It’s natural to assume that as an Italian national in a city like London, you are in fact at something of a disadvantage when it comes to finding that ideal job. Interestingly, however, this often turns out not to be the case as while there may be hundreds of thousands of people going after any given English job, those on the lookout for native Italian language speakers tend to attract must smaller and more selective crowds. Of course, actually finding an Italian speaking job in London isn’t as easy as finding an English-speaking job, but at the same time it’s a process that’s more than worth investing as much time and effort in as necessary.
Land the right post in London and job security comes as standard – especially if you’re a hugely valuable asset to the business as one of the only employees with native Italian language skills. Nevertheless, in any and all such instances it’s important to invest plenty of time and effort in the preparation process and in finding the right job for you. After all, just because you speak the language they’re interested in doesn’t mean you measure up to the mark in other ways.
Here’s a look at just a few examples of how you can vastly improve your chances of landing that ideal job:
Know What You Want
More than anything else across the board, you need to know both what you want and what you can in fact do. Everyone has their own dream job in mind but more often than not the respective individual’s education, background and skills set doesn’t quite make it a realistic possibility. In London, the kind of scope for employment opportunities is simply extraordinary which means a random approach is never a good idea. Instead, think carefully about what you can offer, what makes you special and what you would like to see yourself doing both short and long-term.
Polish Up Your English
Next up comes a tip that’s largely obvious, but also tends to be overlooked with impressive frequency. While the job you’re interested in may be predominantly Italian-speaking, the fact that it is based in the UK means you’re going to have to be at least up to speed on basic English. There’s something of a sliding scale at play where the better your standard of English, the more you’ll stand out as the ideal candidate for the job. As such, if and when you have any time at all prior to or during the job hunting process, you might want to think about upping the ante with your English skills at least a little.
Join Online Communities
These days, there are some fantastic online communities that exist for nothing else but to help foreign nationals live, work and generally have a great time in the countries of their choosing. Along with sharing helpful tips on everything from the way of life to hidden city secrets, these are also great places to find out about both employment prospects and how to up your chances of being successful. After all, it’s often said that it’s more a case of who you know than what you know – something that tends to be pretty accurate when it comes to job hunting in all its forms!
Target Your Search
While online recruitment portals are all well and good, they’re not the be all and end all when it comes to finding the perfect job. In fact, statistics show that over 80% of jobs are either filled before they get listed or never actually get listed online at all. As such, along with using these resources for the help they can offer, it’s also crucial to carry out a targeted job search. This means looking up the details of the businesses you want to work for and getting in touch with them directly to see what’s what. And in terms of finding out who you need to speak to, social media is a great asset for making it happen.
Practice Interview Questions
Last but not least, it’s a good idea to make the assumption that some…if not all…of your interviews will be conducted in English. As such, along with practicing your English skills and taking them a step or two higher, you might also want to consider investing at least some time in going over interview questions and the answers you’d like to give. You really can’t be too prepared for things like this and it’s important to ensure you aren’t caught out and left with nothing to say – a little research really can go a long way.