Secrets to a Successful Interview
Prepare and practice your interview skills.
I’m so excited! I have an interview coming up in two weeks for a job I really want. How do you recommend I prepare? – Julie
Dear Julie,
Congratulations on getting the interview. I think it’s great that you are focused on preparing for success. Any important meeting requires thorough planning.
Most people know to practice their answers to the big questions. I recommend buying (or going to the library and borrowing) a book called, “Great Interview Answers to Tough Questions” by Martin Yate. Yate covers everything you need to know about persuading an employer to hire you including:
- Understanding employer priorities
- Defining the skills you bring to the table
- Telling compelling stories that clearly describe your accomplishments
I also recommend creating a deck of flashcards to practice your responses repeatedly so you can deliver them with confidence, focusing on what is even more important than your words; i.e., your non-verbal delivery.
According to A. Barbour, author of "Louder than Words: Nonverbal Communication," the total impact of a message breaks down like this: 7 percent verbal (words), 38 percent vocal (volume, pitch, rhythm, etc.) and 55 percent body movements (mostly facial expressions).
With 93 percent of the total impact resting on your non-verbal communication, you can’t leave it to chance. Follow these tips to evaluate and perfect your skills.
Increase literacy in language of the body. Check out the great techniques at www.changingminds.org. On this site you can learn how to convey attentiveness, openness and salesmanship. Learn how to avoid sending inadvertent messages of aggressiveness, low interest and defensiveness.
Give good face. I interview people all the time and have the opportunity to study their faces as they talk. What people don’t realize is that the human face is often drawn down by gravity and tends to look bored, tired or sometimes even angry. This happens frequently when people are concentrating on what they want to say.
Spend time in front of a mirror and examine your face at rest. Practice tightening or engaging your facial muscles to communicate a more alert expression. If your mouth at rest forms a frown, work on changing this subtly. Make sure your eyes appear open and convey interest without going bug-eye or staring.
Look, listen and leverage. To increase your communication effectiveness, pay attention to your interviewer’s style and echo it. By mirroring or echoing effectively, studies show you’ll increase your likability.
For example, if the interviewer speaks rapidly, then you should increase your rate of speech. If the interviewer speaks in a quiet voice, you should be sure you adjust your volume accordingly. If the interviewer leans forward, you should also lean slightly forward.
Practice varying your speaking cadence too so you don’t sound monotone and put your interviewer to sleep – especially during those after-lunch interviews.
Of course these variances need to be done subtly and without the interviewer becoming aware of it. Practice the art of mirroring well ahead of the big interview.
Make your first impression impressive. You’ll make your first impression well before you open your mouth. Studies show that people form lasting opinions about others in less than 10 seconds. What you wear, how you do your hair, your glasses, your face, and how you shake hands, stand and walk all contribute to that initial first impression.
If you have been on several interviews but haven’t sealed the deal, get professional guidance on dressing for success. Hire a coach to evaluate your mannerisms and help you enhance that first impression. Ask them to speak truth in love.
Video practice makes perfect. After you have identified perfect answers to those challenging questions, and have practiced some of the points above, get yourself recorded. Then review the recording and evaluate your facial expressions, eye contact, posture, and hand motions with the volume turned off.
Do you convey energy and confidence? I often tell people I’m coaching, “If you’re not enthusiastic about yourself, why should I be?”
Julie, good luck to you. Let us know if you get the offer.
Christy Suerth
Your Neighbor and Career Coach
Do you have a career or job search question? Send it to AskCoachChristy@gmail.com or post it here.
Tell us in the comments.
Arliss Katzman
10:23 am on Monday, March 28, 2011
Great interview preparation advice Christy. I'd like to add that many organizations use "behavioral interviewing" to some degree. As you know, this type of interview is based on the idea that the best way to predict your future performance is to examine your past and present performance in a similar situation. Employers like to focus on your experiences, behaviors, skills and abilities that are job related. These are tough questions to prepare for because employers predetermine which skill are necessary for the job for which they're looking and then ask very pointed questions to determine if you possess those skills. To prepare for behavioral interviews, research what job competencies an employer might seek in the job your being interviewed for. Once you have a greater understanding of the kinds of skills they are seeking, you can begin to reflect upon experiences in which you demonstrated these skills.