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Embracing cultural diversity
Embracing cultural diversity

Collaboration

Embracing cultural diversity
Embracing cultural diversity

Collaboration

“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.”

Audre Lorde

Working in multicultural environments is rewarding and exciting but it can also be challenging at times. Different customs, traditions and languages mean that a certain level of flexibility, diplomacy, patience and willingness to learn will be needed in order to collaborate fruitfully. Ready to show your prospective employer how well you work in multicultural environments? Highlight your skills by answering the questions below 👇

  • Briefly introduce your experience of working in multicultural environments
  • Have you ever faced any challenges while working in a multicultural environment? How did you deal with them?
  • Have you lived/studied abroad? If you have, tell us more about your experience.
  • How do you negotiate cross-cultural differences in order to accomplish your and common goals?
  • Are you eager to learn about the cultural practices and worldview of others?

Don’ts
Don’ts

Review and dissemination

Don’ts
Don’ts

Review and dissemination

"Measure twice and cut once."

proverb

Don’ts

  1. Don't send out your video resume if you got feedback that it might be offensive
  2. if you're not happy with the outcome, the quality is not up to your standard (sometimes it might do more harm than good)
  3. Don't try to include everything you've done
  4. Don't just read out your resume
  5. Don't criticise your previous employer
  6. Don't get too personal

Willingness to listen and understand different points of view
Willingness to listen and understand different points of view

Flexibility

Willingness to listen and understand different points of view
Willingness to listen and understand different points of view

Flexibility

“We all look at the same object in different ways.”

Kehinde Wiley

Listening and trying to understand different opinions and points of view are crucial to ensure effective teamwork. However, this requires a certain level of flexibility and willingness to compromise. Here’s a couple of prompts that might help you demonstrate this skill:

  • How do you keep an open mind in a workplace?
  • How do you take criticism?
  • Even if you disagree with your colleagues are you willing to (for instance) try out their suggestions?
  • Would you consider yourself tolerant? Why?
  • Do you consider yourself an fair-minded person? Why?
  • Are you curious to hear what other people think?

Active listening
Active listening

Collaboration

Active listening
Active listening

Collaboration

“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.”

Epictetus

Active listening is a prerequisite for effective collaboration. This can help avoid miscommunication and improves teamwork in the workplace. Here’s a couple of questions you might answer in order to demonstrate this skill:

  • Do you consider yourself good at actively listening to others? Why?
  • What do you think takes to be a good listener? Why?
  • Do you demonstrate concern and try to build trust when you communicate with another person? Do you think that’s important? Why?
  • Do you observe non-verbal cues when you talk to other people? Do you think it helps to understand people better? Why?
  • If you don’t fully understand something, do you ask other person to clarify or rephrase?
  • Why do you think that’s important?

Ability to prioritise
Ability to prioritise

Self-management

Ability to prioritise
Ability to prioritise

Self-management

“Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The ability to set your priorities straight is invaluable. We can guarantee you that your future employer is looking for team members that can identify the most important tasks and get to them immediately rather than focusing on tasks of lower importance. Do you think you’re great at prioritising tasks? If so, you should definitely mention that in your video CV. Here’s a couple of questions that might help you get started thinking about how to best demonstrate this skill in your video:

  • Tell us about a situation where you had too much to do. How did you go through all the tasks?
  • How do you prioritize goals? Do you have a method, a checklist?
  • Do you set yourself goals? Do you do so in your professional and in your personal life? You could talk more about a goal that you set yourself and how you achieved it.
  • Do you set S.M.A.R.T goals?

Won any awards for your creative projects? Remember to mention them!
Won any awards for your creative projects? Remember to mention them!

Creativity

Won any awards for your creative projects? Remember to mention them!
Won any awards for your creative projects? Remember to mention them!

Creativity

“I don't deserve this award, but I have arthritis and I don't deserve that either.”

Jack Benny

Remember to mention any awards you’ve won for your work! It might help you stand out as well as highlight your interests and expertise. When talking about awards you’ve won remember to 👇

  • Include the date
  • Mention issuing organisation
  • Identify what you received awards for
  • Prioritise, only mention awards that might be relevant to the position
  • Keep it short and sweet
  • Mention how this recognition is relevant to the position you’re applying for

Teamwork
Teamwork

Collaboration

Teamwork
Teamwork

Collaboration

"It is the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) that those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed."

Charles Darwin

Even if you work mostly independently, there will come a time when you’ll need to work with others. Here’s a couple of questions that might inspire you to highlight excellent teamworking skills:

  • Think of a time when you achieved something that was only possible as a team. What was it?
  • Have you ever joined a project midway? What did you do to blend in quickly? How did you manage to work effectively as a team member?
  • Would you consider yourself a team player? If you would, why?

How do you deal with unexpected challenges?
How do you deal with unexpected challenges?

Flexibility

How do you deal with unexpected challenges?
How do you deal with unexpected challenges?

Flexibility

“Life is anything but predictable.”

Dwayne Johnson

Flexibility competence can be demonstrated by discussing how you deal with unexpected situations and answering questions such as:

  • How do you handle an unexpected situation?
  • How do you deal with changes in your plans?
  • Do you find it easy to reorientate yourself when plans change?
  • Are you prepared the embrace new opportunities or challenges?
  • How do you prepare yourself for the unexpected?
  • How do you adapt to meet the needs of a situation or emergency?
  • How would you rate your ability to adapt to change?
  • Are you willing/eager/keen to learn new methods, procedures, or techniques?Can you share some examples?