Written by Keerthana Suresh

Language has always had the power to dictate our personality. Although we have come a long way in terms of globalization, English is still considered to be the scale of measurement in gauging a person’s ability to be successful in their career.

Often times, during an interview a candidate loses their candidacy because of bumpy confidence that stems from them not being in full command over their language. How can one deal with this? And how true is it that Language holds all the answers to having a successful career?

All the time I lived in my home country, I was a very confident speaker. I was always known to have great communication skills and that reflected on my personality. However, when I moved to Toronto I came across many people whose English was undeniably fluent with the flow of their vocabulary being excellent. And without even realising, I started faking my accent to feel like one among them and to be accepted. I did not notice any sort of difference in the first few months, nothing negative or nothing positive. But slowly I was beginning to feel disconnected from myself because while I was out there faking my accent my self-esteem was getting lower and lower. The fake accent was not me and it did not definitely did not feel like me.

So what did I do and How did I cope with it? And how essential is language and the accent?

First off, remember that the most important contributor to the wellbeing of your personality is originality. Professionally and personally, people will only judge your basis for who you really are. Once you fake It, you are a goner. So first things first I shed everything that was not me and embraced myself for who I really am and where I was from. We live in a global environment where everyone knows everything, so they will surely be interested to know more about you, giving them an opportunity to gauge your skills better from your personal experience.

Next, I did not shy from social interactions in a multicultural setup. This gave me both an exposure to know more about other cultures and practice and also a chance to build my self-confidence vocally and lingual.

Lastly, knowing that one’s worth is never measured by their language skills really and this is all a social mirage created to feel belonged in a community helps a lot. I have attained success more in places where I projected my true self rather than trying to fit in.

Finally, how essential is language and how do you speak English? It is true that we all have different accents when we talk in English because of our cultural backgrounds and most times we wonder if we are able to communicate what we intend to and if people are able to comprehend it. But most often, it so happens that more than clarity in vocabulary, clarity in thoughts is what matters to people. So do not be afraid to be who you are and speak your mind in your voice in your own words.

Your career is not given to you based on how well you vocalize language but on how well you are able to articulate yourself.

So be yourself , be confident and victory shall come your way! – Keerthana Suresh