How to prepare for a job interview in Spanish?
Maybe moving to another country or getting a job in a foreign company are your next goals, or maybe you have simply applied for a job in a company that requires a minimum level of Spanish and you have to demonstrate your language skills. Whatever your situation, what is clear is that you are going to have to face a job interview in another language and you need to be as prepared as possible.
The best way to prepare for a job interview in another language is with Classgap's online spanish conversation classes. If you sign up for our platform you will find teachers from all over the world ready to help you achieve your professional goals. Practice your interview with an authentic native speaker who will teach you specific vocabulary for your sector, he/she will share with you the most commonly used expressions in the workplace.
Every interview is a challenge and even more so if you have to communicate with your interviewer in a language you don't know 100%, so it's important to stay calm and do everything you need to prepare for your interview. It is normal that we have little time from the moment we find out that we have been selected for an interview in another lenguage until the day of the interview, so we will probably have little time to be prepared for the interview.
What recruiters look for in a job interview in Spanish
Before we give you the tips that will help you succeed in your interview in Spanish, and assuming that you already know the basic rules for a traditional job interview, we want to stop for a moment and think about what it means to be asked to do a job interview in Spanish (in a country where Spanish is not the official language).
This can happen to all of us, and in any job interview we are faced with the possibility of being asked to speak in another language that we know at some point and, most of the time, we get scared and react by freezing up. We think it is important for you to know what the interviewer is looking for in these situations, so that you know what they want from you when the time comes.
- Check your level of English: Keep in mind that, if having a minimum level of Spanish was a requirement for the job you have applied for, the interviewer must check it and will do so by having a conversation with you in Spanish. Most of the interview will usually be in your native language and at a certain point you will be asked to describe yourself in Spanish, describe your previous job or explain how you see yourself in the near future.
TIP: Ideally, before the interview you should prepare with an Spanish teacher several answers to possible questions that may arise in an interview in your field of work.
Prepare your interview in Spanish
- Check your reactivity: The ability to get the job done under stressful situations or the way we react to a sudden problem are two qualities that are highly valued in any job. Being suddenly asked to continue the interview in Spanish helps recruiters to assess our ability to react, our body language and our attitude in the face of a "problem".
TIP: Always stay calm, be natural and sincere. Speak only about what you know and lose your embarrassment, in many cases your attitude towards the situation will be more important than your level of Spanish.
If you want to know what are the 15 typical interview questions in Spanish, don't miss this post.
7 tips for mastering a job interview in Spanish
To be successful in a job interview the first step is always to gather information about the company you are applying for a job with, whatever language the interview is in, this is a fundamental point. Once we are informed and fully understand the company's culture and history, we can start preparing for our job interview in Spanish.
Here are the 5 keys that are essential for us:
1. Learn specific vocabulary: The conversation you may have during any job interview will be full of technical terms and expressions specific to your sector and the job you are applying for. We recommend that before going to your interview you familiarise yourself with the most typical words of your profession and work organisation in general.
2. Review the verb tenses: During an interview it is common to keep a discourse with numerous time leaps, we talk about what we studied in the past, what we are currently doing and what we would like to do. If you make a mistake in the use of verb tenses you can create confusion in your interviewer, as well as demonstrating a low level of Spanish since managing verb tenses is a basic knowledge.
3. Think of useful expressions: Don't just use typical grammatical structures, if you really want to show that you have a good level of Spanish we recommend that you go a little further and collect expressions and idioms that can be useful during a job interview. You may find that your recruiter will use some of them and you need to be prepared.
4. Practice out loud: The best way to prepare for an interview in Spanish is to do a lot of interviews in Spanish. It seems obvious but practice is what makes you an expert, so we recommend that you find someone with whom you can simulate an interview in Spanish, ideally someone who has a higher level than you so that they can correct your pronunciation and any grammatical mistakes you make. If you don't have anyone, don't give up, book an online Spanish conversation class at Classgap and practice with a private native Spanish teacher.
Choose the best online Spanish teacher
5. Don't underestimate the small talk: If you have been told that the interview will be entirely in Spanish, you should bear in mind that your first meeting with your recruiter will probably be in Spanish. This casual conversation is part of the interview and is crucial to making a good impression. Don't make the mistake of focusing only on preparing professional questions as this conversation tends to be about trivial topics such as the weather, traffic, etc.
6. Avoid using monosyllables: Ideally, your answers should be neither too short nor too long, as this will help you to show confidence. Experts recommend that answers last between 1 and 3 minutes, therefore, even if the answer is closed and can be answered with a "yes" / "no", try to add more information that may be useful or an example that demonstrates what you are talking about.
7. Prepare a list of questions: At the end of the interview, the recruiter will probably ask you if you have any questions and, if not, asking your questions and requesting more information that may have been overlooked will demonstrate your interest and proactive attitude. It is essential that you prepare for your interview in Spanish by including questions, but always bearing in mind that these will reveal your concerns and priorities for the job and should not have been answered during the interview or relate to aspects of the job or the company that you should already know about.
Preparing for an interview in Spanish with Classgap
Facing an interview in Spanish may seem like a difficult challenge, but it is not impossible. The important thing is that you approach it with sufficient resources. Online Spanish conversation classes are the most effective method for this type of situation.
On Classgap you will find the ideal platform to prepare for an interview in Spanish, you can choose from a large number of teachers specialised in preparing for interviews in Spanish and give online speaking classes, enjoy the immediacy that online teachers offer, you can decide in the morning that you want to do an Spanish conversation class and book it for the same afternoon. You will be able to contact native teachers from anywhere in the world, choose the price of your lesson and lose the embarrassment of speaking in Spanish as you will only have to speak in front of your teacher.
Do you want to know how Classgap works? Just follow these steps:
- Sign up for Classgap
- Access to the English teacher grid
- Search through the wide range of options to find the one that best suits your needs.
- Select the teacher and check their timetable
- Take advantage of the free trial to get to know each other and present your objectives to the teacher
- Book the class at the timetable of your choice
- Make the payment through the platform
Now that you have a complete understanding of the steps to follow to prepare for a job interview in Spanish, all you have to do is book an Spanish class with Classgap and you're sure to get the job you want!