I’m going to give you two “tips” for skillful communication in a job interview. Careful attention to them will make you the candidate of their dreams.
1. Make the interview a two-way conversation.
Never show up to an important interview without knowing everything you can about how it works. You should go to their website and see how they position themselves, their reporting and mission, what they have in the pipeline, and who the major players are. They have their resume in front of them; you need to enter with the same information about them. This information will become apparent – don’t force it – during the interview and will make a very good impression. You are turning an interview into a conversation. They will know that you are smart, that you have your own initiative and that you can start executing.
The company is trying to solve a problem by hiring a solution. You can help them see you as a solution by empathically and lovingly probing to clarify the issue.
“Can you tell me more about that? Are there any recent examples? What solutions have you already tried? Why do you suppose they failed? How much did that cost you? Have you given up?”
You can see that this is a far cry from passively sitting back and just trying to answer your questions. While you won’t be taking over the interview, you will be an equal partner in defining your suitability for the perceived problem. Not only will you start racing, but you will be way ahead of the others.
2. Listen to yourself as others listen to you.
You should increase your awareness of your impact on others by becoming a bit more objective about your communication characteristics when under stress. Here are some places to start:
Preparation Habits: You’ve probably heard that anticipating questions and preparing your answers in advance is a good thing. It is. But have you ever heard of “too much of a good thing”? You may be so prepared that your sentences are delivered in the flat, rushed manner of memorized ones instead of the conversational, melodic style of spontaneous response. This also adds to your stress because now you can worry about not remembering your answer!
What to do: Never prepare complete sentences, but describe your relevant information using numbers, words, and short, short phrases. You can now select the support language in a more natural way that is appropriate for the relationship you are currently in.
Point of view: Let’s say that you are asked why you are interested in this job, and you answer in this sense; “Well, I’ve always liked working with people. Even when I was a kid, I just wanted to help people. I guess I was just a little mom, hahaha. In high school I was a stripper at Catholic Hospital. And… I think it was a Catholic Hospital, but I’m not sure now. Anyway, it was a lot of fun getting to…”
They do not care. They are getting bored. You are babbling from the point of view of your personal experience that no one cares in the slightest.
What to do: Consider each question from their point of view. “Why are you asking?” and “What do you want?” they should be questions you are asking yourself so you can get straight to the point. Perhaps something like, “I’ve had 12 years in Customer Service positions, with 4 years managing the entire department. Your position clearly demands a strong Service component in areas where I’ve had experience.”
Speech clarity: You will be eager to speak and may speak too fast for your listener. Since your information is ‘old’ to you, it won’t feel like you’re speaking quickly. But, consider their point of view (again). They are hearing this for the first time and need to process their language to extract the meaning. Many people are so anxious to pronounce the words that they neglect the speech sounds necessary for projection to other people.
What to do: You’ve heard it before; record a test interview, wait a moment, and then listen to the recording. Nothing else will be more convincing or effective in inducing change. You may be surprised at how fast you talk when you’re under pressure. You’ll want to practice consciously speaking in a more deliberate style, even if it feels really weird. You’ll be glad you did this when you’re at the actual interview.