21 Ways to Communicate Effectively if English is Your Second Language

have walked in the door, shaken hands, said "hello" nicely, and sat down in your good interview clothes at the right distance... you have to speak that damn English!

4. Memorize Jargon in Your Field

Employers don't need for you to speak and read enough English to talk about current events; they need you to have the English that is used in the particular job they are hiring for.

Concentrate your English beaming on those technical words and phrases which are used most often in the job you want. Memorize the proper names of the machines, tools, software, books, and procedures you will use. Know the names of the products or services you will be selling; if you are a technician, know the appropriate technical language.

Your mastery of the jargon in your field demonstrates your basic competence and skills to the employer, despite other difficulties you may be having with English.

HINTS: Go to the library, or to a college and study a textbook in your particular field. Arrange an information interview with a native-born Canadian in the field, and go over these special words and phrases, until you can make yourself understood. If you can say "hello", "good-bye', and "his PC has a Pentium 11-300 Mhz motherboard with the new bus technology, 64MB RAM and an 8-Gig Hard Drive, for only $2,100.", you've almost got the job.

Bring along a technical book or manual to the interview, and read from it or ask the employer to ask you a question from it.

5. Depend Upon Personal References

If you cannot speak well for yourself, others must speak for you. Make sure that you have a complete set of references who can speak English fluently enough to make a good case for you to the employer. Native-born English speakers often do so veil in the interview that the employer does not need to call references. Since you cannot do that, you must depend on your references much more. You must make sure that they make points about you that you have difficulty making. Practice with your refere

nces the good things that they will say: they are your voice.

HINTS: If your best friend or former employer cannot speak English well, you may have to get another friend or co-worker with better English to speak for them. You can also get them to have their comments translated and written down, in the form of recommendation letters. These are very good to bring along to the interview.

6. Identify Words, Phrases, Particular Idioms Which Cause You Trouble

Every one of us has words, or phrases, or even particular sounds which cause us trouble to speak or to understand. The only way to get better is to practice. Much in the same way that you put your energies into beaming the jargon of your workplace, it is better to work on your chronic problems in English than to get just a little better overall. This is because it is natural for the employer to notice and to remember when you have a problem with a particular word or phrase.

Make sure you know the appropriate, or proper use of a word or phrase, particularly if it is a colloquialism. Fifteen minutes of a good interview can be lost when you suddenly cannot pronounce the word "therapeutic', or if you use the phrase "Don't have a cow, man".

HINTS: Use a tape recorder to record the words and phrases you have difficulty with, then tape record a native-born speaking them. Practice over and over. Record yourself once each week and compare that with the recording of good English, so you can hear how you are improving.

7. Practice Your Weak Areas with a Job Coach or Partner

You only get better when you learn from someone who speaks better than you. Get a native English- speaker to become a member of your job-search team; their only role will be to listen to you and criticize you accurately and ruthlessly.

HINTS. Community Colleges have Home Tutor programs. If you are on Social Assistance, you may qualify for free help. Community Centres and non-profit service groups often have English conversation groups where you can meet native-speakers who are willing to help you.

8. Always Ask for an Explanation, Simplification, or Expansion

One of the worst mistakes ESL job-seekers make in interviews is to pretend they understand the employer when they do not. If the employer speaks too quickly, slurs the words, or uses language you do not understand, you must interrupt the interview (not the employer - always wait for them to finish speaking!) and ask for the interviewer to clarify.

There are several kinds of clarification you may ask for; simply to repeat the statement a bit more slowly; or to use simpler words and phrases (English can be grammatically complex - asking the employer to use a simpler sentence is okay); or to define new words and phrases, that is, to expand on what the employer just said.

The employer may indeed be slightly irritated with you for having to repeat or change their statement or question, bid they will also be pleased with your honesty, and will be reassured that you will not take any action on the job without understanding fully the orders or information your supervisor gives you. And besides, you will likely learn something.

HINTS. Be polite when you ask the employer to repeat something, and be clear on exactly what kind of repetition or expansion you want. If the employer asks sharply whether or not you can answer, simply respond with the truth: that your English is a bit shaky on this one point, and that you wish to give the best and most accurate answer.

《21 Ways to Communicate Effectively if English is Your Second Language》