Top Tips To Connect With Your Interviewer

When preparing for a job interview, candidates usually focus on perfect answers and putting their best foot forward. Although this is not wrong per se, it leads to one common mistake that will almost certainly cost you your job opportunity — failing to connect.

In high-pressure situations, such as job interviews, it’s easy to forget that there’s another person in the room. And since that person is the one you should impress, how you connect with them is of crucial importance.

So, here are the best tips on building rapport during a job interview.

At The Beginning of the Interview

There’s been a lot of talk about proper handshakes (firm, but not crushing) and friendly attitude (smile and be warm). And for a good reason. Starting the interview with an excellent first impression is extremely important.

Mirroring

After the initial introductions and greetings have been exchanged, it’s time to take it up a notch — start mirroring. Basically, mirroring is imitating certain behaviours and attitudes of the person you are talking to.

So, take note of the interviewer’s general demeanour, energy and gestures and match it. For example, if they are calm and serious, you should be too. If they use a lot of hand gestures while talking, try doing the same.

Make Them Talk

It’s not easy to start a conversation with someone if you are just answering questions. So, here’s a tip: Don’t save your questions for the end.

Try to intersect their questions with your own. For example, when you finish talking about your achievements, you can ask what the previous employee has done to succeed in the position you are applying for.

Continue in this manner, and the conversation will feel more natural.

Listen And Learn From Their Answers

During job interviews, candidates usually don’t listen carefully to the interviewer talking. They tend to think about their own answers and how to make a good impression.

It’s essential to notice how your interviewer is modelling their answers. Do they go into details, tell a lot of stories, share statistics? Then you should do it as well. They keep their answers short? Yours should be too.

Conclusion

Making a complete stranger like you is never an easy task. So, try to remember that it’s not all about you. It’s about making a person in front of you feel comfortable and relaxed.

Odds are, they will hire you just because they feel it’s nice to be around you. So, imitate, ask, listen, and be your most charming self — we know you can do this.