I’ve helped my organization at least twice in the interview process for my secondary organization, Youth2Georgia. This blog describes my perspective on the difference between American interview cultural practices vs. Georgian interview cultural practices.
In America, the beginning of any new job is generally overwhelming and it involves a lot of paperwork. You have to sign the W-2s, the 401K paperwork (if you are lucky), and read all the policies and procedures. Starting Peace Corps is ten times more complicated than that. We have to go through legal clearance, medical clearance, and months of waiting even after our offer letter has arrived. Here is an infographic about applying to Peace Corps. P.S- can I still call it offer letter considering we don’t get paid a salary?!
On the other end of the spectrum, starting my role as a Peace Corps Volunteer in my organization, World Vision, was actually very different. Since all my Peace Corps paperwork was done either before PST or during PST, there was not much to do once I became an official volunteer. So once I got to site, I remember there was a lot of sitting around.
I recall lounging at work wondering what to do next. My supervisor at work did not give me anything to do. I offered to help, but what was I supposed to do given I had no idea what was going on?! I attempted to learn as much as possible by YouTubing and Googling World Vision in general. Finding out about the projects in Georgia was a bit more difficult. Granted, at least I am assigned to an international organization, so I was able to learn a few things.
Other volunteers could not research their organizations because most of them operate locally. If they published any of their work on the internet, it was most likely on their Facebook page and in the Georgian language only. Having business websites is not really a thing in Georgia. If you recall my previous posts regarding Facebook, creating a Facebook page is the number one way to advertise one’s business.
This makes me wonder what would one do if he/she were interested in applying to a Georgian organization? Well, I do not think intense Google stalking is the answer. Word of mouth wins again. Being well integrated into the community places an advantage. Many of the jobs are advertised on job.ge. Looking at that website is generally the extent of any online search. Also, since many of the industries are not very wide-spread in Georgia, “everyone knows everyone” is somewhat true here. During my short time here, I am familiar with many of the NGOs in my community.
Still, how does the interview process different than America? Since I have been involved in a few interviews with candidates at my organization, I thought I would write a blog post about this.
First off, In America, the candidate and the interviewer shake hands once the interview is about to start. Greetings are exchanged during the handshake. In Georgia, I do not think handshakes are exchanged as often. To come and think of it, I can’t remember in the last round of interviews if anyone exchanged handshakes.
One of the main differences between American interviews and Georgians interviews is the usage and format of resumes. In college, I was taught over and over again that when I go to an interview, I should have several printed copies of my resumes. In Georgia, candidates do not walk in with printed copies of their resume. A few months ago, I delivered a job interviewing skills training. During the session, I informed the participants that in America, it is expected that the candidate should have printed copies. One of the adults in the room shook her head passionately. She interrupted me and said in Georgian, “Do not print your resumes in Georgia. It is a waste of paper.” Then she looked at me and asked, “Why would you print it since they have a digital copy of it when you applied? Can’t they just print it themselves?” A valid question for which I do not have a logical answer to besides that it is cultural and makes the candidate look more prepared.
The format of a resume is also very different in Georgia. In America, we truly focus on the length. We love 1-page resumes. The maximum you will see is a 2-pager for a long-term veteran of an industry. In Georgia, I have seen 19-year olds with a 5-page resume. It is because length and format are not very emphasized. Georgian resumes look more like an outline. Also, the information resembles a European resume. For example, almost all Georgians will input their birth date (including the year) and their photo on the first page. I’ve seen several resumes where Georgians will also put their place of birth. In America, asking someone’s birthday and place of origin is illegal.
My favorite cultural difference between Georgia and America is phone etiquette. In the U.S., if you get a call during a meeting, you either ignore the call or step outside the room to take it. In Georgia, you take the phone call. Best part, you actually have the conversation! Granted, it is normally in hushed tones, but nonetheless, it is still distracting to others in the room. Georgians will put their phone to their ear and cover their mouth with their free hand. You hear a bunch of whispers and you can’t help but look at the person. I’ll give Georgians credit, the phone conversations typically last less than 10 minutes.
This etiquette does also occur during interviews. My boss’ phone rang several times during the interviews. He picked them up, spoke quickly in the room, and hung up. Meanwhile, I also received two phone calls. I ignored the phone calls and then put my phone on vibrate. The only reason why it was not on silent is that we have a policy that Peace Corps needs to be able to reach us at all times in case of an emergency. Thus, putting it on silent could jeopardize my safety and potentially break policy. During the break, I called my Peace Corps friends back to see why they called. I have not been able to shake off my American phone etiquette despite having lived here for two years.
Another distinction is the expectations of questions from the candidate. I have conducted interviews in my past. I worked in HR and a restaurant team lead, so I had plenty of practice interviewing candidates. It is an expectation that good candidates will ask thoughtful and meaningful questions at the end of the interview. Many HR professionals and hiring managers in America believe that when a candidate asks questions about the position, it shows genuine interest in the company and the role. In Georgia, none of my team members were expecting questions as “a must” from any of the candidates. They allowed the candidates to ask questions, but when they did not have any, it was no big deal.
All in all, there seem to be less unwritten rules and expectations in Georgia. I could, of course, be wrong. I’m writing this from my experience at one organization in Georgia. I cannot speak to how interviews are conducted country-wide. However, this relaxed attitude is consistent throughout the country. On a whole, Georgia seems to be more relaxed about many, countless things that Americans take more seriously. Take for instance time and punctuality. Americans value punctuality. and Georgians do not take it as seriously.
At this point, I am very curious about how I will behave in an American office environment when I return. I can’t help but believe that Georgia has made me more relaxed and less of a type-A personality over these past two years. It is certain that I will experience reverse-culture shock for sure…