Meet Central Europe brings together translators and language service providers from across Europe, and Argos Multilingual will be there too. The second edition of the event will take place in Prague, the vibrant and culturally rich capital of the Czech Republic, on October 10-11, 2019.  On the second day of the event, our Senior Resource Specialist Luiza Szafrańska will give a presentation about how Argos recruits and qualifies specialized linguists. You will also have a chance to meet us at the job fair on Thursday, October 10.

AI: The Art of Interviewing by Argos

Have you ever been at a crossroads as to whether a candidate is suitable for the vacancy you want to fill? Or hesitant with your choice because two candidates seem equally suitable?
In this presentation I will explore best practices for recruitment and share know-how that can help efficiently and effectively determine whether a candidate meets the predefined requirements.

The main focus will be on remote interviewing, a key element in Argos’s recruitment process. The presentation will demonstrate how a skillfully conducted remote interview can optimize efficient decision-making when selecting between candidates, and consequently contribute to seamless project execution. By sharing my own experiences with remote recruitment, I will showcase three different interview scenarios: with a generic freelancer, with a language services provider, and with specific candidate requirements.

I will explore each interview scenario by using case studies and identifying sets of questions that can aid in eliciting particular information from candidates, as well as the dos and don’ts for each scenario. Lastly, I will discuss the visual and interactive aspects of interviews and demonstrate how values like partnership, personal approach, social interaction, and efficient communication are reflected during interviews.

To schedule a meeting during the event with our Resources Team, please contact them via email. To learn more about The Art of Interviewing by Argos, read what Luiza has to say below.

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Can you tell us a little more about your presentation?

Luiza Szafrańska: My presentation on the “Art of Interviewing by Argos” will focus on sharing my experiences when interviewing Argos partners, both language service providers (LSPs) and freelance linguists. The plan is to present a few case studies, some examples, and the dos and don’ts – all hopefully within the time limit, which is a mere half an hour including the Q&A session.

Can you explain why Argos is different when it comes to recruitment?

LS: What I know for sure is that interviewing is not a common practice among vendor managers, as most LSPs prefer to verify linguists based on a sample translation. Argos is unique mainly because our top clients are big names from the life science sector and it takes much more than a sample to obtain and build relations with true experts and partner companies who will deliver top quality work. In order to be sure we are choosing the best linguists, we need skillfully conducted interviews, and by skillful I mean informative, professional, relatively short, and visually attractive.

Are remote interviews that much different than face-to-face ones? Are there any difficulties you face regularly?

LS: They are not that different. Most of the time we conduct remote video interviews, and to be honest, there aren’t any real difficulties I can think of. Sometimes technical issues might delay a Skype or Zoom call, or the sound quality could be better. Background noises might be annoying as well. But other than those technical issues, the goal of the interview is achieved and that’s what matters most.

What are your tips for interviewers and interviewees?

LS: Interviewers: Do your homework, ask precise questions, listen actively, and be curious! Interviewees: Do your homework and be honest.

Tell us a myth about interviewing – something candidates think is important but is in fact not.

LS: A flashy website or a visually attractive CV can help, but it’s not the deciding factor. Your experience and your commitment to quality and a partnership is much more valuable.