Abstract
This paper presents the main results from a large interactional study of job interviews with second language speakers of Danish. The job interviews were part of a Danish governmental initiative (‘IO-stillinger’) aimed at integrating immigrants and newcomers to Denmark, firstly through tailor-made job interviews, and later on through workplace mentoring, language courses and professional upgrades. At first sight, the ‘IO-stillinger’ job project was an example of an affirmative action towards the integration of immigrants in the workplace. In practice, however, the recruitment process and the job interview as well as the phase-in were carried out as prototypical gatekeeping events that did not differ from other established employment practices. The paper discusses several examples of job interviews focusing on the co-construction of brought along and brought about conceptions of candidates’ communicative styles. It illustrates how successful candidates are not necessarily those with the best professional qualifications, but those whom the interviewers assess as capable of performing according to perceived Danish cultural norms.
| Original language | Danish |
|---|---|
| Journal | Sprogforum |
| Volume | Temanummer om Sprog, kultur og viden |
| Issue number | 62 |
| Pages (from-to) | 44-50 |
| ISSN | 0909-9328 |
| Publication status | Published - 2017 |