PREPARING FOR A TECHNICAL JOB INTERVIEW IN INTERNATIONAL ENGINEERING COMPANIES: LINGUISTIC ASPECT

Abstract

This study addresses critical gaps between traditional ESP curricula and authentic communicative competencies required in professional recruitment processes. The research was conducted at Lviv Polytechnic National University during the 2024–2025 academic year and employed a mixed-methods design across three stages. The needs analysis phase surveyed undergraduate engineering students from four specializations and analyzed job advertisements from LinkedIn, DOU, and Djinni to identify industry expectations. The implementation phase integrated a specialized twenty-hour “English for Job Hunting” module into the experimental group’s curriculum, utilizing mock interviews, the STAR (Situation-Task-Action-Result) framework, and AI tools. The control group followed standard Professional English instruction. The evaluation phase assessed outcomes through final mock interviews, measuring lexical density, grammatical correctness, and fluency. Results demonstrated statistically significant improvements in the experimental group, including reduced speech anxiety and greater communicative fluency. The research establishes that successful technical interviews require three interrelated competencies: terminological precision, discourse structuring capabilities, and persuasiveness. Discipline-specific variations across engineering specializations suggest the need for tailored linguistic modules. The study provides evidence-based pedagogical strategies for ESP instructors, curriculum developers, and educational administrators. The developed methodology demonstrates high potential for implementation across technical universities, enhancing the international competitiveness of engineering graduates and their successful integration into global professional communities.