Support displaced talent to interview and test effectively for international jobs

Here’s how managing organizations can support displaced talent to prepare for interviews.

Encourage displaced talent to do research

Before an interview, it’s helpful to conduct research about the company, the role, and the destination country’s interview norms. Coming into an interview well-informed demonstrates a candidate’s interest and preparedness. This kind of support can entail assisting a candidate in finding the resources which inform the candidate about the employer’s history, vision, values, and ways of doing business.

Provide materials

Organizations can provide candidates with various resources to prepare for an interview, such as sample questions and answers. For example, candidates can benefit from resources and guidance to introduce themselves to the interviewer, in response to the frequent “tell me about yourself” question. 

Candidates can be instructed in the STAR method to tell stories about their career and accomplishments. An organization can also help candidates prepare their answers to the other most common questions, such as “why do you want to work here?” “how would you handle…?” and so on. In addition to this, candidates should be prepared for aspects of the interview they may not be used to, such as unusual questions(i.e. “What’s your favorite color/superhero?”). The best way for candidates to be prepared for unexpected questions like this is to inform them that this may occur. There are many resources online that provide sample questions and tips for completing a successful interview. See below for additional resources.

Offer coaching, mock interviews and practice tests

Candidates may not be familiar with the standards, expectations, styles, and culture of interviewing in different destination countries. Interviewing cultures are constantly evolving, and candidates will benefit from coaching and training to build an understanding and develop their interviewing skills. Various support can be offered including coaching on interview preparation, sharing videos and written resources, conducting training sessions, and organizing practice interviews.

Conducting a run-through of an interview can be very helpful. A mock interview gives candidates a chance to test their technology and interview setup, practice answers to common questions, and gain familiarity with the interview format. A mock interviewer can also provide feedback to help improve a candidate’s performance in the actual interview.  

If the format for the interview involves intensive skills-based questions, having a mock interviewer with insider knowledge or experience in the given field is very helpful. While such a person might not work within the organization, it is possible to reach out to companies within that field in search of volunteers. If no volunteer can be found, AI software such as ChatGPT can also help formulate relevant skills-based questions if there is not a volunteer available. For example, one can utilize ChatGPT by commanding “I have an interview with an engineering company in Melbourne, Australia for the position of mechanical engineer. Give me technical questions and soft skills questions for a mechanical engineer interview in Australia.” 

Organizations can reach out to Talent Beyond Boundaries for support in connecting candidates with interview preparation resources, including potential mock-interview volunteers.

Resources for interview and skills test preparation

On Talent Beyond Boundaries interview and CV resources webpage you will find:

• General and Behavioral Interview Practice resources
• AI Interview Preparation resources
• Interview Preparation/Sample questions, stratified by sector/position.