QA Team Lead - Brossard, Quebec
Interview experience:
I had two interviews for this role.
The first interview was with a Senior Talent Acquisition Consultant, conducted in French. I was clear that I do not master French. Despite this, he said my French was excellent, confirmed the team was francophone, asked if I would be comfortable working in that environment, and I said yes. He said he would forward my résumé to the hiring manager.
The second interview was with the QA and DevOps Manager. It started in French. While answering questions, I asked if it would bother him if I spoke in English. He said my French was very good, but then stated that if I am having difficulty speaking in French, the role would not be a good fit.
I pushed back by referencing the job posting, which clearly states the role is bilingual and requires a working proficiency in both languages. He replied that bilingual means mastering both languages, said he did not want to waste his time or mine, and ended the interview.
Overall:
This was a negative experience. English was treated as a weakness rather than a professional tool, despite being explicitly required in the posting. There was a clear mismatch between what recruitment communicated and how the hiring manager enforced language expectations.
This role is advertised as bilingual, but if native-level French is truly required, the posting is misleading.
Advice to future candidates:
Clarify upfront what âbilingualâ actually means in practice for this role, as expectations may differ significantly from what is written in the posting.
Advice to management:
Align recruiters and hiring managers on language requirements, and ensure job postings accurately reflect expectations.