People often take accent reduction lessons with me in order to prepare for a job interview in English.  Many of my one-on-one students are even more qualified than native speakers who are applying for the same position. But they’re terrified that the interviewers will judge them because of their strong foreign accent or that they won’t understand what they’re saying.

Sometimes their fear can be so paralyzing that it will actually stop them from even applying for a job they’re perfectly suited for.

Can you identify with those fears?

If you answered yes, I would like to offer you six tips for a successful job interview so that you can get your dream job even though you have a strong foreign accent.

Tip 1 – Don’t speak too fast.

Even if your accent is not so strong, it will sound stronger when you speak fast.

It’s a good idea to slow down, especially on keywords. Remember, when we’re nervous, we tend to speak too fast. And when we speak quickly our mouth doesn’t move well. We mumble and our speech becomes a lot more difficult to understand.

Tip 2 – Be confident, stay relaxed and stay positive throughout the job interview.

Behave as if you are the right person for the job even though you have an accent. You are qualified for the job. Behave as if you are qualified! The more that you believe in yourself, the more the interviewers are going to believe in you.  

Keep in mind that the interviewers are on your side and they want to hire you. They called you in because they believe you’re qualified.

And chances are that your foreign accent is not as strong as you think it is. I’ve met many people who still remember that hurtful comment someone made a few years ago about their accent, and they’re still carrying that around with them.  Don’t let one negative comment from a judgmental (and maybe even racist) person create insecurity about your speech and make you doubt your qualifications for the job.

Tip 3 – Try to find out in advance the names of the people who will be interviewing you, and make sure you can pronounce them correctly.  

English names can be confusing and similar sounding. For example, we have Joan and we have Joann, and we have Craig, and we have Greg.  Or maybe the sound of their name is foreign to you. But if you practice their names in advance, you will feel more confident about the first impression you are making. This will help you to relax. Ask a native speaker to help you say the names correctly and then practice.

Tip 4 – Make a list of all of the most common words that are used in the job that you are applying for.

Maybe there are 20 or 30 or 40 words that are related to your specialty. Make a list of those words and then practice saying them correctly.

Make sure you can pronounce the job description correctly and all the details related to your job. Ask the native speaker to record those words for you so that you can practice saying them later.  And if you don’t have any native speaker friends, I would recommend hiring a teacher. You can find some teachers online, and you can work with them for just a couple of hours to make sure that you’re pronouncing all of those work-related words correctly.

Tip 5 – Write down all of the possible questions that you may be asked and practice answering them out loud.

This is really, really important. You need to hear yourself saying those answers before your interview.  Don’t only practice one time. Practicing answering typical interview questions again and again. And of course, record yourself. And then listen to how you sound.  If some parts don’t sound clear to you, it’s highly likely that others won’t understand what you’re saying. Practice saying those parts again and again.

Tip 6 –Tell the interviewers that you are currently working on your pronunciation and your English skills in general.

This will show that you’re ambitious and driven and focused on self-improvement.  That can make a really good impression.

And then actually do it. Find a private teacher who specializes in accent reduction or take our online American accent video courses. They teach you all of the rules you need in order to speak English with clarity, confidence, and accuracy.

It’s possible to completely transform your accent. So, go ahead and pursue your big professional goals. Don’t let the fact that you’re not a native speaker stop you from going after your dream job!

Don’t’ let your strong foreign accent hold you back any longer. Take the last step to fluency!

If you are ready to learn all the rules you need to know, get the New Edition of our most popular video course: “The American Accent Course.”

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