Validation: English Bootcamp for Programmers?
As I've recruited remote engineers for startups (Outside of the U.S.), I've noticed there's a pool of talent of engineers that read, write and speak English moderately well, but when it gets to the culture-fit and technical interview, they get nervous and lose confidence because of their English and their technical ability comes off as weak.
They could easily be making double or triple what they are making now, but their low-confidence in their spoken English is what holds them off from even trying.
On the other side, the hiring managers will dismiss the candidate quickly if they feel like there is friction in verbal communication.
The result of the solution is that through an intense drill and practice program, engineers will improve their listening and speaking skills specific to a technical job interview, so they come off as confident and eloquent, even if they sound like Sofia Vergara in terms of pronunciation. If they are able to speak with confidence, they are likely to land a higher income job as a remote engineer.
What are some blind spots I should watch out for?
Totally! Your requests are excellent and demonstrate a sincere desire to learn. It is inspiring to see someone actively seeking information and participating in a live discussion. This is a unique way to display your passion and knowledge. You can gain a better understanding of your life and yourself by presenting requests. Your outing will generate a lot of interest. Investigate continuously and use your advantage.
I think one of the things to keep in mind is that the engineers participating in your program know it's just practice, so even if they feel confident during the practices it's not the real deal. Also, during the 'real deal' there is always that feeling of 'unkown' which doesn't help.
From personal experience, the best way to succeed an interview is to fail multiple real ones and learn from the mistakes.
Your program could push your engineers to participate in minimum X number of real interviews per month. These job interviews don't have to be their dream job, but just practice.
When I was job searching a year ago, I literally accepted whatever job interview there was (even if it didn't really interest me) because I knew it was good practice.
In the end, it became a routine and when finally I found a job I was interested in I was ready but still a bit nervous (that never really goes away). ;)
This is super helpful, thank you @ase! I’m going to incorporate this inside the curriculum