Comments on: Linguistic penalty in the job interview

By: Angela Ardidon

Angela Ardidon — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 15:28:02 +0000

Evidently, the language itself has no fault here. Like, they were created and formed the way they are. They are diverse, they are different because they embody and represent people from different parts of the world. So I think the ones to blame in this issue are the discriminatory people themselves. It was mentioned in the blog that what they were looking for weren’t the ones who could speak the most fluent English but someone who could tell a good story or play the language game in interviews. They seek people who are bright and humorous and the ones who sell themselves to the company in chill and not-so-tensed ways. I think having this strategy in interviews is not wrong since this works more often than not. However, the discrimination comes from their sense of unappreciation of those applicants born abroad. In essence, the state of English in this specific workplace context or setting is one big knot. Even if they say that one’s inability to speak Standard English is not the issue, I believe it is. I think they will not judge or discriminate against the applicants just because they are born abroad. Still, they also judge their way of speaking, their accent, or how they communicate. I understand the importance of standard English, especially in education, since it is taught to students to aid their verbal and written skills. But Standard English is one of many ways of speaking the English language. No child, no adult, no one should be penalized for speaking to another.

By: Jann Kyla Discallar

Jann Kyla Discallar — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 11:32:49 +0000

I’m no stranger to perusing articles concerning the state of non-native English-speaking individuals in an English-dominated workplace, however, this is something quite new. Instead of one’s fluency in the language or accent, the ability to “play the language game” was taken into consideration. Whilst I understand that this particular skill does provide some insight regarding a person, interviewers must also take note of the fact that humour does and should not exactly dictate the outcome of whether or not a candidate must be hired. After all, one’s competency mostly lies in their past experiences. It was stated that the interviewers were well-aware of how a “good command of English” is irrelevant to repetitive and monotonous jobs, so I say that they should also extend this consideration to one’s ability to “play the language game” as well.

By: Gyro Guevarra

Gyro Guevarra — Fri, 25 Nov 2022 07:17:34 +0000

There is, indeed, no field that doesn’t make use of language. Even jobs that don’t require migrant applicants to communicate or are primarily based on numbers will need them to undergo job interviews where they must express themselves and explain why they’re qualified for the position. Some may argue that proficiency in English is unimportant in these jobs since they don’t require migrants to have perfect grammar or a large vocabulary, even during the job interview. However, proficiency in English also includes the ability to perform utterances appropriate in social contexts for effective communication. In this case, knowing how to produce preferred responses increased the applicants’ chances of getting hired.

By: Zheng Wei

Zheng Wei — Sun, 20 Nov 2022 02:41:16 +0000

It cannot be denied that when hiring new employees, recruiters place a high value on the ability to speak and write English. Companies are looking for workers who can read and comprehend written instructions, reports, letters, memos, notices, and other types of official papers. Prospective employers place equal importance on a candidate’s capacity for formal communication in both written and oral form. Being an effective presenter, negotiator, and meeting organizer becomes organically necessary as one advances up the organizational hierarchy in the vertical direction. A person can carry out their responsibilities more effectively if they are fluent in English. Lack of oral and written communication skills is one of the significant flaws that employers and recruiters find in candidates for various occupations. At the time of the interview, many applicants struggle to provide concise responses and struggle to construct a basic official letter or report. It becomes a disadvantage for applicants with strong subject-matter expertise. Employers would be glad to interview and hire candidates who had both job skills and effective English communication. It minimizes their responsibility for providing excessive orientation training during induction or on-the-job training. Therefore, it is just important for employees to know how to speak the English language.

By: Ria Reñido

Ria Reñido — Sat, 12 Nov 2022 03:15:08 +0000

Job interviews help in determining if an employee, who is applying for the job, is qualified. It could be deemed that language proficiency has been regarded as the utmost criterion during interviews which makes the capabilities of workers somewhat overlooked. With this in mind, while humor and experiences contribute to the effective discourse between interviewer and interviewee, it might also help to communicate in a manner that will be comfortable for interviewees along with denoting reflexivity.

By: Ghayle Roam D. Noche

Ghayle Roam D. Noche — Fri, 11 Nov 2022 06:01:53 +0000

Language play in the workplace appears to be crucial and demanding at times. This difficulty typically begins during the job interview, wherein applicants are expected to persuade the interviewer that they are qualified for the position – for some, this includes injecting some backstory or humor into their responses. It’s worth emphasizing that interviews can be tough at times and changing the response routine could be a breath of new air for both parties. However, stories and humor must be strictly regulated at all times. For me, this should not only be the sole basis to prove that an applicant is qualified enough for the position. To conclude, it seems like job interviewers emphasize breaking down communication barriers and employing communicative strategies to keep the conversation going as essential factors of an applicant’s success rather than of their linguistic proficiency.

By: Crista Cadorniga

Crista Cadorniga — Sun, 06 Nov 2022 18:11:30 +0000

The issue is not about being a speaker of a language, but it is because of the ability to communicate successfully because of the language barrier. Immigrants are increasing in most countries now, and the corporate world should now take into consideration that language is a given that to be considered and not be considered a problem. Another thing is that, is “humor” really the basis of a job interview? How about the skills? The resume? The reference? These are other means to answer the question: “What’s the benefit of a repetitious job?”.

By: Audrey Guevarra

Audrey Guevarra — Sun, 06 Nov 2022 14:29:26 +0000

During interviews, it’s crucial to take into consideration a candidate’s personality and experience because these factors will also affect how they operate within the organization. Nevertheless, interviewers can see and notice that while listening to the interviewees’ narration, and that is when they would determine whether the applicants would be a good fit for the position. Failure in a job interview depends less on how well a candidate speaks English than on how casually they can express their experiences.

By: Brittany Kirsch

Brittany Kirsch — Sun, 30 Oct 2022 23:32:42 +0000

It is interesting to note how “playing a language game” does not only apply to the use of the English language in job interviews, which the article clearly demonstrated. In fact, this generalized concept may also apply to other languages that are utilized by individuals who are being interviewed for a job. We could concur that it may not be the language per se that challenges the interviews, but the primary expectations that the interviewers have for their interviewees, such as keeping the conversation or discourse going in an attempt to prove their flexibility and productiveness for the job should they be accepted.

By: Khan

Khan — Thu, 01 May 2014 17:06:14 +0000

“Structured inequalities!”. In the game of cricket, the format of the game whether it is 20 or 40 overs or whether it is one day or a five day match determine the performance of the players and the team to a great extent. It has been seen that teams and players’ performance are largely determined by the format of the game also apart from other variables .The point I want to make here is not a brand new one i.e. “FORMAT” is very important. But the question is who gets involved in the formation of the format, determine its rules and regulations and who has the power to implement it? I think it will be naive to spot ethnicity and cultural background in this case because apparently it is International Association of Cricket, that formulate such rules and regulations about the format. But to assume this association as neutral would be risky especially in the web of multinational companies with their high stakes in the game. So in many ways, the format and its rules are shown to have been made by the Association but in fact they are made outside the Association.

Back to the blog- post, in order to challenge the structured inequality we should challenge/question the thought/bent of mind that give rise to texts that constrain the creation of level-playing field.

Best,

Khan

Graduate School of Education

University of Pennsylvania.

By: Gravy? | OISE Cambridge

Gravy? | OISE Cambridge — Wed, 16 Apr 2014 08:32:06 +0000

[…] own boredom’, and which also acts as a species of cultural lubricant (read about the research here); or, if you prefer, of cultural […]

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Sometimes Getting Along Comes Down To How You Say ‘Gravy’ — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 15:49:22 +0000

[…] Researchers found that interviewers wanted applicants to tell stories about themselves in their responses. And that was a cultural expectation that the foreign-born applicants just didn’t understand, according to Language on the Move‘s Ingrid Piller: […]

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By: Dr K Parameswaran

Dr K Parameswaran — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 16:08:19 +0000

I think the basic issue is whether the interviewee is able to formulate his thoughts and ideas using an acceptable medium. From this it follows that migrant interviewees may not be able to compete well not because they are not able to use acceptable English. One of the reasons for this may their way of thinking – because they come from a variant culture – may be different and hence not in tune with the dominant way of thinking in their new environment.

By: Alex Ballantyne

Alex Ballantyne — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 13:25:31 +0000

What about language as an indicator of cognitive processes? What about cultural differences that are exposed by language? It makes sense that we would want to work or interact in non-social (shopping, medical treatment, travelling as opposed to meeting some one for a drink) with someone who is close to our individual norms in terms of language use. This applies equally when recruiting staff for mundane jobs – as a Scot I would find it easier to have staff who could understand me saying ‘aw n pit a muckle load o beans oan the tap shelf’ than having to modify my tongue to achieve some lingua franca. Having worked in multinational environments where English was the official language but where 90% of staff were L2 users I can evidence how much easier it is to work with other Scots. This is not racism it is pragmatic. I would imagine that all cultures/nationalities would have similar views – even if they were a bit fearful of stating them.