July 2010

Five Rules for Interviewing
by Myles Golden

There’s an old saying, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”. This is so true and I must admit I am as guilty as the next person when it comes to forming first impressions. I have met many a person who went to an interview thinking, “This is it. I just know this job is for me,” only to be disappointed with the outcome of the interview. Some say, “It started going down hill when I entered the room. I just don’t understand. We had a great telephone interview, I have the qualifications and I feel that I am the best candidate”.

I will ask, “What do you think happened that may have taken you out of the running? Could it be that you were not in the moment for the interview? Maybe you made the wrong impression.” Deb Sofield, Executive Speech Coach, has spoken to our Monday morning roundtable in the past. Deb is a member of the National Speakers Association and is a popular keynote speaker for many events.

I want to share a few adaptations of her Rules for the Road that are applicable to interviewing:

1. Lighten up – keep a relaxed face. In the first two minutes of a meeting, interviewers notice appearance first, so look professional and comfortable at the same time. Smile, gesture, and make eye contact. I agree with Deb that dressing appropriately is important to that first impression. I suggest you dress one level above the suggested dress code of the company. Don’t hesitate to inquire when you accept the appointment.

2. Speak with energy and enthusiasm, showing that you are glad to be there. Women need to be careful not to let their voices rise at the end of a sentence because it sounds like a question, rather than a statement. This tip gets into the whole area of body language. I would add that sitting upright and mirroring your interviewer is a good suggestion. You don’t want to appear too rigid. However, slumping or slouching will give the impression of low energy and low interest.

3. Master the power of language. Make your words count, using clear, simple and expressive language. Be careful about using current slang, clichés or overused words, such as empowerment, rightsizing, reprioritizing, etc. This is one of my pet peeves. Please don’t say “to tell the truth” such as “To tell the truth, we were not competitive.” Are you saying “I usually lie, but for you I’ll tell the truth?” While “Git’R Done” is a popular saying, thanks to that cable guy, you might not want to use this one in an interview.

4. Talk about the company. Research and focus on the potential employer, letting them know how you could fill their need. This is a big one in today’s competitive market. Most interviewers expect you to have done your homework and be knowledgeable about the company and the position. By all means go to their website and< learn as much as you can about their products and services. It’s also good to know the company history. I suggest you try to find someone employed by the company and learn about the culture. In addition, have a list of questions that are most important to you. Remember an interview is a process of questions and answers going both ways. Many a candidate lost out simply by not asking the right questions.

5. Maintain a calm and even delivery. Abrupt changes in behavior can unsettle an interviewer. Act cool and in control even if you are panicking inside. Control is the key in this suggestion. If you don’t know the answer simply say so. Don’t try to fake it. Recently I was given the opportunity to be on a panel of interviewers in which we interviewed 8 candidates. One who lost out had many of the qualifications, but was just too talkative. He actually talked himself out of the opportunity to advance to the final interview.

These are just five of Deb’s Rules for the Road. Rest assured there are many more. In our Golden Course for Career Transition we offer many more powerful tips for conducting an interview. Mock interviews and video taping are just two of the tools we use for our clients. As I said in the beginning of this article, most likely you will not get a second chance to make a first impression.

See www.goldencareerstrategies.com for more information on career transition and www.debsofield.com to learn more about Deb’s Rules.