How to Ace the Interview in 15 Minutes or Less
Ace the Interview in 15 Minutes or Less
Interviews: love them or hate them – every job seeker must learn to ace the interview in 15 minutes or less. In the age of impatience, we get very little time to make a great first impression. It’s a sad fact that the person most qualified for the job doesn’t always get the job. It’s the person who interviews the best that gets the offer.
Learn to Relax
This is one of the most difficult interview skills to acquire. Especially if we have put a lot of significance on the interview! The more significance we place on a task or event, the harder it is for us to do regardless of the facts. We must learn how to that part out of our minds and train ourselves to relax. Some use meditation, breathing exercises, mindfulness or other mind-clearing processes before an interview in order to become (and remain) calm.
Lose the Limp Grip
Handshakes are common during introductions. Please lose the limp grip and lighten up on the strangle-hold hand grasp. Limp grip handshakes makes a terrible impression on others and vise-like grips can be taken as overly aggressive. Practice your handshake to make sure it’s not like handling a dead fish or an attempt to arm-wrestle.
Walk with Confidence
Sounds like an odd request? It’s not: body posture matters more than you think. According to Amy Cuddy, Harvard Business School professor and social psychologist, studies show how nonverbal behavior influence people and can even shape who they become. Cuddy is a proponent of ‘Power Postures’ which impacts how we interact with others. Striding forward with your head up and shoulders back is an indication of confidence.
Amy Cuddy’s Fascinating Ted Talk on Power Posing:
Posture Tips: Demonstrating an open posture and sitting up straight, for example, will lower stress and increase confidence. Closed postures, slouching or hugging your arms close to your body can inhibit our nervous system and send insecurity signals to our bodies. This, in turn, restricts how well we are able to communicate our thoughts to others.
Body Language Matters
You might be sitting up straight and have a smile plastered on your face, but the knuckles on your clasped hands are white from stress. You are answering questions smoothly, but you are also mangling your ink pen in the process. These are called ‘Tells’ and are indicative of internal stress or turmoil. Do mock interviews with mentors or trusted friends. Have them tell you want nervous habits they observed. Are you holding good eye contact appropriately? Do you look away every time to answer a question? Become aware and do your best to mitigate any nervous ticks or outward signs of stress.
SMILE!
Someone said to me ages ago: “Smile when you talk on the phone, people can hear it.” I thought that was the most ridiculous idea I’d ever heard until years later when I actually tried it. Even if you are doing a phone interview: SMILE! You don’t need to have a phony grimace sewn to your lips throughout the entire meeting. A genuine smile at the introduction and periodic smiles before answering questions is recommended for the best impression.
Be Enthusiastic!
Alexas_Fotos / Pixabay
What?? You don’t want to work for the company? If you DO want to work for them, demonstrate that in your actions (within reason). The first step is to become calm. The second step: become happy. Happiness is a decision not a condition. Be happy to be there and allow it to show. Happiness allows your eyes to light up and gives you a clear mind to think with. Attitude is infectious and even if you have a dragon for an interviewer it just might lighten the mood. People are also willing to overlook minor mistakes if you have a winning attitude.
Be Intentional
Most people I know struggle with communicating intent through action. This disconnect often creates miscommunication through body language, tone of voice or word choice. We judge ourselves by our intent but others judge us by our actions. Becoming self-aware (not self-critical) is the first step towards understanding our norm in order to figure out if we are sending the right messages. No one can see, smell or hear your intent unless you convey it clearly. I have been guilty of poor tone of voice choices for certain situations in the past. I wasn’t aware! My intent was certainly not getting through and it hurt my career.
Top Tip: Practice certain scenarios in front of your phone camera. Try to be as natural as you can and reply to mock questions as you normally would. Ignore the camera and act out the scenario. Play the recording and look for disconnects. I always recommend mock interview with mentors or friends to understand where you can improve.
Ace the Interview in 15 Minutes or Less
Body language, tone of voice, clarity of speech and attitude all determine whether you are a viable candidate or not within the first few minutes. Even if you have had a terrible experience parking or received bad directions from your interview contact – put your smile in place, choose your attitude and ace the interview in 15 minutes or less!
Questions about interview skills? Contact me for a free 15 minute consultation!
[…] Interview for Impact! Body language matters. It’s important that you walk with confidence, meet people eye to eye as appropriate and deliver a firm (but not bone-crushing) handshake. Smile and learn to relax – even before the interview. Interviews are particularly challenging for introverts. Amy Cuddy discusses how our posture can actually shape our interactions with others. She recommends Power Poses before any challenging engagement. Most of all: be prepared, know the company, have pertinent questions, ask the interviewers about the culture and don’t forget to get more detail about what expectations are for the job. If you want the job: TELL THEM before you leave. […]