Some time ago I participated in Amsterdam Expatcenter event, where we had a short discussion about Dutch job interviews and the best way to position yourself in Dutch job market.
The speaker gave an example of American lady, who disliked Dutch job interviews because of very personal and irrelevant questions she was asked - "How long do you live here?", " Why did you move?", "How was your day?" etc. While they might seem innocent questions for me and you, it was not like that for her.
As the speaker explained, unfortunately she did not know that in job interviews these kind of questions or answers are not important, as the main importance is paid to make the interviewee comfortable and relaxed before the interview and real questions. Well, in this case with the American lady it just got the opposite effect.
After being to a few job interviews myself I can confirm that it is indeed true, although luckily it does not make me annoyed. But then again, I always thought that Latvians are very similar to Dutch.
In one of my previous job interviews in the Netherlands I got to know:
- Why did the interviewer (non-Dutch) moved to the Netherlands;
- What sense of humor does the interviewer have;
- That all Latvian girls' names start with A (according to their previous experience);
- Where did my interviewers study.
- Etc.
Relevant information? Not at all. But it helped me to see the "human side" of those people and make it a bit less informal for both of us. I also do not mind sharing information with them (why did I move here; what do I think about Amsterdam; was it easy to find the office etc.).
If you do not feel so comfortable yourself, here is a hint - starting asking them questions back and let them do talking!
Nav komentāru:
Ierakstīt komentāru