Challenges and Benefits of Interviewing an International Student

     There are several challenges and benefits to interviewing international students but for the most part the benefits will far outwiegh the challenges that can arise. In fact, I would go as far as to say that the challenges that you work through can result in a very beneficial interview. Take the language barrier for instants, when an interview begins depending on where the interviewee is from, it can definitely be very challenging to understand and respond possitively to what the interviewee is saying. I think that most people would agree that the language barrier is one of the premier issues that face our world today. An article by Juliet Yonek and Cynthia Hedges Greising states that "hospitals and health systems are encountering increasing numbers of patients with limited English proficiency (LEP). For these patients, language and communication barriers pose a serious threat to receiving safe, high-quality health care. Numerous studies have shown that language barriers impede access to health care, compromise quality of care and increase the risk of adverse health outcomes." No matter how unfortunate this may be, I believe that the cause of this difficulty is that there is a decrease in the amount of people that are willing to put in the time to get to know people who may not speak the same dialect and/or language as them. This can result in a huge benefit to interviewing an international student because it moves one closer to understanding both the person they are talking with and to better knowing the world around them.
     A second challenge is that of cultural differences. The importance of eye contact is something that changes in almost every culture. This can take some substantial research in order to figure out what will be acceptable to your interviewee. Jim Johannasen has a very valuable resource that categorizes for you which nations generally prefer eye contact and which nations do not. For example, he writes that American's strongly encourage eye contact, which for me is something that I always try to focus on when communicating. Europe is largely the same in this sense but the difference comes when you are communicating with someone from Asian, African, and Middle East nations. According to Jim Johannasen, people from these nations can see eye contact as a sign of disrespect, which can create an uncomfortable atmosphere for the interview. However, if your research is done correctly and thoroughly, you can walk into the interview with confidence and conduct your interview much more affectively. Also, having learned these things and practiced them in a real situation can greatly benefit you when it comes to everyday interaction with friends and even aid you in your job if the occasion calls for it.
     There are many more challenges and benefits to interviewing an international student, but these are just two examples of what there is to gain from working through the challenges. The fact of the matter is that if you are well prepared and know your interviewee and the basics of their culture, there is nothing but benefits to interviewing an international student.

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