The Good News About Interviews – Tip 3 of 10
Going to an interview can seem a daunting prospect, so here is this week’s tip that you can take to improve the probability of your career success.
Tip 3 of 10: Interview – Managing the Process – First Impressions
The purpose of the interview is threefold:
- To demonstrate that you can do the job
- To establish yourself as someone who will fit into the team
- To confirm to yourself that you would still like the job if it were offered
You have been called to interview because the recruiting manager thinks, from your CV or their discussions with your referrer, that you have the skills they need, so, when you go into the meeting room the manager is hoping that you will be the answer to their prayers.
It is your responsibility to ensure that the interview purpose is achieved, even if the interviewer does not. This does not mean taking over the meeting and lecturing the interviewer, it means asking questions and structuring the information you give to ensure that you convey what you need to.
First impressions really do count. We are all apt to judge by appearances and research has consistently shown that only about 10% of the information we convey is in the actual words we speak. Another quarter is in the way that we say them, all the rest is in our body language and appearance.
The impression you make as you come through the door or switch on the camera is therefore critical, especially if a virtual interview, make sure that there no distractions going on behind you. Concentrate on eye contact and smiling. People tend to make their minds up very early in the interview, often in the first few minutes. During that time, it may well be the interviewer who is doing most of the talking, in which case how you listen, and your posture and appearance become even more important.
Rapport can happen by accident, but it is more likely to happen if you work at it. Tailor your approach to the interviewer and to their style.
If you are to reach the ideal interview: you working with the manager on some real problem, you need to aim for a conversation, not an interrogation, from the start. A conversation means you asking as many questions throughout the interview as the manager and talking for roughly equal amounts of time.
So, performing well in the interview might not be as daunting as you first thought and may not require anything more than a fresh perspective and way of looking at it. It sounds simple and it is, it’s just not always easy, especially when trying to do it alone.
For practical advice on how to make the change without being overwhelmed contact us to discuss how we can help.