English culture: practical advice from Elena Rodríguez.
Chapter I.
First and foremost: England is not Spain. In English culture it is difficult to get an interview if you have no real chance of being hired. Even so, if you were to apply for a job or a place at university and they told you they loved you with a huge smile on their face and then they didn’t call you or rejected you: don’t worry. Don’t look for three feet on a cat and of course: don’t get discouraged. Try again and keep going like they do: with a huge smile on your face, but keep in mind a couple of things.
First of all, you have to go to England with your homework done. Knowing the characteristics of the type of company or university you want to apply to, thinking very carefully about what you have to say: that it is the most wonderful university in the world, that there is no more stimulating job for you, that the food is the most delicious you have ever tasted in your life, etc. It is about pleasing with words. Reality is quite different. You should always smile and speak in a sweet and effusive tone. And note that these tips I give you are not only useful for applying for a job, they are also useful for learning English.
Don’t say the phrases in the Spanish way, say them with enthusiasm, like the English, as if they were always dealing with very interesting and wonderful things, even if you are talking about the clouds in the sky.
This is very important, believe me! I had to look like a shrimp many times before I understood that people didn’t smile at me because they really liked me, but because they are like that, they are always like that even if they are throwing things at each other, it is a cultural issue like many others that I will reveal to you in the next chapters.
Sincerely (you know what I mean): Elena Rodríguez.


