Authored by: Ron Cottick, CPC, CHRM
There is much to be said about how to make a good FIRST IMPRESSION. Verbal is as much a part of the first impression as non-verbal. You could do an excellent job of verbally illustrating your background, however, if your non-verbal cues are not coming across like they should, are as good as they should be or offensive, you are only half communicating and will have a tough time getting the “nod” when it comes offer time.
So, what are the most common non-verbal messages you send when communicating with people, INTERVIEW or otherwise? Well, let me tell you:
HAND SHAKE
This is part of that first impression so when you hold out your hand for the hand shake, do it with confidence and some firmness. Don’t pump the interviewers hand like you are pumping water out of a well. If your hands are warm and moist, try running some cool water on them to cool them off. Don’t cool them off too much though. If you hands are cold you can try running warm water on them to warm them up. Keep in mind “FIRST IMPRESSION”.
EYE CONTACT
Speak “with” the interviewer, not “at” the interviewer, and, always look them in the eyes when doing it. Make eye contact! You don’t want to stare at them but eye contact is very important and you come across with more sincerity and will get more credibility. Avoid looking all around when talking because that insinuates nervousness and lack of confidence in what you are talking about. “MAKE FREQUENT EYE CONTACT”.
POSTURE
You want to stand upright when standing as well as when sitting, having good posture. This will show energy, enthusiasm and confidence. Slouching indicates lack of concern or caring during the INTERVIEW. Your best choice is “STAND UP, SIT UP”, straight.
HANDS
Many people talk with their hands and or gesture frequently when talking. It is natural to do that, and, moderation is OK, however, you should watch how you use your hands. Too excessive can be distracting. So, keep them in a place that is not distracting and “GESTURE IN MODERATION”.
FIDGETING
This displays nervousness and lack of confidence. Included in this form of body movement is playing with your hair, clicking a pen, picking at your nails or cuticles. You are much better off if you fold you hands in your lap or put your hands and arms on the arms of a chair. The impression you make during the INTERVIEW will not be enhanced if you “FIDGET”.
SMELLS
Whether your perfume or cologne is expensive or not, or, even in good taste or not, not everyone is interested in smelling it. Also, they are not interested in smelling it in excess. The sensitivity to smell varies from person to person. If you wear too much it is “too much”. It is best to not wear any, however, if you are inclined to wear some, very MODERATE at best. Unless there is a reason you need to wear perfume or cologne, you will not offend anyone if you don’t. Look at it this way, you won’t offend anyone if you don’t use it, however, if you do, you could. Suggestion; don’t use it because only the “NOSE KNOWS”!
COMMUNICATION (the non-verbal)
An INTERVIEW is a conversation of sorts. Conversation is two way communications. One of the biggest things interviewers don’t like is when candidates don’t talk. And, when hiring managers ask open ended questions, like who, what, where, when and why, or even the how, they are asking probing questions. Candidates sometimes still don’t talk much if at all and don’t answer the questions. If you expect to have an INTERVIEW, that turns out “GREAT, you need to COMMUNICATE!”
Now, lets move on to the verbal communication.
COMMUNICATION (the verbal)
Remember an INTERVIEW is a conversation? And, conversation is two way communications? That is why you should be cautious and not TALK TOO MUCH! When you ramble on while answering a question, it can dominate the conversation and be counter productive. You need to answer questions completely and accurately, however, don’t go off on a tangent and get into things that are irrelevant to the question. That can lead the interviewer into thinking you are not confident in your answer, you don’t know what you are talking about or you just can’t give a straight answer to their question. Listen to the questions carefully, understand them and answer them completely. Stay “FOCUSED and on TASK”.
FOCUS
Try not to feel intimidated or overly nervous during the INTERVIEW. It is not an interrogation. You want to be cautious answering a question with a question but it is very acceptable to “restate and validate” the question to be sure you understand the question and know what the interviewer is asking. Don’t answer a question unless you are absolutely sure what it is asking so you can answer it correctly. Asking follow up questions to be sure you gave the interviewer what they were looking for is acceptable. Answering a question not being clear what it is asking can be a recipe for disaster. Avoid setting up a disaster by lack of “FOCUS”!
SLANG
Slang is poor communication in an INTERVIEW. It is all about the proper use of language and has no place in business. The excessive use of an “um” or “uh” also negatively impacts your communication skill. The better prepared for the INTERVIEW you are the less likely you will excessively use the “um’s” and “uh’s”. Rehearse your answers to expected questions so you will be more prepared and comfortable during the INTERVIEW. This will lessen the chance of exhibiting poor communication skills. Also, avoid the “like” and “you know” in your responses. These are used far too much as well and you will likely lose the attention of the interviewer. Best thing to do is avoid using “SLANG”.
DECEPTION
You want to be completely truthful and forthright with relevant information during your INTERVIEW. Embellishing accomplishments, omitting jobs, misrepresenting positions and responsibilities or misleading the process is a sure kiss of death to the INTERVIEW. You want to build trust and get credibility during your INTERVIEW and that will enhance your changes to getting an offer. There is not place in an INTERVIEW for “DECEPTION”.
CONCISE
When you listen to the question carefully, and, understand it, you will be able to give an accurate and concise answer to the question. As referenced above in COMMUNICATION (the verbal), you do not want to ramble on when answering questions and, again, understanding the question will better position you to answer concisely. Also, be precise while being “CONCISE”!
EXAMPLES
One of the best things you can do when answering questions is to give examples. I call this method the example answer and goes something like this; you would answer the question stating what the objective was of what you are about to answer, then an explanation of what you did making sure it is understood what your part was, and, finish it off with the accomplishment and the benefit to the company. Here is a quick example: “I have done that (whatever it is) in a project (product development or whatever it was) with an objective of (state what the objective was). My role was specifically to (whatever it was). This was accomplished in (under time allotted, under budge, etc) and the benefit was (a product that garnered more market share for the company, more dollars in revenue for the company, etc). Study this example and I think you will see what I am getting at. OBJECTIVE, ROLE, ACCOMPLISHMENT and BENEFIT! Call it ORAB if you must but if you follow this method, you will win friends and influence people. Develop your response to a question, “ORAB it”!
HONESTY
This would be a relative to DECEPTION but with a twist. When asked difficult questions you can’t answer or lack a skill relative to a specific question, say so. The last thing you want to do is tap dance around trying to give an answer. Don’t cover it up with irrelevancy. You can try to tie it to a related skill though. Say for example you don’t have skill A but know it is a variant to skill B which you do have. You could say “I don’t have skill A but I have experience with skill B which is very much like skill A”. Then finish your answer off with ORAB. It leaves a positive impression to a possible negative. If you do not have the skill and not sure what it is don’t hesitate to ask what it is. Here is an example: “I am not sure what that is but may have some related skills, could you tell me what that is or does”? If it turns out you have a related skill, then you can use the above example answer, ORAB, to answer the question. Again, “ORAB it”!
QUESTIONS
Have good questions ready to ask. Questions are buying signs. Interviewers expect to get questions and if they don’t, they think there is lack of interest in them, the company and the position. So, come ready with some good questions. Research the industry, company and the job. Do your homework. Develop some good questions. This will go a long way in making a good impression. Remember the “first impression”? That’s not the only impression you can make, you can also make a lasting impression! Show your buying signs with good “QUESTIONS”.
There you have it, an informative article on verbal and non-verbal communication. Use these techniques in your INTERVIEW and you will miles ahead of the competition.
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