Diversity and Inclusion Interview Questions
Practice 30 Diversity and Inclusion interview questions covering equity initiatives, unconscious bias, and inclusive leadership.
Question 24 of 30
What experience do you have relating to people with a background different from yours?
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Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
When you build relationships with people of a different background from yours, you must be open-minded, ready to listen, eager to learn, and open to new situations. Everybody has a powerful and unique story to tell regarding their background, culture, experiences, and beliefs. Talk to the interviewer about the exposure that you bring relating to others with a narrative different from your own. The hiring authorities will want to see your open-mindedness and desire to grow in acceptance of those different from you.
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"I enjoy listening to the stories of people from generations before me, and people with backgrounds different from my own. I will eagerly strike up a conversation with anyone in an attempt to learn something new. I recently read that ageism is still a prevalent issue in the workplace, which I find unfortunate. One bit of advice that has stuck with me for years is when my mentor suggested that I seek friendships with people of different generations. There are many benefits of friendships across generations, including a much broader perspective on life. I also notice different communication styles and varying core values, which I find interesting. Rest assured, should you choose me to join your team, I will get to know my co-workers with an open mind and an interest in their background and story."
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I went to the University of Waterloo, which has a high proportion of international students from all countries. I noticed many differences such as different issues in having English as a second language, different work ethics, etc. This helped me better communicate with people who have English as a second language in the workplace. But more importantly, it helped me realize that we are more similar than different and now I can better empathize with people from different backgrounds.
Amanda's Feedback
It sounds like you've had the opportunity to get to know people from various backgrounds and cultures. You can help illustrate the depth and breadth of this experience by talking about projects you worked on with a diverse team and what you learned from the interaction, friends you made from other backgrounds, and how you appreciated one another's differences or cultural events you attended while at school that expanded your horizons.
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