Winners focus on past successes and forget past failures. They use errors and mistakes as a way to learning-they dismiss them from their minds have failed in the past. What matters is their successes which should be remembered, reinforced, and dwelt upon.
Access your action vocabulary, cite success phrases, and review your past in the best possible light.
Admire the achievements of the prospective employer.
However, do this only if the admiration is genuine, based on facts, and applied sparingly.
Use the information you acquired through your research and phone work to mention the employer's successes at appropriate places in the conversation. Your grasp of the situation will impress the interviewer.
Mention that the anticipated expansion will create new opportunities. Observe that multiple locations offer a chance to combine resources and streamline operations. Know why the company is a market leader for a certain product or process, and comment on it. Changes are always challenges-when you're a job seeker.
Be observant.
Throughout the interview, look and listen to lean information that will help you. A successful interview requires the ability to think on your feet, move in your seat, and follow the beat. Undivided attention is necessary to seize opportunities as they arise.
Take out your pad with your gold pen, and take fast notes as you go-it makes you look professional. Write names, titles, buzzwords, products, and other items you can use in the follow-up stage. Don't reduce your eye contact with the interviewer, ask him or her to repeat anything, or ask how to spell something. If you do, you might as well write "O-U-T."
The pad and pen are professional props. Even if you never write anything down, you might not need any follow-up. Then that pad can be used for taking notes in your new-hire orientation.
Studies show that within an hour of your departure, 85 percent of your words will be forgotten. The only tangible things left from the encounter will be the documents you submitted and the interviewer's notes.
Leave a lasting impression in the 15 percent that's left. You want to pack these intangible items into an invisible package you'll leave with the interviewer:
- Enthusiasm
- Confidence
- Energy
- Dependability
Then, there are four "subsidiary" attributes that also should be stressed. These show how you're an asset, not an expense:
- Loyalty
- Honesty
- Pride in work
- Service for value received
- Efficiency
- Organization
- Economy
- Profit
Asking for permission is just as bad as apologizing. Even if the interviewer consents, smoke is the last thing you want in the office. Smoking detracts from your perfectly prepared performance, interferes with your image, and leaves an offensive odor on breath, hair, hands, and clothes. That isn't the kind of lasting impression you want to leave.
Some companies have even banned smoking from their premises, or have permitted it only in limited areas. Even if the interviewer smokes, you shouldn't. Your chances of getting hired will go up in smoke.
This is no time to go through withdrawal, however. To avoid the jitters, try an over-the-counter nonsmoking tablet. Read the label, and choose one that has no warnings about blood pressure, heart conditions, or drowsiness. Those that mention these side effects generally contain either stimulants or sedatives that can affect your reactions. Use the tablets a few days before the interview so that you will be able to adjust to them and judge if there is any difference in your reactions.
Farrah Rambo Einstein, Ph.D., wouldn't stand a chewing chance of getting hired.
If you do so, you are out of sync. You're not leading or pacing. You're heading for the door. Bring yourself back into alignment, take control, and pace.
The interview is no place to take a stand. Don't even mention that a question is illegal. Just answer as pleasantly as possible. Being right may feel good, but being nice will win you the interview.
It's a bad signal. This and other indications that you are anxious, impatient, or not interested will pressure the interviewer and ruin the rapport you've been building.
If you have another interview, or the 45-minute time limit is approaching, say, "This has been so interesting I can't believe 45 minutes have almost passed. I have another appointment, but can we get together again?" Don't read any documents on the interviewer's desk.
Bad, bad manners-and annoying. Maintain eye contact with the interviewer.
Many people closely identify with the objects in their office, particularly personal possessions. They may actually feel these things are extensions of themselves. Picking them up and handling them violates their air space and privacy. Even if nothing is said, resentment may cause the interviewer to terminate the interview early without comment.
Ignore advice to "ask for the job" as you would "ask for the sale." Everyone knows why you're there. Asking for the job lowers you. It's not a "sale." It's a "buy." You're a "buy."
The way you say good-bye will etch your positive image into the interviewer's mind. Just as with your greeting, there are four steps to follow in precise order. They're the same as the "magic four hello," except for the third item:
- A smile.
- Direct eye contact.
- The words, "It sounds like a great opportunity ... I look forward to hearing from you."
- A firm but gentle handshake.
You're off the stage, but they're still talking about your performance. The actors that followed you didn't even stand a chance. Now your interview follow-up will turn that talk into an offer.
