Overview

When recruiters have narrowed down the stack of r sum s to a manageable short list of a few candidates, they move on to the interview stage. Because interviews involve interactions and communication between people who do not know one another, they can easily be derailed by cultural differences. Indeed, culturally different candidates attempt to demonstrate that they are the best person for the job by behaving in ways that, in their home countries, demonstrate that they have the right attributes and skills for the position. The way these candidates behave and the words they use are interpreted differently by North American recruiters. In most cases, the interpretations are negative, and these candidates do not get the job, for reasons that are unrelated to their ability to perform the job.

For example, if a culturally different candidate avoids eye contact (by looking at the floor, at the ceiling, or at the walls) throughout a face-to-face interview, most North American recruiters will interpret this behavior as implying that:

• This candidate is not interested in the position or the corporation.

• This candidate lacks self-confidence.

• This candidate is not trustworthy, since avoiding eye contact implies to mainstream North Americans that one is hiding something.

If this candidate comes from certain parts of the Middle East or Far East, where making eye contact is highly disrespectful, the correct interpretation of this behavior is that he or she is trying to show respect for the recruiter.

Unless they have a lot of interviewing experience or some...