How to use English at work and what mistakes to avoid
Text: Anastasia Maximova
Open the description of any job and you will almost certainly see there is the line "The level of knowledge of English is not lower than the intermediate". Many applicants are frightened by these words, they start spinning in their heads: “Well, no, I just read the articles somehow, I don’t speak it fluently.” Or: "What if I get nervous, I cannot connect two words, and my resume is not ideal." He raises the head of an impostor syndrome that whispers in your ear: "This is someone else - a professional, not me. I'm just an amateur, I'm not good enough for this job." How many careers died, not having time to be born, due to the fact that someone did not dare to send his resume to the vacancy, which indicated a foreign language?
In fact, communication in a foreign language is not so bad, even if you do not have a very high level of knowledge. Most of the skills are gained by practicing "in the fields", and not cramming. We talk about the different aspects of professional communication that scare the most, and how to cope with them.
Summary
Even before you personally meet a potential employer, he will become acquainted with your professional achievements. Writing a resume in a foreign language requires even greater care and double checking for errors and typos.
When writing, you should follow several rules. First, the text should not be too large. This is important not only for resumes in a foreign language, but especially for him. You have a maximum of two pages to summarize your experience. Secondly, if you are writing a summary in English, decide which of the options you write: British or American. In fact, not so much your choice as uniformity. American English is now more popular, but if you are sending a resume to a British company, give preference to classical English. Remember that the two options differ not only in vocabulary, but also in spelling. Be attentive to such words as organization or apologize - in English they are written in s (organization, apologise).
Third, since two pages are not so much, save space and omit pronouns. It is not necessary to write every time: “I can drive a car”, “I completed a project that brought the company $ 200,000”, but you can start right away with the verbs “done”, “completed”, “earned” - you can’t skimp. At the same time, avoid the passive voice, use simple grammatical structures and do not write long sentences. Believe me - reading them is as difficult as writing them without errors.
Finally, the last recommendation is try to be original. This does not mean that you need to decorate your resume with balloons and insert in the middle the phrase "Who read to this place - to that chocolate bar." Just choose your words more carefully. Imagine what a resume for this job looks like from other specialists in your field: what adjectives are they likely to choose? Now imagine that a hr-specialist looks at dozens, hundreds of identical expressions. A vivid example: the most popular adjective in LinkedIn user profiles in 2014 was the word motivated, in 2013 - responsible, in 2012 - creative. Obviously, they are not just popular, but already crammed. Better pick up synonyms.
Interview
People are afraid to say - unfortunately, for many it has become part of the norm. A huge number of people in childhood realized: "You do not know what to say clever - better shut up." This "better shut up" is recorded on our "hard drive", and we bring it with us all through life, fearing new opportunities. However, if you are to have an interview in a foreign language, in your hands, prepare for it as carefully as possible.
A few days before the interview you should start talking to him (albeit with yourself), watching TV shows or a movie. This is the first thing you can do, especially in cases where you have not had practice for a long time. It may take some time to get in shape - so the sooner you start, the easier it will be.
Often the interview takes place in the same scenario. The list of questions is not too long: tell about yourself, about your achievements, experience, what career prospects do you see for yourself in five years and so on. Make for yourself the rough answers to these questions, but in no case do not learn them by heart - live communication, unlike the "topic" at the blackboard, involves a pause. You can be asked again, interrupted, or simply quickly ask the next question. When you memorize a text, it is difficult to stop, to find a card with a different theme in your "mental card file", to tune in to it. It will be much better if you, instead of cramming a monologue, remember only the "anchor words" - phrases and expressions that are relevant specifically in your industry. By inserting them into your answer, you will convince the hr-specialist of his professionalism and rich vocabulary.
Do not neglect the podcasts, which are many on the Internet - they will provide an opportunity to update the vocabulary. It will be useful to have in the arsenal of words that will help you pull the time. You are not a radio announcer, but the word "interview" is akin to "conversation" - that is, no one expects you to have a clear, mechanical speech. You will need expressions that give you a second or two to think about. For example, after listening to a question, you can say something like "Oh, I see ..." (if the interview is in English) or ask the interlocutor, especially if you are not sure that you understood him correctly. Never be afraid to clarify the question: even professional translators sometimes ask the speaker if they understand him correctly. A phrase like "You would like to know about ..., right?" will sound natural and appropriate.
Very often, job seekers at the interview begin to worry and chatter, thereby increasing the number of errors in their speech. Do not hurry. You began to answer, felt that your palms were sweating, and you yourself do not understand what you are talking about? Stop it. Exhale Smile to your counterpart and start anew, but this time three times slower.
Finally, remember another very important rule - no need to apologize for your accent or for your mistakes (unless, of course, you are having an interview in Japanese, where apologies represent a layer of communication culture). Everyone has an accent, and it should be treated as its own peculiarity, rather than a disadvantage.
Business correspondence
When we write business letters, we often forget that we are not heard and not seen. The interviewee does not know whether we are talking irritably, tiredly or kindly; he can only interpret what we have written. To imagine this well, imagine that getting an email from a stranger is like trying to listen to a speech through a concrete wall. But if this letter is in a foreign language - through two concrete walls.
There are several common mistakes that people make when writing in a foreign language. First, they leave the subject line blank. Open the secret - most of these messages immediately flies the basket. Do not be lazy and be sure to specify in a few words what your letter is about, and try to make the heading meaningful. "Hello" in the Subject field, of course, is better than nothing, but worse than, for example, "Hello from Management Annual Conference".
The letters in English often forget about the appeal "dear". "Dear" is polite and safe. Business consultant on corporate etiquette Cynthia Lett says: "80% of people I know will not start relationships with those who start their letters simply from the name, because they feel that the other person does not respect them. The email is a letter, not a conversation. "
In addition, incorrect communications are often used in business correspondence. For a perfect letter you need to know the name, title and gender of the recipient. But even if you do not know either this, or the other, or the third - nothing terrible, there are workarounds. “In English, as in all Germanic languages, positions and titles are more often used than in Russian,” says the head of the quality control department at ABBYY LS, Alexander Vikhrev, “this is clearly seen in business cards. Therefore, be sure to check the signature of you write, or find, for example, his publication or mention of him on the Internet. If he is a professor or a doctor of science (or just a doctor), then it would be more correct to refer to him Dear Professor Smirnoff or Dear Dr. Smirnoff, and not Mr. "
Finally, in business correspondence it is worth being careful with jokes. A joke is a delicate matter, implies a good knowledge of cultural characteristics and an excellent knowledge of the language. But even in this case, it is not always possible to make the person on the other side of the screen smile.
Conversation
Imagine: the boss comes into your office and announces that tomorrow Michael Smith arrives to you from America, who wants to personally discuss the issue of buying a large batch of ballpoint pens from your company. Or they send you to America so that you can talk to Michael Smith. "This is my finest hour," - you understand and go to prepare for the upcoming meeting. What do we have to do?
First of all, collect all materials relating to ballpoint pens and the vocabulary associated with them. Check if you or your colleagues have a history of cooperation with Michael. If so, read all corporate documentation. If not, carefully review the site of Michael. If he is from a large company, most likely you will find a large nomenclature, which means that you will be required to carefully study the terminology. Preparing for a meeting, do it immediately in the right language, do not translate.
The fact that negotiations are conducted in English does not always mean that English is the mother tongue of the interlocutor. Therefore, read how to negotiate in different cultures. For example, it is difficult for the Japanese to say “no” to a business partner directly, while the Indians, although very correct, but very formal, even old-fashioned English. Be prepared for the fact that perhaps you will know English better than your interlocutor.
“After negotiations, we always make follow up - some people call it the“ meeting protocol, ”says Valeria Bedran, head of the ABBYY LS interpretation department.“ When it comes to negotiations with foreigners, many people are afraid of being not fully understood or, conversely, not to catch the meaning of what was said. Sometimes after the meeting we are worried: “Did I understand everything correctly?". For this we need follow up - I would recommend to write a letter with the results of the meeting and send it to all the participants. and with ke You agree:. with the dates, amounts and other information accurate It really helps to avoid misunderstandings during the negotiations. "
In fact, sometimes it is better to overstate your skills a little, rather than to understate them (naturally, within reason), in a communicative environment, development proceeds very quickly. It often happens that, although the description of the vacancy indicated "perfect English", in fact you will have to simply write several letters on it a month. First of all, be sure to specify the extent to which you really need the language: will you read it, speak it, and how often do you have to do it. Remember that you can learn everything, and a lot - pretty quickly.