The dissatisfaction of the interviewer was implied by not giving any feedback on Mr. Song and quickly ended the interview (Marra, 2022).

This poster analyzes the transcultural misunderstandings at work from the perspectives of “gatekeeper” and “interviewee” based on the three theories, which can reveal the deep causes of transcultural misunderstandings. In the future transcultural environment, a deep understanding and reasonable application of these theories can help international workers reduce misunderstandings and provide inspiration for future transcultural communication research.

2. How can “interviewees” more effectively adjust their words and behaviors in international work to avoid transcultural misunderstandings?

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Kirilova, M., & Angouri, J. (2018). You are now one of us – negotiating ‘fitting in’ in the workplace. The Routledge Handbook of Language and Superdiversity, 345–360. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315696010-25

Lowe-MacAuley, K. (2023). 30 Common Interview Questions, Tips and Example Answers | FlexJobs. FlexJobs Job Search Tips and Blog. https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/common-job-interview-questions-tips-answering/

Marra, M. (2022). Laughing along? The European Journal of Humour Research, 10(2), 135–151. https://doi.org/10.7592/ejhr.2022.10.2.670

Roberts, C., & Campbell, S. (2006). Talk on trial: Job interviews, language and ethnicity (No. 344). Corporate Document Services.

Spencer-Oatey, H. (2000). Rapport management: A framework for analysis. Culturally speaking: Managing rapport through talk across cultures/Continuum.

Spencer-Oatey, H. (Ed.). (2008). Culturally speaking second edition: Culture, communication and politeness theory. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Spencer-Oatey, H., & Spencer-Oatey, H. (2021). Bulding Rapport — Key Elements - GlobalPeople Consulting. GlobalPeople Consulting.

The interviewer started the conversation by asking about Mr. Song's hometown, which expressed her interest in the interviewee’s cultural background to establish a good relationship and reduce social distance. It's part of a positive face management strategy, where she wants to make the interviewee feel welcome by respecting his personal identity.

Mr. Song kept silent after the interviewer asked, probably because he is not from China, the interviewer made a wrong judgment only based on his surname, and he chose to remain silent in order not to negatively manage the face of the interviewer.

When the interviewer asked Mr. Song about his work experience, he focused on praising the company and the product (positive face management). However, he overlooked his obligation to provide the necessary information to the interviewer.

Some interactional goals were also included in the interview. Song aimed to demonstrate his efforts and recognition of the company, which differed from the interviewer's objective. The interviewer did not achieve her goal of assessing Mr. Song's professional skills and work style. There has been a misunderstanding between them.

Due to cultural differences, Mr. Song aimed to express his passion for the job and the company during the interview, while the interviewer wanted to see his working ability and style. They engaged in a turn-taking participation style.

Regarding non-verbal communication, Mr. Song's eyes kept looking down, and he exhibited silent behavior, suggesting his submissive and passive mentality.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNRqZNXsB8k

Q1:Cultural Awareness Training: Organizations can offer comprehensive training programs to educate interviewers on different cultural norms, communication styles, and value systems. This helps reduce bias based on cultural misunderstandings.

Unconscious Bias Training: Interviewers should be made aware of their unconscious biases, particularly those that might influence their judgment in multicultural contexts.

Q2: Research the Cultural Context: Interviewees should take the time to understand the cultural expectations and communication norms of the country or organization they are engaging with.

Adapt Communication Styles: Adjust language to match the formality or directness of the local culture. In some contexts, being too direct can be seen as rude, while in others, it may be expected.

Interviewees can avoid misunderstandings by researching the culture of the company and adapting to its communication style in advance. For example, in an interview with a culture accustomed to direct communication, the interviewee can make a point concisely, and ask questions to confirm that the other person understands the intention.

I think the root cause for both sides' misunderstanding is the "mismatch" of their received information. As for the interview's perspective, she has no knowledge about the interviees' background information and thus also no exception for Mr Song's any possible reation, resulting in her failure of maintaining the overall pace and atmosphere of the job interview. As for Mr. Song, however, he still uses his preferred approaches to solve the interpersonal issues in front of a person who is actually brought up in a throughly different background, and naturally will seek for totally different ways to solve the same problems.

I wanna to discuss Interviewer's points first. I don't think she is a professional interview, especially when she chose to ask for Mr.Song's nationality. Normally, a experienced interviewer will ask interviwees make a brief self-introduction first, which leave enough personal space for interviewees to make decisions about things they wanna to discuss or not. However, in this incident, Mr. Song first impression about this woman interview must be extremely terrible. It's quite rude and aggressive when she questioning Mr.Song's nationality.

As for Mr.Song, I also find he knows quite few about the new environment, leaving interviewers a bad impression that he is not good at information-searching (even the simpliest Google Search!) and lack of self-motivation (he's unwilling to do something by something, but only do as others ask him to do). It's so so bad!

Q2:As for the interviewees, it’s important to learn the cultural and company background before they go for the interview. That includes mastering the language they use most at workplace, learning the taboos and how to behave properly and professionally and so on. The misunderstanding in the text is totally avoidable if Mr Song can dive into the company’s history and search for the quality they ask for.

2. Candidates should understand the norms of behavior and communication of the target culture, and demonstrate their professionalism, flexibility and adaptability in an international working environment. Before entering the workplace or when answering interview questions, candidates can avoid unnecessary misunderstandings by learning cultural etiquette, adjusting the tone of voice, and respecting the other party's communication style. For example, candidates need to pay attention to non-verbal cues given by the interviewer, such as eye contact and body language, which can help bridge communication barriers caused by cultural differences, so as to secure potential job opportunities for themselves.

Q2: Interviewers can improve their international communication skills and reduce the possibility of cross-cultural misunderstandings in the following ways: First, study the culture and understand the cultural norms, business practices and social etiquette of the host country before participating in the event to show respect and be well prepared. Second, keep communication clear and simple, and avoid using idioms, slang or colloquial expressions that may not be accurately translated. In addition, actively listen to the verbal and non-verbal cues of the interviewer to accurately understand the question and respond appropriately.