Stop apologizing for your English in international job interviews
An accent, pronunciation mistakes or imperfect grammar don't mean you're not ready for an interview in English. What matters is whether you can talk about your experience and work in the language.
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STOP ⛔️ doing this in international job interviews. It might be getting in the way of your next opportunity!
Here’s more or less how it goes from my side: I look at someone’s CV, decide their profile seems like a good match for the role and schedule a first interview to get to know them better.
We start talking and, at some point, my little darling drops this sentence:
🗣️ “I'm sorry for my English...”
I’d love to tell you this isn’t common, but unfortunately I’ve heard it many, many times. And without wanting to call out my fellow Brazilians while absolutely calling out my fellow Brazilians: most of the people I’ve heard saying this were Brazilian 😐
Why on earth are you apologizing for speaking a second language?
Tell auntie something, seriously: WHY ON EARTH ARE YOU APOLOGIZING FOR SPEAKING A SECOND LANGUAGE, CREATURES? 😩
The idea of someone feeling inferior or believing they’re incapable of getting an opportunity because they have an accent or make some pronunciation or grammar mistakes is genuinely absurd to me.
Let me tell you a little secret, just between us: EVERYONE MAKES MISTAKES when speaking English. 😱
NO WAY. Yes, I swear, little darling.
Brazilians make mistakes. Italians make mistakes. Danes make mistakes. People from India make mistakes. Even Americans make mistakes.
“Wait, Americans too?”
YES, them too. Being a native speaker doesn’t mean you never make mistakes.
You don't need to wait until your English is perfect
The point is: you DO NOT NEED 🙅🏽 to wait until your English is perfect before taking part in a recruitment process.
And I hate to break it to you, but perfect English simply DOESN'T EXIST.
Before accepting an invitation to an international interview, the question you should ask yourself is:
Do I feel ready to talk about my professional experience in English? And to work in an environment where English is the official language? 💭
If your answer is YES ✅, go to the interview and be happy. Just remember to prepare beforehand, obviously!
If your answer is NO ❌, keep your butt firmly planted in that chair and keep studying. Your time will come.
AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, STOP APOLOGIZING FOR YOUR EXISTENCE. 🙋🏽😉
Deal?
