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During the Interview
By the time you you arrive at the interview, having researched
the company and the position, prepared answers to questions you
may be asked, ensured your presentation is clean and professional;
a whole new set of variables becomes important for your success.
Your relationship with the interviewers, especially your
non-verbal communication, becomes crucial in the success of the
interview.
Starting the Interview Confidently
Interviews can be won or lost in the first five minutes.
Before entering the room, choose three words that describe the
impression you would like to make. (eg confident,
intelligent and competent). Show those three words
in your eyes, body and face. Try to hold on to this throughout
the interview. You can repeat this if you begin to feel nervous.
It may help create a strong, confident impression if you have an opening
line prepared. Eg Good morning, pleased to meet you, I'm Michelle
Minter, or Hello, I'm Michelle Minter, it's a pleasure to meet
you. Choose something you feel comfortable saying and that suits
your personality. Congruence creates credibility. Remember, you don't
have to use this opening, other conversation may take place, but it is
useful to have prepared and practiced a backup opening line.
If you appear to be confident and enthusiastic from the outset, your
answers are more likely to be reviewed positively, as people's
perception of information is coloured by the feelings they have towards you.
Have a tiny piece of 'small talk' prepared such as comments on: the
weather, current events, news, company location etc. It may be
difficult to think of things to say on-the-spot due to nerves or
other factors. At the interview, be aware of your interviewer and
ensure that your small talk is appropriate to the interviewer.
Having small talk helps build rapport with
the interviewer.
Smile. Show the interviewer in your eyes, face, body,
handshake and voice that you are
glad to meet them, and that you are enthusiastic about the job.
Introducing Yourself
As mentioned above, it is useful to have a strong opening line prepared.
When saying your name, try to halve the pace and double the volume to
ensure that the interviewer is able to hear how to pronounce it. This will
make you both feel more comfortable.
Smile and talk to, not at, the interviewer.
The Handshake
Your handshake is another crucial part of the interview. It is a form of
non-verbal communication and conveys messages to the interviewer about
you. It is also important in building a relationship with the interviewer.
Consciously try to communicate to the interviewer that you are glad to
meet them, through your handshake. Use your face, eyes and body at the
same time, to convey the same message. This creates congruence in
your body. A weak or limp handshake may give an impression of uncertainty
or a lack of confidence.
Don't turn the rest of your body away while you shake hands. Face the
interviewer and perhaps move slightly towards them when you
shake hands. Relax your shoulders and your arm.
Think about the impression you would like to create and use this as
your guide to strength in the handshake. Allow the interviewer to
'lead' the handshake, but meet them half way.
Practice these techniques. If you would like help, attend one of our
interview technique or mock interview workshops.
Building Rapport
The tone of your voice will impact upon the impression that you leave.
How you speak communicates both negative (anxiety, uncertainty, boredom)
and positive (interest, enthusiasm, confidence) emotions. Remember,
you applied for the job in the first place because you thought that you
could make a positive contribution to the organisation: ie you can
do the job. Try to remain confident and show your enthusiasm for the role.
Remember that the interviewer is a person, so talk to them. Take in their
responses, monitor their body language, think about their perspective.
Try to enjoy the experience! Genuine eye contact and a smile will
assist in this process.
Subtle mirroring and responsiveness to the interviewer will help build
rapport (ie if the interviewer leans forward, you may lean forward,
if the interviewer sits with arms on the table, you may do the same).
Body Language & Non Verbal Communication
Your body language provides a number of messages to interviewers.
Be confident. When you greet the interviewer smile and give a
confident and welcoming handshake.
Wait until you are offered a chair before sitting. Keep your gestures,
body and face open.
Lean forward slightly to give the appearance of confidence and interest.
Position yourself so that you are sitting right back into the chair, so
that your lower-back is fully supported. Relax your shoulders and upper torso.
Maintain appropriate eye contact throughout the interview. (Do not stare or
look away too much. Look at them).
Listen to what the interviewer is telling you about the organisation
and your likely role within it, use appropriate listing cues
such as nodding, saying aha etc. Try to look interested at all times.
Answering Questions
Listen to the interviewer and clarify the question if you do not understand
it. You can't answer a question adequately if you don't understand what
is being asked. The bucket approach (ie throwing everything that
you know about the question) seldom answers the questions adequately.
Try to relate your answers to the requirements of the position and the
organisation (ie in answering a question about your teamwork skills,
you will provide examples that demonstrate your skills and then link
these to what you know about the teamwork involved for this position).
See our interview
question preparation sheet for a structure for answering questions.
Ending the Interview Confidently
Have your own intelligent questions prepared before the interview,
as in many cases, interviewers will give you time to ask questions
or make further comments at the end of the interviewer. If you
have any important things to add about your suitability, do it
here. See our
suggestions for questions
to ask the interviewer.
Have a closing statement prepared (eg Thank you for your time, it was a
pleasure to meet you) so that you leave a confident and enthusiastic
impression with the interviewer.
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