Useful phrases for job interviews in Spanish
Spanish is one of the 3 most spoken languages in the world. There are around 40 million Spanish native speakers and in the corporate world, it is estimated that the Spanish language is used by more than 560 million people on a daily basis. The demand for Spanish native speakers or people who speak Spanish as a second language is constantly increasing, so in this blog post, we are going to see some vocabulary and expressions that are relevant when attending job interviews in Spanish.
Interviews usually have different phases and throughout these, the interviewer covers different aspects of your life that they consider relevant for the position you are applying for.
When it comes to your background, some of the main questions you’ll probably hear are:
¿Eres licenciado universitario?
A licenciado universitario is someone who went to university and finished an undergraduate/bachelors degree. If you are a licenciado universitario, then your answer should be: “Sí, soy licenciado/a en….” and add the name of the degree you studied.
¿Tienes una diplomatura?
A diplomatura is shorter than a licenciatura. If this is what you studied, then you should say “Sí, tengo un diplomado en…”
¿Tienes un máster?
A master’s degree is the first level of graduate study. Imagine that you are “licenciado en derecho”, and then you decide to do a master’s degree in “derecho judicial”, then your answer should be: “Sí, tengo un máster en derecho judicial”
¿Tienes un doctorado?
A doctorate is the highest degree that can be awarded by a university and it is usually a research degree that qualifies you to teach at a university. If you have a doctorate, then you should say: “Sí, soy doctor en…”
When it comes to your work experience, these are some of the questions you’ll probably hear:
¿Qué puesto ocupaste en tu última empresa?
Translation: What position did you have in your old company?
In order to answer this question, it would be good to give the name of your position, for example: “Coordinador de Comunicaciones”, and then tell them a bit about what your responsibilities were. If you were a “becario” (intern), you should also specify it to show that you already have some work experience.
¿Cuáles fueron tus mayores logros en tu último trabajo?
Translation: What were your greatest achievements in your last job?
But then… the interviewer won’t be the only one asking questions. In order to decide if that is the place where you want to work, you also need to ask a few questions that will help you make a decision. Let’s check some of them out
¿Qué tipo de contrato es?
Translation: What type of contract is it?
Here you’ll probably hear either indefinido, which means a contract without a specific time frame, or temporal, which is a contract for a specific period of time.
¿Cuál es el sueldo?
Translation: What’s the salary?
This is one of the most difficult questions to ask, but also one of the most important ones! Here you’ll have to negotiate and make sure that what they offer meets your expectations.
If you miss something, you could also send an email with additional questions. Check out our video on how to do it.
What other questions do you consider relevant in an interview? Share them with us! Follow us on Facebook and let us know how else our students can get ready for an interview.
