Struggling with Communication Skills in Interviews: How Can I Improve and Succeed?

Hi,

I have been working as a Purchase Manager in a multinational corporation for the past 10 years out of my 17 years of experience. Over the last 2-3 years, I have been trying to transition to a new job and have attended interviews with several companies. Despite successfully completing 3-4 rounds of interviews, I have not been selected for the final round due to feedback regarding communication issues.

I am seeking your expert advice on how to improve my communication skills and address this recurring problem. How can I overcome this obstacle and ensure it does not hinder my career progression?

Thank you for your assistance.

I am sure you have rich experience and are a competent professional. However, if I were to analyze your brief written communication above, I note some glaring errors.

The title of your post says "Need to work out on my weekness - English Speaking." The spelling is wrong. It should be "weakness." You are missing out on the articles "a," "an," "the" in your communication. E.g., "I am working as a Purchase Manager… Since the last 10 years…"

In the last sentence, the word overlap is wrongly used. I presume you wanted to say "overcome" and not "overlap." There are some more minor errors in the above draft. The point I am emphasizing is that you need to take some major corrective action in order to overcome your weakness in communicating in English.

My suggestions for the same are as under:

• Identify a personal tutor or go for a Basic English Language course. Thereafter, if possible, also go for intermediate English classes.

• Try and talk in English as often as possible. You must also make friends with people who are fluent in English and encourage them to correct your language so that you can speed up the learning process.

• Draft all your communication in Word so that some grammar and spelling mistakes are highlighted and you correct them. Do take the help of a colleague to proofread and edit your written communication. You will become aware of your mistakes.

• Read extensively. If you have any doubts about the meaning of a word, do use a dictionary to understand the meaning.

• Be careful when you translate your thoughts from your native tongue into English. Most people who have studied in the vernacular medium make the mistake of literally translating into English.

• Do try to learn a few new words every day. Use them as often as possible so that you get familiar with their meaning and usage. It will also help you expand your vocabulary.

If interested, do read my Inspirational and Motivational blog www.actspot.wordpress.com to get additional inputs for personal effectiveness as well as to catch up on new words. No doubt it will take you both time and effort, but you will definitely benefit from the experience.

Best Wishes

Hi Vinod Rane,

Mr. Jacob has already given his first lessons to you to start in the right earnest. Read that message carefully. There are plenty of useful materials in Cite HR archives. Browse by typing "English Speaking" in the 'search' box that you find above. You will get a lot of useful references. I have attached one more for your reference.

Good luck, V. Raghunathan

Thank you, Mr. Jacob and Mr. Raghunathan. Your suggestions will help me improve. I will proceed with your suggestions and try to overcome my weaknesses.

I humbly request all others to share their views and suggestions on my post; these will be helpful for me to progress. Please also share any useful study materials you may have.

Once again, thanks to all.