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Indian and some Asian cultures are very hesitant to criticize ethers. women often are hesitant to <br />ticize others as well.. Focus group participants suggested that questions should be worded so <br />candidates are not required to criticize others. This might be accomplished by asking, 'what <br />would you do in this situation ?" or "Could you suggest a way to help the other person handle the <br />situation? <br />Focus Group participants also pointed out that many women, American Indians, and <br />Asians tend to downplay their own accomplishments and experiences. Female participants <br />pointed out that men are more 'likely than women to describe their experiences in. ways that <br />highlight their own contributions and accomplishments. <br />Focus gaup participants posted out that for some candidates, English may be a second <br />language. P ic' ants recognized that the Firefighter position requires the ability to e <br />oneself understood in English and the ability to comprehend spoken English. They noted, <br />however, that the job does not require a particular accent (or lack of one), or perfect grammar, or <br />a large vocabulary. The Focus Group participants also pointed out that if English is not the <br />candidate's native language, he /she may require longer than other candidates to understand the <br />interview questions and to for=mulate answers. Non- native English speakers may tend to give <br />shorter, less complex answers to questions. Even so, their r ! nionses may contain the informa- <br />tion needed to evaluate their responses. Interviewers should t�e sure to pay close attention to the <br />content of the candidate "s response and disregard evidence that English is a second language <br />(e.g., an accent) . <br />Focus Group perficipants suggested that interviewers be instructed to ask candidates to <br />repeat or clarify their answer when the interviewer did not understand the initial response to a <br />question. The participants stressed that interviewers trust give candidates a chance to clarify a <br />response, rather than simply assigning a lower score because the interviewer is afraid to show <br />that he /she failed to understand the response. <br />50 <br />