Phone interview checking language skills.

Hey guys,

Long-time lurker, first-time poster, love the board :* I wanted to ask those of you with past applying-to-EC experience about language skills checking during a phone interview. My English is fine, I suppose, however I'm a bit concerned about my German (which is a bit rusty due to the fact I haven't used it in a longer while).

Do they drill you over the phone or is it more of a friendly chit-chat with basic questions (e.g. "tell me about yourself", "why our DG" etc.)?

I guess I'm panicking unnecessarily but I'd rather make sure

If they will ask you about a language other than English, it will be French. German, even though an official working language, isn't really used that much (except for German-directed units of course, such as the Germany unit at DG Ecofin).

The interview will differ from DG to DG, some of them are very friendly and straightforward, but others can be quite tought. There is no golden rule.

Based on my experience, I'd say language skills may be a decisive factor in selection.

I was contacted by a Unit in DG Competition that asked me some questions in German. That didn't go all that well, since my German must be at B1 level at best. A few days later they sent me an email stating they had chosen a candidate with a combination of languages that best suited their current requirements.

The Unit that ultimately selected me also interviewed me in French but fortunately that went much better.