In every interview you are an actor. Your role is the job seeker. Just as Hollywood’s top stars practice and prepare, so should you. Every actor knows that spoken words are enhanced by body language, facial expressions, voice intonations, and props. When the job interview’s spotlight shines on you, you begin a one-time-only performance. So make your words, body language, and voice work to aid you in landing the job.
Dealing with Nervousness
Important events where we are judged and need to perform well can make anyone nervous. A little nervousness can actually help you be sharp and on your toes, and improve your performance. A heart-thumping, face-twitching, voice-quivering nervousness will reflect poorly on you and the strong, self-confident, “I can solve your problems” impression you are trying to make. Try these techniques to lessen your nervousness.
Technique 1
Visualize success. See yourself smiling and happy. In your mind, create a picture of the employer’s eyes glued to you, hanging on every word. Hear her say, “I want you for the job.” Believe that you will be successful, liked, and wanted in this encounter. Your state of mind directly impacts your performance. Focus only on confidence-building thoughts.
Technique 2
Listen to a motivational tape shortly before the interview. The confidence-and morale-boosting words will give you needed moral support and decrease your apprehensions.
Technique 3
Rid your body of nervous tension. Just before you go into the interview find a private spot outside or in the rest room, and shake each leg. Then shake both arms and hands. The physical exercise releases the tension that has built up, and relaxes you.
Technique 4
Take deep breaths. As your hand reaches for the door, take a couple of deep breaths, slowly breathing in and out. Think of a calm and beautifully peaceful scene to help you relax a bit.
These four techniques will help to decrease your nervousness. And practice makes perfect. All the preparation creating answers, and your 60 Second Sell, should reassure you that you are prepared and will do your best.
What to Bring
The night before the interview pack up what you need to bring. Always have extra resumés—yes, they do lose them and misplace them. Bring your list of references. Be sure all addresses and phone numbers are current and accurate. Include any work samples and the list of questions you intend to ask. Carry your research, the list of those questions you want answered, your 5 Point Agenda, and your 60 Second Sell. You’ll want to review all of these an hour or two before entering the interview to keep the ideas fresh in your mind. Include a notepad and pen in case you need them.
Decide if you will carry a briefcase or a simple leather-bound notebook holder into the interview. Organize your materials, and you are ready to go. Be careful not to have too many things—briefcase, notepad binder, materials, cell phone, purse—all in your hands. Combine and compact into one easily carried piece, two maximum. And always turn OFF your cell phone before you enter the interview.
First Impressions
First impressions are difficult to change. Before you even say hello, the employer’s mind is evaluating attire, hygiene, and style, formulating an opinion, since what you wear sends powerful signals. The impression must be positive or it could eliminate your chances of getting the job. Select a suit that is conservative but modern. Be certain it is clean and fits well, and pay careful attention to the details. Smile at everyone you meet. As you introduce yourself to the receptionist, smile and take a moment to ask her name. Be sure to add that you are glad to meet her. When the interviewer approaches, stand, smile, and offer a firm handshake. Nothing creates a poorer impression than a weak, couple-of-fingers shake. Start out exuding confidence; the smile and firm handshake are key.
Nonverbal Clues
Employers evaluate what they hear, while giving credence to what they see. Nervous gestures, such as playing with your hair, looking away when you are asked questions, or tapping your fingers, can absorb their attention. Nervous job hunters then compensate by crossing their arms, a gesture that radiates a closed, unapproachable, “Stay away from me” message. To demonstrate that you are relaxed and confident, sit with your hands on your lap, or rest them open on the table if one is in front of you. Equally acceptable is to open your notepad and hold a pen.
Your movements, gestures, posture, and facial expressions are an important part of your overall performance. A sincere smile sends a warm, confident message. Eye contact is one of the important things employers notice about you. It is crucial and conveys that your message is believable. We all get suspicious of a person who focuses his eyes on the floor, to the side, but rarely on us. Practice until it is second nature to look at the person when answering a question.
Your face can reflect so many expressions—humor, confidence, seriousness, concern, enthusiasm—all of which add depth and meaning to your words. Be sure to not sit there stoically, with a blank face. You will fail to appear “real” and come across boring and dull. If you sit rigid, upright, or frozen, you communicate anxiety and insincerity. Likewise, slouching projects cowardliness, insecurity, and less competence. Sit up tall, but lean forward or use your hands from time to time to make your point and draw in your listener.
Use vocal intonations to make your point. Pauses, soft tones, and louder tones all add interest to a conversation. One department head commented that she listens to applicants’ tone. If they are long-winded, monotonic, and boring, she eliminates them. After all, she is the one who will constantly be listening to them in meetings. She, like many employers, wants someone confident, human, more personable. This does not mean loud and boisterous. Quiet introverts often excel in interviews because they project a quiet, confident self. Be yourself, be natural, but use these nonverbal techniques to project a more appealing image to the employer.
Show-and-Tell
Proof. Every employer loves to see evidence that you can do the job. Just as a graphic designer never interviews without a portfolio of her work, you need to bring samples that demonstrate your abilities to do the job.
This can be a very powerful tool that few ever use. When a client was trying to change fields to advance his career, he faced many roadblocks. A friend helped him get an interview with a large company for his dream job. I had him bring in his laptop so he could demonstrate his skills as a project manager by showing some of the sophisticated spreadsheets and tracking systems he had created. From the moment they began to see his work, the interviewers changed. He could see it in their body language, and later said, “I knew I had them.” Indeed, the work samples actually showed the potential this client had, and so the rest of the interview focused on his show-and-tell pieces. It was bringing in these samples that really turned the interview his way, and indeed he got this great job, with a very significant raise too.
Show-and-tell examples may be a form you developed that sped up production, articles you have written, materials you have created, web pages you’ve laid out, brochures that list you as a panelist or speaker, work-related spreadsheets, budgets, or drawings or illustrations you’ve sketched. Bring in anything that clearly demonstrates how you have done the job before. In fact, one chef brought in samples of his best dessert; he was hired right after everyone tasted it. Remember, seeing is often believing and a picture or, in this case, a paper, journal, brochure, report, etc., brings your words to life in a very impressive and influential way.
Field Knowledge
Potential bosses are trying to determine how much you know in your field of expertise, be it human resources, network systems, marketing, electrical engineering, fund-raising, payroll, etc. The higher up your job, the more depth of knowledge you need to have. One CEO said, “I expect my top people to be an inch wide but a mile deep in their area of expertise.” Read up on trends. Notice industry changes and current problems, so as to be nimble in discussing your position and the field in which your work is done. Visit the professional association’s website to acquaint yourself with current issues being discussed. Become well versed in the products, services, and operations of the company you are interviewing with. If you educate yourself before the interview, you can make a very appealing package and cross over into new and very different fields or companies. Never go to the interview without doing this important homework. Every applicant must also stress their interest in the field, commitment to stay up on changes, and desire to learn new skills to better perform the job.
When a person is trying to change careers, the employer often dreads all the time that will be needed to teach that person about the field. To prevent this from becoming a hiring obstacle, especially if you are trying to change fields, be self-taught. Read books and articles on the new field you want to enter. Talk with successful people who hold jobs similar to the one you want. Learn the field’s jargon and familiarize yourself with the future trends and what impact they might have. Acquire the needed background to eliminate the employer’s concern that you know nothing about the field. Use this self-acquired knowledge in the interview.
60-second Work Example
Using examples is the best way to communicate clearly—to paint a picture that allows the employer to see you doing similar tasks, successfully, for her. Predetermined work examples are a very effective tool you can bring to the interview. You’ll never flounder and search for an example. Preselection allows you to slowly sift through your background and extract the right situation to make your point. Prepare examples that demonstrate each point in your 5 Point Agenda. Prepare examples that deal with problem solving, supervisory style, teamwork ability, and planning and organizational skills, especially if your job deals with projects and deadlines. These examples or stories need to be introduced, told, then summarized in no more than 60 seconds. Advance preparation allows you to use these examples to answer questions appropriately.
If you are asked a question about dealing with employee performance or problem solving, you could try an example like this: “Solving problems is an important part of my work. At Northwest Hospital I had a staff person who was overwhelmed with her regular workload and trying to learn our new software. Everything was getting behind. I sat her down and we talked about the problem. Laura found it very hard to concentrate if there were any distractions as she began to apply what she’d been taught in the computer-training class. We decided that she could spend one hour each day for two weeks with her door closed and her phone forwarded to voice mail. We determined specific goals she needed to reach to master the new software so she could get the department back up to speed. I encouraged her daily, and she did make the needed progress. In fact, she surpassed all my expectations and within two months really improved our paper-flow productivity with her new skills. I think it was the effort I made getting her input and help in finding an acceptable solution that encouraged and motivated her to try harder.” When you offer specific details you make the employer think, “Yes, that’s what we need.” Using examples, you’ll go a long way toward being hired.
Highlight Transferable Skills
Many of the abilities you develop for one employer will be equally valuable to another. These “transferable skills” build a fuller picture for the employer to consider.
You possess many skills that you fail to recognize but that an employer will see as necessary and important. At the top of most employers’ lists are computer skills—highly valued from one employer to another. Here are other skill areas to consider. Select those that are important in doing the employer’s job well and incorporate them into your answers and examples.
Handling Small Employers
In the next decade, according to the Department of Labor, job growth will increase by the greatest degree among small employers, particularly organizations with fewer than 100 people. This presents a dilemma to the job seeker, since often very little information about the employer is available prior to the interview. To aid in your preparation, try to obtain as much information from the person who arranges the interview or someone else in the office. Inquire as to whether they have a website. Call and ask a few questions. If you get, “Oh, they’ll cover that,” you’ll need to use your best guess and prepare. As you start the interview, use this technique to gain the necessary information and reorganize your answers to address their spoken needs. Simply say, “Mr. Employer, before we get started, could you tell me in more detail about the day-to-day responsibilities?” Then ask, “What do you consider the priorities? Is there any special training or experience you’re seeking?” Be sure to use the phrase “before we get started”—it allows you to gain insight, and the employer believes he hasn’t begun yet even though this information will help you frame your answers.
From those few questions, you will learn what important ingredients this employer desires. You can address his needs by quickly editing your 60 Second Sell. You may need to adapt on the spot, but you’ve gotten the insights and can now stress your strengths to meet his needs, while most other candidates will be operating blind.
Listen
Hear their questions; hear their needs; hear their expectations. If you listen carefully, employers often reveal everything you need to know.
Often, job hunters just don’t listen. It is frustrating to the interviewer to ask questions that never get answered. So listen closely. Many employers reveal their “hidden agendas,” those few things that really influence their decision, if you listen closely to the questions they ask and the information they offer. I recently interviewed four people in order to hire a program coordinator. I told each candidate that computer skills were important. One person emphasized her organizational abilities, another her attention to detail and willingness to do whatever was asked. A third repeatedly discussed her computer abilities but never addressed the fact that my company was using different software. The gentleman I hired spoke about his computer abilities and brought along sample flyers, documents, and even a newsletter he’d done. He met my most important criterion—good computer skills. The others never heard me. As the potential employer, I told them, but they didn’t listen. If they had, one of them might have gotten the job. Instead, he did!