Turkish Candidate In International Job Interview

I’ve noticed some common patterns among Turkish candidates preparing for international job interviews.

If your next career challenge is an international company within Turkiye or a job abroad, most likely, English-speaking hiring managers will interview you.

Most of whom come from individualistic cultures.

The most frequent challenge for Turkish candidates is shifting from «we» to «I», when discussing personal achievements and contributions.

Growing up in a collective culture, you use «we» to describe your work.

I understand, that you don’t want to sound like stealing someone’s credit.

But, recruiters from individualistic cultures find the use of «we» too vague.

They want to understand your specific contributions.

Here’s a simple way to make the shift from “we” to “I”.

When discussing your experience, try framing it like this:

“When I was working at [company] as a [role], I managed a team of [number] people who addressed [problem]. While the team worked collaboratively, I was responsible for [your personal actions and contributions].”

This structure acknowledges the team’s efforts while highlighting your individual role and achievements.

Remember, start with “we” to set the context, then emphasize “I” to detail your contributions.

Wish you the best of luck in your job search!

P.S. If you’d like to prepare for your next job interview together, check out my Interview Practice service or just send me a message, and we will take it from there.

Your Job Search Coach
Inuta (the one who celebrates your win with a cake🍰)

p.s. If you found this blog issue helpful, don't hesitate to share it with your network. Your questions and topic suggestions for future issues are most welcome.

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Hi, I’m Inuta Sert.
A Career Coach and former Executive Recruiter in Turkiye.
I support mid-senior level professionals in securing more interviews and getting the right job.