I need a job now! It wasn’t this hard in Nigeria

I am going to pause slightly on the meaningful conversation blog posts and talk about finding a job as an immigrant. I have recently just changed jobs and I left at a time when my team was really growing, so I had to conduct about 4 rounds of recruitment in short space of time. I came across a number of HR professionals with varied skill set. I also came across candidates that have worked as HR professionals in other countries and are overqualified for the HR advisor post they have applied for. It reminded me of trying to get my first job in the UK after practising as a legal practitioner back in Nigeria and completed an MSc in International Business in the UK. I was unsuccessful with a number of graduate jobs so I turned to administrative roles but came up empty for a while until a colleague back in Nigeria connected me with a business in the UK that needed some legal help.
 
At the time I never really thought about why I was unsuccessful in getting administrative jobs, other than feeling dejected, but sitting on the other side of the table as the interviewer, I was able to identify a few things that would have helped me bag my first job in the UK.

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I will mainly focus on the interview stage of the process because being shortlisted means you met the essential requirement of the role, so it’s a matter of convincing the panel that they should go with you rather than the other candidate. So what have I learnt?

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Tip 1: Cultural awareness - As a warmup to entering the workforce as soon as you come into the UK, try engaging in the societal norms to understand the place. Watch British TV, make friends and integrate as much as you can. You wonder why it is important, it helps understand simple things like the right words to use. If you are from a former colony of the UK, the English language taught in schools is actually different from what is spoken in the UK. There are many terms I use that raise eyebrows still. I was a panel member for an interview for a senior role a while back and we had a candidate who was asked how she ensured that her team was motivated and performed optimally. She gave an example of buying a motivational book, issuing copies to all her staff members at a team meeting and asking them to read the book. The impression she gave was a top down approach to motivation but had she told the story in a different way, it would engendered a different response. This may be an acceptable example, say, in Nigeria where the society is hierarchical, but not in the UK where the power distance in the society is low.
 
Tip 2: Learn the art of interviewing in the UK - I call it an art as it is indeed an art especially if you are from a collectivism country as opposed to an individualism country. I won’t go into the details of the difference, please read the work of Hofstede (1980) on cultural dimension theory. (https://www.hofstede-insights.com/models/national-culture/) he examined the difference in the way cultures organised individuals and groups. I think his work is important in understanding of cultural drivers that impact of people’s behaviours that we see at work. Individualistic cultures such as the UK emphasise the importance of self, with this in mind, response to questions should be in the context of self. Find opportunities to have dress rehearsals with either a coach or through a volunteering experience. I am not saying that you shouldn’t be yourself, be yourself with intent, it’s an art.
 
Tip 3: Communicate - This may seem obvious but what I am actually referring to here is not just answering the questions or asking the interviewer(s) questions. Practically what I am referring to is if your native language is not English, when communicating in English, slow down your pace so that the interviewers can understand what you are saying. Many interviewers will be reluctant to interrupt you whilst you are speaking so take your time, they have asked the question now the floor is yours, take your time, and slow down your speech for them to understand you.
 
Tip 4 – Prepare for the interview. This tip is just conventional wisdom. Have worked examples of knowledge and skills being sought after but express it in the British way. Write it down and get your British friend to give you feedback. If you are invited to an assessment centre, ask for as much information as possible, understand what each assessment is trying to test and tailor your contribution to that. 
 
It shouldn’t be hard in the UK, it wasn’t hard in Nigeria.

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