The Big Interview
The Big Interview
Making the right first impression and managing those nerves!
What follows is a transcript of a recent radio interview during which I answered listeners' questions concerning many aspects of interviews, including making the right first impression and managing those interview nerves.
What judgements are made about me on first impression?
We might think that we do not judge a book by its cover, but the reality is different. Research has shown that we form our impression of someone within seconds of meeting them, often before we have even shaken their hand. This impression is based on non-verbal communication, that is, the person’s appearance and their body language. In an interview context this means that the first few seconds are vital if you are to make a favourable impression. In addition to being appropriately dressed and groomed, the handshake is key.
Can I practice my body language in advance of an interview?
When I’m working with candidates on interview preparation, almost as much time goes into body language and appearance as it does on practicing answers and getting your points across. Practice shaking hands. A weak handshake denotes a ‘weak’ candidate in the interviewer’s mind. Similarly a bone-crunching handshake creates the wrong impression. In an interview you will want to be perceived as confident and professional. A confident person walks with their head up and shoulders back, makes eye contact and talks calmly yet purposefully. This is also something that you can practice beforehand.
In an interview, is how you say something and how you are perceived as important as what you say?
It is, because it all forms part of the experience the interviewer has of interacting with you. The phrase I use is ‘personal branding’; creating the impression you want the interviewer to have of you. A useful question to ask yourself in advance is ‘by the end of the interview, what three words would I like the interviewer to use to describe me?’ You might come up with worlds like ‘professional’, ‘enthusiastic’ and ‘confident’. You then ask yourself, how can I portray these qualities during the interview. The interviewer is going to ‘brand’ you one way or the other, so by preparing in this way you are consciously creating your own reputation.
How can I overcome nervousness in an interview?
If you look at how nerves manifest themselves in your body, it is usually faster breathing, perhaps your legs get a little wobbly and you get butterflies in your stomach. But when we are excited the symptoms are very similar. The only thing that is different is how we process these feelings mentally. When I’m working with candidates, we don’t try to eliminate nerves; the aim is to deal with them more effectively. There are a number of strategies for doing this.
Firstly, when you begin to feel nervous, don’t try to ignore it, deal with it head on. Try to reframe it in your mind by saying to yourself something like, ‘it is time to get excited now’, or ‘it is ok to be nervous because this is important to me.’ Remember without the initial sense of nerves there won’t be that adrenaline buzz when the interview is over.
Secondly, when we get nervous our breathing becomes shallower and faster, so by doing the opposite, breathing slowly and deeply we are counteracting our nerves. Similarly, our jaws and shoulders tense when we are nervous, so practice moving your jaw and rolling your shoulders.
Lastly, we get nervous because we begin to think nervous thoughts. Most thinking is a series of question and answers. Prior to an interview you may be thinking thoughts like ‘I hope the interviewer doesn’t ask me awkward questions?’ or ‘what if I go blank?’ These are not the most empowering questions, so one of the strategies I encourage my clients to use, is to ‘ask yourself a better question?’ For example ‘how can I make the most of this opportunity?’ or ‘how can I enjoy this interview?’
How can I come across as confident without changing my own personality?
In an interview you don’t want to change your personality, because you will come across as fake, you simply want to be ‘the best of yourself.’ We all know what it is like to feel confident, because if we didn’t we wouldn’t know when we were lacking in confidence.
The important thing to remember is that confidence is not the same as being comfortable. You can appear confident, but you may not be feeling comfortable in the situation. A useful technique to increase confidence levels is to think about two or three people whose confidence you admire. They can be family members or friends or even famous people you have never met. Ask yourself how would they be behaving in this situation. You may not know exactly, but it is a useful key to accessing your own inner wisdom.
Another technique that I always encourage candidates to use by way of preparation is that of visualisation. Close your eyes and rehearse in your mind the interview from beginning to end, not only in terms of your answers but how you are walking into the room, greeting the interviewer and how you are demonstrating confidence and the other qualities you want to portray. When you do this, the odd thing is that when you are in the interview for real, you will almost have a sense of déjà vu, the reason being our unconscious minds cannot distinguish between what we visualise strongly and reality.
How can I analyse my own interview body language?
In an interview, you are probably going to be sitting down for at least thirty minutes if not longer, so you want to make yourself comfortable in the chair, without slouching. A tip I give candidates is make sure your lower back is up again the back of the chair as this will ensure good posture. Keep you feet on the floor (though if you are comfortable crossing your legs, then do so.) Place your hands in your lap. Try to keep your hands visible because this is a sign of integrity and honesty. During the interview just check in with your own body language to make sure you are not fidgeting or you haven’t wrapped you legs around the legs of the chair. If you get a challenging question, you may instinctively fold your arms, so just make sure you body language remains open.
Can I analyse my interviewer’s body language towards me?
I generally say to candidates that you have enough to be focusing on without trying to read too much into the interviewer’s body language. Expert communicators can consciously use their own body language to create rapport with the interviewer, but this takes practice. In addition, body language is not an exact science. If you noticed the interviewer’s body language as being quite closed (arms folded, legs crossed) you may become disheartened, when in reality, his body language may just be indicating that he is cold! Sometimes we can get too caught up in body language, the key is to remain focused on what you are trying to achieve in the interview and concentrate on what is within your control, that is, your own performance during the interview.
It is always worth remembering that the purpose of an interview is for the company to assess if you have the skills, expertise and potential to add value to their organisation and if you would be a good ‘fit’ with their existing team. To be able to answer these questions the interviewer wants you to come across well and all good interviewers will do their best to put you at your ease.
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