The interview
tips and tricks on how to present yourself best
Job applicants who impress us with their personality and experience in their application will be invited to an interview with us.
This blog post will tell you what you should pay attention to during the job interview.
Before the interview:
It is best to start preparations a few days in advance. This will allow you to respond much better to questions and will show that you have obviously put a lot of effort into this interview.
Think about what questions you would ask yourself if you were the HR Manager and find answers to those questions. You should not learn them by heart, but rather keep a few keywords for each question in mind. So you can answer freely and you will appear professional. Typical questions include: Why would you like to work at tsd? What practical experience do you already have? How do you imagine your daily work at tsd to be like?
We also recommend that you have another look at the job advertisement. Candidates who do not know which position they have applied for or what tasks are part of it seem unprepared and disinterested. On the other hand, candidates who have prepared well will appear reliable and professional.
In addition to good mental preparation, clothing is also important, as it helps to determine the first impression that you give. It does not have to be a suit, but proper (business) clothes often leave a good impression. Make sure that you still feel comfortable in your outfit and that you don’t come dressed as someone you’re not.
During the interview:
Anyone who is invited to the interview is definitely an interesting candidate and on the shortlist. Therefore you can relax a bit; we are definitely interested in you!
Remain true to yourself and do not pretend to be anyone else. Usually your interviewer will notice this immediately.
Remember that you have been invited to a conversation – we want to get to know you and not just to quiz you. We welcome questions and queries. This not only facilitates the flow of conversation, but also makes you seem interested in the talk. It is quite normal for questions to arise and this way we can clarify them immediately.
The interview is about getting to know the applicant personally and to check whether they fit in with the rest of the team.
We are also happy when applicants tell us something about their personal interests and even more so when they tell us why they are interested in translation and localisation.
Of course, on-the-job experience is good, but for us it is definitely not a prerequisite. Because we offer a lot of internal training to ensure that all our employees get the necessary know-how, we are very happy to receive applications from young professionals.
After the interview:
Now the wait begins. Of course we understand that you want to find out about our decision as soon as possible and we will do our best to decide quickly.
Unfortunately, sometimes the decision takes up more time than we expect, for example if further applicants were invited to interviews or if there are other conditions to be fulfilled. You are welcome to ask us again if you have not heard from us in two weeks and we will be happy to share the latest information we have with you. If you have made further agreements during the interview, it is a good idea to fulfil them as soon as possible. This way you can prove your reliability straight away.
Conclusion
No matter whether before, after or during the interview, it is important that you show your best side and stay natural. You do not have to pretend to be anyone else, because your application has already impressed us. Show us what you stand for and why you are the right candidate for the advertised position.
And this is what our new employees say about their job interviews with us
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Madelein
Language Technology Expert"I would summarize my experience like this: I found tsd very accommodating with my interview dates. Even if you're abroad during the application process, it's just as easy as applying directly from the area."
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Nesche
Junior Project Manager"Through their appearance, both the HR Manager and the Senior Project Manager showed me that they were interested in me, my skills and my ideas about the company. This made it easy for both sides to compare expectations and get a realistic insight."
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Thorsten
Junior Project Manager"I found my conversation at tsd very nice and open. I really liked the opportunity of a trial work day to test my skills in order to gain important impressions about the workplace.”
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Giulia
Junior Language Specialist"My interview with tsd was held via Skype in a very friendly and professional atmosphere. Of course they asked me questions regarding my practical experiences but I also got the chance to show my personality as they asked me about my relationship to Germany and why I applied at tsd. I thought that was great.”
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Alfonso
Junior Language Specialist“I thought that I would be very nervous at an interview, but the friendly interviewers made it much easier. I was also asked to let them know, if there were any words or sentences in German I did not understand. That was great, because it gave me the impression that I could feel homelike at tsd.”