Three factors are particularly important in the forming of the overall impression: appearance, oral communications, and social grace. These three factors are clearly evident to the interviewer and can, more or less, be objectively measured, unlike many other factors judged.
As mentioned everywhere, appearance has an important influence on the first impression. And the first impression does affect other important judgments made during the course of the interview. Therefore, serious attention to appearance, as was taken concerning the packaging of your written communications, will pay off handsomely.
A job interview is a face-to-face human encounter and, as such, heavily involves oral communications skill and social skill. Oral communications includes the clear, coherent, fluent, and intelligent expression of ideas, as well as effective listening. Social grace includes the use of courtesy, tact, and consideration, as well as other behaviors for getting along with people.
Another factor that is seriously considered in the job interview is ''personality." This factor, however, is more complex, less evident, and more subjectively judged by interviewers than the three factors just mentioned. Personality is the general term associated with your emotional and attitudinal profile. The employment representative wants to know your attitude toward, and feelings about, yourself, your past, the company, the job, and the profession so that a prediction about your future performance with the company can be made. Feeling good about oneself, one's job, and one's career; liking others; respecting rules of organizational behavior; and the desire to achieve-these are all related to personality.
Whereas a candidate's underlying motivations, attitudes, and feelings may not be clearly revealed in resumes and letters, these personality traits are sought out and frequently discovered within the face-to-face exchanges of the interview. A technique for exploring one's personality and identifying hidden attitudes, feelings, and motivations is referred to as depth interviewing. Broad, open-ended questions are put to the interviewee, and the resulting responses are followed up by probing questions that elicit more details, revealing feelings and attitudes. Probing questions often deal with reasons behind an act and the feelings associated with the act. Here is such a depth-interviewing exchange:
Broad, Open-Ended Question: "Tell me about yourself at Murphy's Store."
Probe 1: "How did you go about getting your promotion to assistant section supervisor?'*
Probe 2: "Why did you handle it that way?"
Probe 3: "How did you feel when you received the promotion over Judy Stickler, who had been there three years longer than you?"
Probe 4: "Why is that important to you?"
Depth-interviewing techniques have the appearance of casual conversation but actually reveal much information to the skilled interviewer about the inner workings of one's personality. In any such conversation, make it a point to reveal attitudes, feelings, and motivations that are desirable.
Do not be deceived by the cordiality of an interested and curious interviewer; such behavior is essential to place you at ease, get you to talk, and make you reveal everything about yourself. It is to the advantage of the interviewer to have you "open up" as much as possible. But it is to your advantage, as the seller, to focus your talk on those things that prove your qualifications to do the job. Be as honest and frank as possible in revealing positive personality traits that will help on the job. But before uttering a negative, cynical, pessimistic, resentful, or antagonistic remark, think twice. The fact is that the prospective buyer will decide to buy your talents for your positive qualities and will decide to reject your talents for your negative qualities.
The following list contains many desirable traits:
- Professional appearance
- Professional poise and carriage
- Good speaking skills
- Good listening skills
- Adaptability
- Enthusiasm and determination
- Self-confidence
- Practical and realistic approach
- Courtesy, appreciativeness, and consideration
- Believability and persuasiveness
- Vitality and energy
- Cooperativeness
- Willingness to work hard and assume responsibility
- Imaginativeness, creativity, and resourcefulness
- Good sense of humor
- Conscientiousness and dedication
- Optimism
- Results-oriented
- Motivated and interested
- Likable and personable
- Insightful, thoughtful, and analytical
- Alert and attentive
- Honest and truthful
- Decisive
- Logical and well organized
- Poor appearance
- Inability to express oneself
- Poor listening skills
- Lack of common courtesy
- Lack of preparation for interview
- Lack of confidence, interest, and enthusiasm
- Passiveness and indifference
- Conceit and overconfidence
- Negative, apologetic, and insecure
- Evasive, deceitful, and dishonest
- Contradictory
- Emotionally volatile
- Cold and distant
- Condescending
- Lacking in ambition
- Lacking in self-awareness
- Lacking in sense of humor
- Overemphasis on money
- High-pressure selling
- Long-winded or abrupt
