How to Prepare for a Bilingual Interview

by Ruth Mayhew
Use your bilingual skills to expand your career choices.

Use your bilingual skills to expand your career choices.

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If you own a foreign language proficiency, you need to be able to demonstrate it. And, if it's a requirement for the job, you could be expected to complete a portion of your interview in your second language. The Chicago Tribune reported U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics information in a Nov. 19, 2011, article about the added benefits of bilingual skills for job seekers: "The top industries for bilingual candidates include financial services, health care, social services, sales and marketing and public service." You could increase your chances for landing a great job if your can impress the company during your bilingual interview.


Research the company's clientele or customer base to determine whether there's a particular dialect of the language for which you'll be expected to demonstrate proficiency. For example, if you are bilingual in English and Spanish, ensure you're able to speak Castilian Spanish if the company has locations or clientele from Spain as opposed to Mexico.


Take a refresher course or study the nuances of a different culture while you're practicing your language skills. Working in a job where you're expected to use your language skills typically requires more than simply being able to speak another language. You should be able to actually communicate in the second language, which means you must understand the cultural aspects of the people whose language you've studied.


List additional languages you're capable of speaking, reading or writing. Even if you're not fluent in more than one language, brush up on other languages in which you have beginner level, intermediate or advanced proficiency.


Draft typical interview questions in English as well as in your second language. Ask a bilingual friend or language instructor to practice interviewing you in another language so you get accustomed to hearing interview questions being asked in another language. Refrain from using colloquialisms in responding to interview questions. However, you might need to demonstrate your understanding of idiomatic expressions if you're going to be working in both informal and formal settings.


Practice using your second language in a variety of settings -- go to restaurants, communities or classrooms where you are required to speak anything but English. Force yourself to use your bilingual skills more than you normally would to improve your ability to speak fluidly without hesitation. By the time you get to your interview, you should be able to switch from English to your second language with exceptional ease.

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