Migrant Engineers’ Job Interview Performance: A Cross-Cultural Analysis

Hawthorne reports that many NESB engineers migrating under the skilled immigration program are experiencing unemployment. This is partly due to disproportionate labour market rejection. She examines the critical role of the employment interview, exploring how East European engineers' oral skills and cultural attitudes affect their responses to Australian job interview questions. She also analyses the videotaped job interviews of two East European engineers who answer such questions poorly. Hawthorne suggests that further research into disparities between country of origin interview strategies and those used in Australia could lead to more effective cross- cultural interview training.