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Interviewing with US and UK Clients

Posted On: June 27, 2014

If you work for a company in which outsourced projects from the U.S. and the U.K. prevail, at some point you may need to sit for an interview with the client offshore to be chosen for project roles. 

 

Interviewing with US and UK Clients – Here are 9 Overarching Guidelines

1.  Before the interview and ALL the time
   Track your career milestones, progress, celebrations and challenges (read this blog for tips on this).
   Mention how you have worked with teams, your contributions as a leader, and more (as listed below). If you are new to your career, it is completely fine to extract examples from your college experience.
   When you talk about you challenges, keep in mind additional context about how you solved problems (critical thinking), who you may have helped solve problems with, and the outcome of the solution (how it made things better and/or different). Tie it to some numbers or outcomes whenever possible.
2. List down common questions with your answers. Tell your answers like stories rather than dry facts.
   Lists of some questions are below.
   Take a look at this video for an example of how to tell a story.
3. Practice, practice, practice. The more your answers sound like a conversation, like you are comfortable and almost like talking to a friend but in a professional way, the more likely it will be you will pass the interview.
   See: Speak English Confidently with US Clients
   See: Jennifer talking and showing real-life demos on speaking clearly in virtual meetings
4. Prepare your space for the interview. Have a space with a clear background, good lighting, good webcam, speak facing the camera, test your equipment and bandwidth before hand, wear professional clothing (collared shirt for men without logos or bright colors, and for women a salvaar kamiz with dull or plain colors or a collared shirt, similar to the men’s suggestion). Keep your hair and face in a clean and tidy appearance. Smile!
5. Practice with your webcam. Try to record yourself and watch/listen back. No one likes to do this, but it helps you to understand how others will get an impression of you. Ask your family and friends for their feedback. The more comfortable you are on your own, the more comfortable you will be during the interview.
6. Prepare questions for the interviewer – at least 1 or 2.
7. Attend the interview. It’s totally fine to keep small notes near you. You can also take notes. When you look away from the camera, just note you are looking away and taking a few notes.DO NOT READ OFF YOUR NOTES.
8. Send a thank you note within 24 business hours of your interview.
9. Follow up after one week.
   

 For other tips and strategies, browse these articles/blogs: Strengths & Weaknesses – Interview PreparationTell Me About Yourself – Tough Interview Questions TutorialsNo Performance Reviews? Track Your Career MilestonesSpeak English Confidently with US ClientsHow to Talk About Accomplishments to Americans8 Mistakes To Avoid in E-mail Communication

Check out the presentation by clicking here.

 

If you would like to participate in a similar training in a face-to-face environment, in individual or group sections to build your interview and business skills with native English speaking Western clients, colleagues and partners, contact Jennifer today. 

Image credit: vectorjuice at freepik

Original post date, 2014, updated 2022