3

I have no particular problem with written English but being half deaf (~45-50% hearing loss) and not a native speaker can make oral conversations difficult with foreign languages (or even with my native language sometimes), it also may depend on the person I talk to.

On the other hand I don't fear to read or write.

How could I show my English skills during an interview even if I'm not able to have an oral conversation?

Would this disability be considered as being poorly skilled in English?

How to mention it on my CV or talk about it during an interview?

The work would be a developer job in my country (France).

1 Answer 1

3

Just be forward with it. At the beginning of the interview just say that you have a "minor" hearing problem and might require the interviewer to repeat what he/she said. I don't think it's something that is needed to be mentioned in your resume. All the interviews I've been on they usually asks about health-related questions (If I am smoking, drugs, general health etc) and I address my current situation for them then.

As long as you actually understand what they are saying and can respond to that I don't see any problem with having a hearing-problem.

6
  • 1
    The time you need to mention it in a covering letter, is when you are profoundly deaf and can't cope with telephone interviews (as applies to a colleague of mine). He was fine with lip-reading, providing you faced him and spoke clearly. I don't know if he could have lip-read over Skype. Feb 15, 2017 at 13:08
  • @MartinBonner Lip-reading doesn't seem reliable to me through Skype, it would require a good connection, a fluid video stream and a good synch between sound and video (Unless you're totally deaf, sound can also help). But lip-reading can still be useful during an interview!
    – coucou
    Feb 15, 2017 at 14:40
  • @Bojje I see, would the recruiter set aside the fact I may have to make him repeat several times?
    – coucou
    Feb 15, 2017 at 14:43
  • @vmonteco: My colleague was totally deaf. You'd still need a good video stream though. Feb 15, 2017 at 14:48
  • 1
    As to your question to Bojje: You will just have to hope the interviewer will be patient; he should be, but you know what they say about theory and practise. Two things: firstly, remind him to speak slowly and clearly at the start of the interview (and not to talk with his back to you). Secondly, remind him that when you ask him to repeat something, he should repeat exactly the same words, and not try and explain it in different words (my father was partially deaf, and my mother used to drive him nuts). Feb 15, 2017 at 14:49

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .