% of the training session (slides and explanation) in English
- The remaining 20% in French
But as I knew they would test my English more than my French:
- I also prepared the 20% in English as well (just the explanation).
So if they eventually asked me to switch from French to English during the job interview, I could do it anytime, as I had prepared the full presentation in English.
Delivering The Training Session During The Interview: The Unexpected Moment
I felt very confident during the job interview, as I knew well the software, and I had also prepared short demonstrations with music to explain the main functionalities of FL Studio.
I observed both recruiters carefully and it looked like they were very interested in the subject.
I had been speaking only English since the beginning of the presentation, as planned. They let me deliver it without interrupting me.
When it came to the last slides in French, I naturally switched into French.
And suddenly, one of the recruiters said:
“Can you please continue in English?“
Even if I had anticipated this possibility, I felt surprised because I had spoken English for a while, and I was thinking I had already demonstrated my English proficiency.
So I continued in English with the last slides in French, as I had planned for this.
What Saved My Interview And What I Should Have Done
As an expat during a job interview abroad, it makes sense that my language skills would be tested.
Although practicing English was important, it’s not what saved my interview:
- My preparation and my language strategy clearly saved my job interview.
Tips for expats: Always prepare for the most demanding scenario.
Looking back on this experience, I may have avoided this situation, just by asking the recruiter:
“In which language would you like me to deliver the presentation?“
But I didn’t do it because as an expat, I didn’t dare ask, maybe because I was scared to show a lack of language skills.
Conclusion
When you’re an expat preparing for a French job interview, keep in mind that the recruiter won’t test only your language skills.
It’s important for you to know more about their expectations, so that you can be better prepared for the interview.
Tips for expats: Don’t be afraid to ask questions beforehand, you will be better prepared.
Let’s Work In French
Do you need to improve your professional French and practice presenting technical topics and answering questions in presentations, or job interviews?
Book your Professional French Assessment to prepare for your presentation in French.
I will assess your professional French and help you understand the local workplace cultural codes, and together we will define clear objectives for your upcoming presentation.