Managing Your Own Image
This is a good time to plan how you want to be perceived in those
all-important first impressions. Some of the critical factors are
discussed below.
1. Physical presence.
Dress appropriately for the culture you are entering. Be sure your
grooming and hygiene are immaculate. Assume a posture that is
neither too relaxed or sloppy, nor too tense or forward. Express
your energy and fitness. A void awkward hand poses or seating
positions. Avoid smoking or gum. Leave your protective outer
clothing and/or luggage outside.
2. Movements and mannerisms.
Use your natural gestures; don't close your hands. Avoid fidgeting,
scratching, or fussing with objects such as a pen or glasses. Move
around naturally-avoid looking stiff or awkward.
3. Manner of speaking.
Make sure you can be heard; be aware of the interviewer's reaction
to your voice. Do not mumble or drop your voice to a whisper toward
the end of your sentences. Avoid sing-song or monotone recitations,
which will give the impression that you are over-rehearsed. Also,
avoid slang and colloquialisms like "Ya know," as well as grunts,
hems and haws, and other verbal tics.
4. Demeanor.
Convey the appropriate amount of enthusiasm, warmth, and sincerity
to suit the dynamics of your interviewer. Be positive; avoid
negative topics, and don't vent hostility. Smile!
5. Listening skills.
Listen with full concentration and maintain eye contact 90 percent
of the time (without staring). Indicate attention and acceptance
with nods and smiles. Avoid interrupting; allow silence when thought
is needed.
6. Communication skills.
Mirror the style and pace of your interviewer. Answer forthrightly
and credibly, and stop when you have answered the question; don't
over-elaborate with details and anecdote; don't ramble.
DON'T
INTERRUPT. Organize your thoughts with
a logical structure. If you don't know something, say so. Clarify a
question if you don't understand it.
Listen before
you talk.
7. Interview techniques.
Get names and exact titles; exchange business cards. Elicit company
or departmental needs early in the interview using open-ended
questions. Weave in your strengths and accomplishments as responses
to those needs. Respond to doubts or objections positively
without being
defensive. Keep to your allotted time
frames; redirect the interview as needed. Show your knowledge of the
interviewer's company without sounding arrogant. Try to get a
commitment for a follow-up interview or a visit to the work scene.
Learn if other people might need to see you. Evaluate the impact of
the interview when you are leaving. Re-affirm your interest and
enthusiasm
without
sounding desperate.
Many of these pointers can be used as valid guidelines for all types
of interactions, not just the job interview.
A Few Basic Tenets
The range of possible dynamics is very wide and no one single
behavior will be right for every situation; but there are some basic
principles.
Explore their needs.
Remember that all successful selling starts with identifying the
needs of the buyer, whether a company or a boss. Therefore, before
you launch into "your story," which you have carefully prepared, try
to get your interviewer talking a bit about the position and the
problems facing his or her company or department. Listen actively'
This will give you something to relate to.
Show acceptance.
Remember that your interviewer has non-business needs, such as being
liked and supported in his or her career. A future boss will be
considering what it would be like to be around you for a few years.
Be inquisitive.
You are there not only to answer, but to ask questions, as well.
Don't be too passive in your responses; show an alert interest. You
need to find out enough about the job, company, boss, and
environment to be able to carry your campaign forward another step.
Remember that a job decision is a mutual commitment; you owe it to
yourself and the potential employer to explore how the organization
and the position meet your needs. You can use them to evaluate the
companies and environments in which you're interviewing.
Wrap things up.
When you sense your time is running short, try to get closure and a
reading on how you both feel about your candidacy, what should
happen next, and how you are leaving things. Try to establish a
reason for further contact
(unless it was
an obvious misfit).
Follow-Up and Post-Analysis
Interview follow-up is vital. And in order to follow up, you need to
get closure, as best you can, on where you both stand as to your
candidacy. Are they favorably impressed? Are you? Are there other
candidates to see? Other people you should meet? What would
constitute a logical next step? What can you do?
If you feel positive, be sure to communicate your enthusiasm. People
need to know that you like them and their company.
Try to arrange for some further contact, e.g., the next interview, a
visit to the work scene, a day spent in the field - whatever you can
invent. Offer to send or bring something to the interviewer that is
related either to your candidacy or to the interviewer's personal
interests.
It is important that you not display over-eagerness or desperation
in any of these areas.
It is mandatory that you write a thank-you note immediately,
expressing your pleasure and interest. Weave in something job
related: another idea you had about their situation, or enclose an
article you clipped about the industry. As in marketing any product,
you want to keep your name favorably impressed on their minds.
