This is a continued post around the important role chemistry plays in interviewing.
Interview Chemistry: What is It?
I’ve been a career coach for many years. I listen to what people are telling me—on both sides of the interview process. Some things have changed, influenced by technology, economics and well, change itself. Some things have not. Chemistry and connection have not. Chemistry and connection boil down to people liking people. Feeling comfortable with one another. Feeling that this could go to the next level. Here are two more tips as gleaned from simply listening to what those who hire are saying:
Interview Chemistry: 2 Important Tips
- Cast the right image. Building chemistry has much to do with attitude and image. Psychologists tell us that the way we expect to be treated affects the way we are treated. So, it would make sense to shape expectations about every interview. I hear consistently from those on the hiring end that they often reach a positive or negative decision within the first five minutes of an interview. This is often referred to as the halo and pitchfork effects. Why is this true? Assuming you’re a candidate with the right credentials for the job, you either create a good initial impression or you don’t. What affects this chemistry? Basically, people silently react to the image you project: how you dress, your posture and body language, the things you say about any subject, and the way you answer questions. What kind of image do you think you project? After all, each of us is continually projecting some kind of image. And although your physical appearance “speaks” before you say a word, this image reaches beyond. It’s conveying an attitude of enthusiasm, integrity and confidence without arrogance.
- Give sincere compliments. Do you like receiving compliments? Honestly, don’t most of us? So, before the interview, read or talk to people about the organization and uncover some good things to say. In the first few minutes, let the interviewer know that you heard good things. Showing you know something about the company is a “third-party compliment,” where you’re passing on good news you’ve heard from others. You can praise their physical premises, their people, their marketing, their service, their products, or other things. It’s important to be specific. Don’t just say that people you know are impressed by the product. Talk about why they are impressed. All of us like to hear the particulars around what others like about us professionally. By giving details, you show that you have given the subject some thought, and that your compliment is not just patronizing or empty flattery. Yes; while social media or a recession economy might influence our job search, chemistry-based connection in an interview has always been there. That right image and sincere flattery backed by knowledge and sprinkled with integrity, have always mattered in an interview.
My next and final tips on this subject will cover how questioning—both those you ask and are asked—can build interview chemistry and connection. If you missed Tips #1 and #2, here they are.
Do you have any experiences or ideas you’d like to share on projecting the right image or paying compliments in an interview situation?
Never wear a backward baseball cap to an interview unless applying for the job of umpire.”
~ Dan Zevin
Photo: Lewis Minor
