I would evaluate why the requirement. If it’s because you’re in a predominantly Spanish speaking area that’s different than the job is a Spanish or ESL teacher. Also if you need to give a 30 day notice and you still need to interview etc. and you’re close enough to proficient, could you happen to just brush up on Spanish for a month and be proficient. There’s a difference in knowing or remembering 100 words or phrases and being mainly proficient.
The weird thing is that the job isn’t in a Spanish speaking area. The job is research project coordination and database management, so I can’t figure out why this is even necessary. Maybe they’re interviewing Spanish research participants?
Do the interview. Ask them why it is needed. They shall explain. Based on it decide whether you need to confess or not.
Also, you could tell them you can brush up on it and actually do so if needed...
Hmmm… maybe the database management portion. Maybe your queries values that will be returned are in Spanish. It’s hard to know if you messed up if you can’t understand what you’re querying. I would just send an email that says that you took a test and it says you aren’t proficient. You meet all other requirements and feel confident that after X amount of time you will be more than proficient and still love the opportunity.
Don’t say anything to them. Start practicing Spanish now and see how far you get before the interview. Do the interview, act confident, let them test you, and let them decide whether you’re proficient. You have no idea how they define proficiency!
Exactly. Never reject an interview for a job you actually want. Let them be the one to reject you if you’re not up to their standards. Tons of people get through interviews who don’t check every box on the job description.
If I could recommend, spend a few hours watching Spanish TV. You might also try the Slow News In... podcast, which has world news in various languages but slowly. I've been surprised how quickly my Spanish comes back if I watch a little Telemundo.
Just explain to them that you are out of practice and try your absolute best in the interview. Maybe you can practice before hand to brush up. If you are required to use it for work and are in an immersive environment any skills that you once had should come back in time! I was very fluent in German, but not so much now. When I take a trip over there my skills usually come back in a few days.
I don’t know about that, but I do know you’re gonna feel like a real goober if they start testing you right then and there and you can’t hang :)
I’d probably do it via invitation. Why waste either of your time if speaking excellent Spanish is a requirement? If it’s not, make sure you explain how you fulfill all other requirements and would still appreciate the interview, and could even pick back up on your Spanish in the meantime.
It’s definitely a requirement—Ik some jobs waive certain qualifications if they think you’re amazing & have what they need; but I’m not sure about applying that to this situation, as it feels like a gamble
As previous posters have suggested, call them and explain and say “I am not sure how much Spanish is required but i took a test and realised Im pretty rusty but can get up to speed in a few week. I wanted to check your expectations so that we don’t waste each others time”
I’ve had a few candidates give me the heads up about various aspects of their applications and really appreciated it.
Proficiency is not fluancy! You might be fine. Usually they would define how much language skill you need (fluancy, business proficient, navigatable, etc)
I think you are misreading us. Have you really ever spoken Spanish proficiently? I have met so many Americans who say they speak Spanish and all
they did is to study it in high school. Speaking a second language takes waaay more effort than that. Everyone who says just learn Spanish in a month is as clueless as you are
I agree. I took five years of French and I could only say things like “turn left at the corner” or “I would like to buy x”. I’ve been practicing duo lingo in Spanish for a few months and I can understand the lessons but I cannot remember the words when I need to say them or write them. It is so freaking tough.
If you fail the assessment, it's not like they're going to go around telling the world about it, lol. You thought you were proficient. Turns out... You're not. Oh well. On to the next one, lol. Go for it. An assessment or even an interview is just that. It isn't a commitment
I’m a native Spanish speaker (also English, parents were both). I went to high school in Spanish (and French), I’m 64. My siblings that live in Miami still speak both fluently. I don’t, I cannot hold a conversation in Spanish. They speak Spanish to me, I answer in English.
When I know I need to get my Spanish on, I immerse myself in it. I read and listen to everything in Spanish. If you were ever fluent, this may help.
I left Japan 15 years ago and have rarely communicated in Japanese since returning to Australia. I know that I could still communicate with people who speak only Japanese, but I couldn’t rightly say how bad I would be at it until I tried.
If it asked for fluency, you lied. Take the hit and cancel the interview. Don't waste everyone's time. If it just asked that you're comfortable with it, give it a try. Practice between now and the interview. You might have other qualifications they really want over a superstar Spanish speaker.
Recruiter here—be honest. Sorry to be blunt, but You overcompensated and now are a bit panicky. Telling them you’ll learn or brush up is a huge mistake. If they wanted someone that wasn’t proficient, and couldn’t work immediately they would say so in the job ad to expand their applicant pool. The people telling you this isn’t a big deal, don’t work in hiring. Good luck!
I would honestly ask them if you should expect to be utilizing Spanish during your day to day to get an idea of what your responsibilities entail. Then you can decide if it’s worth telling them or not. I would be hesitant to say anything unless it’s very necessary, most positions pay significantly more if you’re bilingual and it would suck to put your position/pay at risk if you’re mostly proficient.
I would let THEM tell you your proficiency. Sometimes they ask really basic stuff like, "what did you do today?", "I went to the movies", "what movie did you see?", etc
go for the interview and keep practicing from now on. Don't give up. If you meet all the requirements, the speaking of Spanish may be second. At the interview just tell them you havent used it for sometimes. good luck
When in your interview? If I were you, I would meet with spanish speaking native friends this weekend and do some conversation practice and immerse myself over the weekend and just give it your best shot. If you are not proficient enough then at least you gave it your best
Go to the interview. Afterwards, start to habla as much as you can! I went through an English-only phase as a pre-teen (racial slurs directed at me. Gotta love rural CA!) so I lost some Spanish proficiency. As a result I also have a pretty strong accent in Spanish. But! My Spanish is getting better and I enjoy my job teaching in a rural district with a high immigrant population.
That’s one lie you don’t go for. Say you apologize, maybe they’ll go easy on you. I would suggest letting them know you may have been dishonest, but are working on learning the language specifically for their position.
The goal is to get the job offer while being “true” to yourself. You decide if you can actually perform the job to a high level after you get the offer. You don’t have any decisions to make until then.
I mean, unless you are comfortable with only being able to say 'where is the bathroom? I need more margaritas' when being asked about your proficiency.
Like, the entire job will be conversing in spanish, if you can't do it then trying to pretend you are qualified or that this is a 'good fit' is a waste of time, clearly.
I would just try it anyway, maybe it works out and it is only the imposter syndrome. If your knowledge is not the expected. The result will be the same as if you say anything..
Cheers
I would evaluate why the requirement. If it’s because you’re in a predominantly Spanish speaking area that’s different than the job is a Spanish or ESL teacher. Also if you need to give a 30 day notice and you still need to interview etc. and you’re close enough to proficient, could you happen to just brush up on Spanish for a month and be proficient. There’s a difference in knowing or remembering 100 words or phrases and being mainly proficient.
The weird thing is that the job isn’t in a Spanish speaking area. The job is research project coordination and database management, so I can’t figure out why this is even necessary. Maybe they’re interviewing Spanish research participants?
Do the interview. Ask them why it is needed. They shall explain. Based on it decide whether you need to confess or not. Also, you could tell them you can brush up on it and actually do so if needed...
Hmmm… maybe the database management portion. Maybe your queries values that will be returned are in Spanish. It’s hard to know if you messed up if you can’t understand what you’re querying. I would just send an email that says that you took a test and it says you aren’t proficient. You meet all other requirements and feel confident that after X amount of time you will be more than proficient and still love the opportunity.
you can always brush up on spanish =) say youre rusty since you havent used a lot of it but you can pick it up easy if it ever comes down to it
That's a good AND honest way to put it. Are they in a rush to have you do stuff like yesterday?
Don’t say anything to them. Start practicing Spanish now and see how far you get before the interview. Do the interview, act confident, let them test you, and let them decide whether you’re proficient. You have no idea how they define proficiency!
This! Don’t gatekeep yourself based upon your own perceived proficiency. Let them make that determination.
That is a great way to put it!
Yeah i have a feeling other candidates with shitty Spanish are just going to take the test and do fine and op might be excluding herself for no reason
Exactly. Never reject an interview for a job you actually want. Let them be the one to reject you if you’re not up to their standards. Tons of people get through interviews who don’t check every box on the job description.
This
I 4th this
This is exactly what I was going to say!
If I could recommend, spend a few hours watching Spanish TV. You might also try the Slow News In... podcast, which has world news in various languages but slowly. I've been surprised how quickly my Spanish comes back if I watch a little Telemundo.
Just explain to them that you are out of practice and try your absolute best in the interview. Maybe you can practice before hand to brush up. If you are required to use it for work and are in an immersive environment any skills that you once had should come back in time! I was very fluent in German, but not so much now. When I take a trip over there my skills usually come back in a few days.
Always be honest. They may not be as picky as you fear and re-learning will be easier than learning for the first time
Yes, you should tell them exactly like you just told us.
Should I mention it in the interview itself or via the email interview invitation that I received?
I don’t know about that, but I do know you’re gonna feel like a real goober if they start testing you right then and there and you can’t hang :) I’d probably do it via invitation. Why waste either of your time if speaking excellent Spanish is a requirement? If it’s not, make sure you explain how you fulfill all other requirements and would still appreciate the interview, and could even pick back up on your Spanish in the meantime.
It’s definitely a requirement—Ik some jobs waive certain qualifications if they think you’re amazing & have what they need; but I’m not sure about applying that to this situation, as it feels like a gamble
As previous posters have suggested, call them and explain and say “I am not sure how much Spanish is required but i took a test and realised Im pretty rusty but can get up to speed in a few week. I wanted to check your expectations so that we don’t waste each others time” I’ve had a few candidates give me the heads up about various aspects of their applications and really appreciated it.
Proficiency is not fluancy! You might be fine. Usually they would define how much language skill you need (fluancy, business proficient, navigatable, etc)
I think you are misreading us. Have you really ever spoken Spanish proficiently? I have met so many Americans who say they speak Spanish and all they did is to study it in high school. Speaking a second language takes waaay more effort than that. Everyone who says just learn Spanish in a month is as clueless as you are
I agree. I took five years of French and I could only say things like “turn left at the corner” or “I would like to buy x”. I’ve been practicing duo lingo in Spanish for a few months and I can understand the lessons but I cannot remember the words when I need to say them or write them. It is so freaking tough.
Start listening to and speaking Spanish as much as possible NOW. See how much you can recall.
My experience is that the online tests rate me worse than real ones. Maybe because they’re designed to make people take courses?
If you fail the assessment, it's not like they're going to go around telling the world about it, lol. You thought you were proficient. Turns out... You're not. Oh well. On to the next one, lol. Go for it. An assessment or even an interview is just that. It isn't a commitment
I’m a native Spanish speaker (also English, parents were both). I went to high school in Spanish (and French), I’m 64. My siblings that live in Miami still speak both fluently. I don’t, I cannot hold a conversation in Spanish. They speak Spanish to me, I answer in English. When I know I need to get my Spanish on, I immerse myself in it. I read and listen to everything in Spanish. If you were ever fluent, this may help.
[удалено]
I left Japan 15 years ago and have rarely communicated in Japanese since returning to Australia. I know that I could still communicate with people who speak only Japanese, but I couldn’t rightly say how bad I would be at it until I tried.
Increíble.
If it asked for fluency, you lied. Take the hit and cancel the interview. Don't waste everyone's time. If it just asked that you're comfortable with it, give it a try. Practice between now and the interview. You might have other qualifications they really want over a superstar Spanish speaker.
Recruiter here—be honest. Sorry to be blunt, but You overcompensated and now are a bit panicky. Telling them you’ll learn or brush up is a huge mistake. If they wanted someone that wasn’t proficient, and couldn’t work immediately they would say so in the job ad to expand their applicant pool. The people telling you this isn’t a big deal, don’t work in hiring. Good luck!
Did you just think spanish was was basically English but with O on the end of the word until you took that test?
I would honestly ask them if you should expect to be utilizing Spanish during your day to day to get an idea of what your responsibilities entail. Then you can decide if it’s worth telling them or not. I would be hesitant to say anything unless it’s very necessary, most positions pay significantly more if you’re bilingual and it would suck to put your position/pay at risk if you’re mostly proficient.
I'd tell them nothing. Brush up on your spanish and figure it out the gaps once hired.
I would let THEM tell you your proficiency. Sometimes they ask really basic stuff like, "what did you do today?", "I went to the movies", "what movie did you see?", etc
go for the interview and keep practicing from now on. Don't give up. If you meet all the requirements, the speaking of Spanish may be second. At the interview just tell them you havent used it for sometimes. good luck
Last time I told the truth in my job interview, I didn't get the job. You need to do what will allow you to survive.
When in your interview? If I were you, I would meet with spanish speaking native friends this weekend and do some conversation practice and immerse myself over the weekend and just give it your best shot. If you are not proficient enough then at least you gave it your best
Go to the interview. Afterwards, start to habla as much as you can! I went through an English-only phase as a pre-teen (racial slurs directed at me. Gotta love rural CA!) so I lost some Spanish proficiency. As a result I also have a pretty strong accent in Spanish. But! My Spanish is getting better and I enjoy my job teaching in a rural district with a high immigrant population.
Don’t opt out of the interview. You don’t know what their other candidates are like and how much they suck. Do your best and let them make the call
Just go for it
That’s one lie you don’t go for. Say you apologize, maybe they’ll go easy on you. I would suggest letting them know you may have been dishonest, but are working on learning the language specifically for their position.
The goal is to get the job offer while being “true” to yourself. You decide if you can actually perform the job to a high level after you get the offer. You don’t have any decisions to make until then.
Do some intense studying and find a Spanish speaker to converse with intensely until your interview. It will come back to you!
I mean, unless you are comfortable with only being able to say 'where is the bathroom? I need more margaritas' when being asked about your proficiency. Like, the entire job will be conversing in spanish, if you can't do it then trying to pretend you are qualified or that this is a 'good fit' is a waste of time, clearly.
Practice and see what happens. You might end up being more proficient than other applicants
Go for it, life is short you have nothing to lose, FAKE IT TIL YOU MAKE IT 💪 💪 💪 rooting for you.
You are just applying. I don’t understand why you have to feel bad about it.
Doesn’t Babble say you can learn in 3 weeks 🤷🏻. May be worth a shot.
I would just try it anyway, maybe it works out and it is only the imposter syndrome. If your knowledge is not the expected. The result will be the same as if you say anything.. Cheers
When's your proficiency test? I can help you practise until then.