Have you ever had to take part in an interview that's been conducted by someone of a different nationality? I've had this occasion multiple times. I've been interviewed by people from the US, Germany, England, Spain, Italy and probably a couple of other European countries as well. All those interviews were pretty much predictable and I didn't feel in any way that I was talking to someone who comes from a different culture and has a different approach to work. This highlights the fact that, no matter where you're from, as long as you 're part of the broad Western civilization, you will be able to relate up to a certain extend to people coming from the same geographical and cultural area.
However, I can't say the same about dealing with people from countries pertaining to the Eastern civilization. The recent encounter which gave me a first hands-on experience of relating with someone from a totally different culture was an interview for an online teacher position conducted by a Chinese HR person.
This interview was unlike any other I've ever had. I still can't tell what my definite feeling about it was, as I felt a mixture of emotions ranging from anxiety to awkwardness and even amusement.
The first thing that took me aback was that the interview started abruptly with a series of straight to the point questions. There were no smiles, no pleasantries and unlike all the other interviews I've had for foreign companies, there was no initial introduction about what that company did and what distinguished it.
Basically, as soon as we started the Skype session, I was bombarded with a series of questions for which I only had a few seconds response-time. There were no stories, no small talk or laughs in between, just a cold repetition of Q&A's that were followed by the interviewer's written notes. It all felt more as an interrogatory than an interview.
Some of the things the interviewer insisted on were: the importance of punctuality in Asia and prior-planning. It goes without saying that these are essential aspects no matter where you're from or whom you work for. However, I do think that there are different degrees of flexibility depending on where you live. For example, in the countries I worked in and for until now, Romania and Italy, it is important to be punctual as a teacher, but no one will make a complaint if you arrive 5 or 10 minutes later every now and then. I am not sure what the concrete results of being late for class would be for the particular company I applied for but I read many comments about other Chinese online teaching companies in which teachers complained they got fired for logging in 30 seconds later that scheduled.
Regarding the prior scheduling aspect, the interviewer told me all classes are scheduled at least one month ahead and no cancellations are allowed on behalf of the teachers. For all the companies I taught so far in Romania, I was allowed to have at least two cancellations and so were the students and in case of one to one courses, the schedule was always flexible based on my and the student's availability. Also, in a recent interview for a similar teaching job with an English company, I was told the same flexibility applies there too.
Another thing that surprised me during my interview was the fact that the guy asked me how many hours I work on a daily basis. I told him the truth: usually 8 and sometimes up to 10. He asked me if I have ever exceeded the 10 hours limit. I don't know if that was a tricky question or what answer he was expecting from me, but I said 'no'.
When he looked in my application form and checked my availability, he was surprised to see that I wrote I am not available to teach on Sunday and asked how come. I said I am usually away on Sunday, visiting my family. Again, I'm not sure if this was a proper answer or not.
There were very few moments during the interview in which I could ask questions and only because I simply did it, not because I was invited to. Also, I wasn't encouraged to ask any final questions at the end of the interview either.
There was also a short practice test during which I had to teach for 15 minutes. I was given a support material days before the interview, but I also prepared some extra resources which I found easier to follow, I didn't imagine this could be a problem, on the contrary, I thought it would show commitment and interest. Before starting the mock lesson, I asked if I could use those extra resources too and the answer was an unexpected 'no'.
All in all, this was the strangest interview I've ever had, but also a beneficial experience as it showed me how different we truly are from other cultures and nationalities and helped me be more prepared for future similar situations.
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