Is having foreign accent a big no-no?

Hi,

I wanted to ask you guys and garner some honest opinion on how much having foreign accent affect the outcome of job interview. I was born in the US and spent majority of my childhood in East Asia. Although it has been more than 8 years since I came back to the US to study, I still have foreigner's accent. I asked few of my friends, and for obvious reasons, they all respond by saying it's not a problem. What do you think? I went to high school in one of the most eurocentric town and had no problem hanging out with "typical Americans." I've been rejected to so many phone interviews that I'm beginning to wonder whether the real issue is the content or how I convey them.

Thank you!

 

DeepLearning

 (or if your accent is thick enough) where you cannot effectively communicate.

Doesn't this boil down to basically applying for a job where you cannot speak the language? I mean accents usually come from a lack of fluency.  I think the reason people get dinged is because if you are going to be a hinderance to the team then we cant hire you.  

 

I don't think many people discriminate against someone because they have a massive prejudice against country x, y or z, but if the accent is strong enough that they can't understand you on a phone interview it may be a disadvantage and especially so if you're interviewing for positions that require you to be on the phone conveying detailed information or negotiating specific points. Two examples: a few years back I was involved in some deals in India and we were doing business in their country and their English was a thousand time better than anyone on our team's Hindi (or one of the dozens of languages/dialects spoken there) so when it got down to any real negotiations or we had to get pretty detailed, one of us would fly to Mumbai or Delhi because we couldn't really do it on the phone but in person it was much better (and getting to India isn't like hopping on a plane to Boston, it's a major time commitment). Another time we had an accountant from the Highlands of Scotland (I was working in London at the time) and I'd have a detailed hour long discussion with him talking the fine points of accounting and audit and I'd have no freaking idea what he said and had to ask him to summarize his points in a detailed email. But face to face I could get him to slow down a bit and I could understand him (sometimes-the Brits I worked with couldn't even understand him so I didn't feel too bad).

You may want to concentrate on getting more face to face interviews with people or really concentrate on speaking with as little of an accent as possible. Practice with a friend and ask him/her to comment.

 

Look I'll be perfectly honest - if I'm giving a phone interview to someone and they have an accent, I would estimate that their shot at getting a superday goes from 20% to around 2% or 3%. It's just much less risky and much easier to go to bat for someone who doesn't have an accent when I'm talking to my seniors. Maybe this is prejudiced, but it seems easier to believe that I'll get along with someone who doesn't have an accent. It's hard for me to believe that I have a lot in common with someone who grew up in East Asia.

 
Best Response

You sound like a closed-minded bigot. People with international experience tend to be more versatile, open to new ideas and knowledgeable about world affairs. A foreign accent basically guarantees that the person is adaptable. If you can't get along with someone who isn't from the US I would assume you're uninterested in expanding your world view, intolerant of alternative opinions/backgrounds, or just plain boring. Most Americans I meet seem to be extremely receptive when they hear my aussie accent, so maybe you're just prejudiced against asians, I don't know. It just annoys me when I hear dumb shit like this.

 

First of all - I can totally see why I sound like a bigot to you. I'm actually a very open person; I've been around the world, lived abroad, am of the more liberal-minded people that I know and hope to continue to be an accepting person as I grow older.

Having said all of that, though, I'm of the more realistic mindset where I realize that there are plenty of qualified people to do the job of an investment banking analyst - it's not that hard. What I'm looking for in an interviewee is someone with whom I can sit in a bullpen for 16 hours a day and not want to kill myself. The simple fact is that taking someone who sounds like me and might even look a little like me is a known quantity, and more likely to turn out at least ok. I'm basing this on my experience with people from all over the world and the estimated time that it would take to get to know someone very different from myself in the atmosphere of an investment bank. It's just extra time that I don't want to spend, given the timesuck that already exists in the job. Also, to your point about versatility, openness to new ideas and knowledgeability about world affairs - that's great, but I don't really give a shit at 3am when I just want to go home.

 

To be fair I've never met an Aussie whose accent was difficult to understand. Whether you're Indian, Asian, or just plain bad at enunciating your words you're gonna struggle if people can't understand your words easily.

 

Thanks guys. To be honest with you, my pronunciation is fairly clear but it's the intonation and way I say things that differentiate me from the natives (little choppy though). I just wanted to know the degree in which employers are willing to accept or overlook a candidate with an foreign accent. I believe in fair game, so it's understandable why some people would not pick me over someone who can speak English in more 'natural manner'.

 

Being an analyst you mainly crunch numbers and read, therefore it should not be an issue. The reason I am saying this because I have a french accent (born and raised in France, move here at the age of 16), and I have been okay so far. One response that impressed the recruiter was:

R: Can you list one of your weaknesses? Me: Yes, one weaknesses is my french accent, which I believe is translating into some sort of strength because it pushes me to overcome my fear and work harder than most people when communicating. I push myself to improve my enunciation, pronunciation, and projection.

Hope this helps.

 

Funny..but might be true. BTW Im asian myself and have asian tongue.. I have no problem finding jobs @ high tech companies... I know Engineers might not need perfect tongue or accent. Yet, my friends who do also have asian accent find no problem getting jobs @ MBB. So I do not think having the asian tongue will a be red flag or even a yellow card. Further, with bigger and bigger influence Asia is having on rest of world, asian tongue might outweight european accents in some time later

 

Same concern here. I am also a SEA foreigner, came here 6 years ago and have a conspicuous Asian accent. Although people who I communicate with all understood me, but I was worried about getting rejected from a company because of my accent .

 

As someone said above, asian accents hurt you. Depending on how heavy it is, it can be difficult to listen to and can prevent you from getting those jobs that require a lot of communication. I think if you can be understood easily and be more fluid in your speech you should be fine. If you are constantly pausing/thinking about the word to use, that doesn't help.

 

I currently work in audit (hopefully not for long though) so our work involved a lot of direct contact with the client, both verbal and via email. Maybe even more so than an analyst would have.

I'm in the UK but originally from Eastern Europe, however as I went to an international school when growing up, I sound American (but not any specific accent, more newscaster English) and as such I have an easy time communicating with clients and colleagues (though people do sometimes get weirded out by my odd name).

We also have this person from an East Asian country who joined in my intake year. Although they've apparently been living in the UK for several years, their accent and general language skills are surprisingly strong/poor. In fact I don't know how they managed to make it through the interviews. Apparently that person has not moved on to take on any more higher level work as you'd generally do and in one instance, a client even asked them to not come speak to them and send someone else from the audit team instead because neither of them could understand the other. Then again we have tons of other foreigners working here with good language skills and understandable accents and they do just fine.

I think an accent in and of itself doesn't annoy anyone as long as its not difficult to understand. Its more the general language skills I think that might hold you back more.

 

My experience (as an Australian) is that we speak in Australian metaphors a lot.

Not quite as bad as "Flaming galahs! Can't you see I'm flat out like a lizard drinking, you mongrel?! Fair crack of the whip! Ah, sorry love, sorry about having a barney at you. She's all right, this has just got my goat". But often not that far off that sort of unintelligibility.

(I appreciate there is one simile in there that is not a metaphor)

Those who can, do. Those who can't, post threads about how to do it on WSO.
 

I figured it'd be that sort of stuff, and our tendency to use use words that mean the opposite of what we really mean like calling a ranga blue, or keep calling the guy for fighting with mate when you're off-chops

 
Lima:

@Dingdong08 I'm curious, what sort of stuff do aussies they that confuse people?

I was half joking, I have a couple of very good Aussie friends. I have no problem understanding someone from Oz but when a few of them get together and start throwing out some of the colloquial sayings I understand the words but have no idea what they're talking about. I can't think of them off the top of my head but, of you're Aussie just think of some of the sayings like @ssits mentioned. Before I was born my parents lived in Sydney for 5 years and when my mom is around my Australian friends she knows exactly what they're talking about. Me? No clue. Personally I think it's cool.

 
thebrofessor:

this is a damn shame, and I'm embarrassed to say it's the same way in the South (assuming your interviewer isn't a transplant).

Do you mean Southern employers hold Southern accents against potential employees as well?

The truth is, a thick New York accent wouldn't be accepted much better in New York than a Southern accent. Almost every professional here has no discernible accent if they are US born. If someone has a British accent, it adds 10 points of perceived IQ points, if someone says y'all, that takes off at least 5 perceived IQ points, even with no accent. If the smartest person on the planet came in with a thick Southern accent, I think the perception would be that he's of average intelligence, at best. If someone walked in with a strong lawnguyland accent, that would be a huge negative as well. The bottom line is that people want to hire people who seem smart and well educated and thick regional accents don't give that impression. It's much better to have the accent of a newscaster.

That being said, I don't think foreign accents give off the same impression. At least that person knows a foreign language and multiple cultures.

 

I didnt read all the comments above but here is my take. Most people will not judge your candidacy consciously based on your ethnicity, accent, etc.

That said, realise that the interviewer is also human (a pathetic excuse for a human maybe, but a human nonetheless) and above all wants to make their own life simple. Also, interviews are competitive. You may not be bad to talk with but if it is easier to talk with someone else then, all else equal, guess who is gonna get the job. You might be surprised how much weight the little things carry as you enter more competitive realms.

That said, some accents are more "attractive" that others. But in the end the following are the most important as far as oratory skills are concerned, in that order (in my opinion):

  1. Clarity of thought (before you even open your mouth)
  2. Whether you can hold an audience with your voice/accent (simply put... for the love of God, do not be monotonic)
  3. Confidence (asian cultures interpret low volume as a sign of respect, in the west it is a sign of low confidence)
  4. Fillers: no um, ah, like, etc.

Your goal should be to handle as much of the above as you can. Doing above average in some of the above areas can compensate for below average skills in others.

 

Are you working towards losing the accent? If so, find a subtle way to express this to the interviewer. Make sure you explain the measures you're taking to lose it. I don't see an accent being the problem, but as already mentioned if its thick enough then unfortunately it could be the problem.

 
scottj19x89:
How'd you get the accent?

Went to an international school my whole life. Mine had a British curriculum, hence the English accent - as compared to the more common international school accent (which is closer to American).

 

You don't get an English accent by living in the UK for an 'extended period'. What is that anyway? If you're talking 3-5 years, that's bullshit. But 8-10 of your life to begin with (i.e. raised, not necessarily born).

But I doubt its an issue. In fact, it could be endearing to the right person.

 
FinancialNoviceII:
You don't get an English accent by living in the UK for an 'extended period'. What is that anyway? If you're talking 3-5 years, that's bullshit. But 8-10 of your life to begin with (i.e. raised, not necessarily born).

But I doubt its an issue. In fact, it could be endearing to the right person.

Nonsense, phonetics are a lot easier to absorb as a child. I've experienced it myself on numerous occasions and anyone who knows me will attest to the fact that I have a fairly hybrid accent.

 

It helps in that you avoid any inbuilt prejudices your interviewer has to Southerners/Northerners of the American kind. If it improves the clarity of your diction, that can also help, especially if your interviewer is not a native English speaker. However, some people can find long Queen's English style A's difficult to understand if they are not used to it (glAss vs glARss).

It may make what you say more memorable. That might be a good or a bad thing depending on what you're saying.

Otherwise it doesn't really make a difference.

 

I don't think having an accent will be an issue as long as the interviewer can understand you, and you are able to communicate clearly. Many of my colleagues are/have been from different countries with noticeable/strong accents. Most likely, if they reject you, it won't be because of your accent.

Word of caution: Boutiques and MM banks will be more concerned about your Visa status (talking from experience here) and how good of a match you are for the job/team. Don't stress too much about your accent as long as you can get your message across without having them scratching their heads trying to decipher what you just said. Enunciate clearly and talk slowly. It'll be alright.

 

Shouldn't be an issue, but obviously people profile/discriminate. That being said, you can't just stop having an accent, so I don't think there's a point in worrying about it. Just keep grinding, and maybe some people will ding you on that basis, but if they do, just keep interviewing.

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