Make the first impression the best.
In the first few minutes, interviewers either choose or snooze. Some don't even take that long. Like movie critics (and every other decision maker), they remain only to justify their judgment. Often, it's merely to get more ammunition for a critical blasting. Your critics are beyond busy. They're diverted, distracted, and disarranged. They discuss, disapprove, and dismiss so many hopefuls that first impression becomes only ones. Yes, they discriminate disproportionately, disobeying the law. It's not intentional, but neither is any survival instinct. You can do far more to help them than an army of affirmative action officers. Stereotyping, like insisting on resumes, is a matter of survival. Just be sure you are "stereo-typecast" in the role known as the target job. If the pressure is hard to believe, consider that, in companies with fewer than 500 employees, it is not unusual for wage and salary, insurance, employee benefits, labor relations, affirmative action, management development, security, medical, training, safety, mail, telephone operations, plant maintenance, food service, company functions, civic activities, and a variety of other administrative duties to be performed by the individual who just escorted you into the office to talk about the same position as all those other clamoring candidates in the lobby. Your first number must be a showstopper. That's why I recommend you:
Use the "magic four hello."
This initial, programmed, perfect greeting consists of the following four components;
- A smile. (Genuine, not just with the mouth but the eyes as well. Practice.)
- Direct eye contact. (Straightforward, self-assured, friendly.)
- The words, "Hi, I'm (first name) (last name). It's a pleasure meeting you."
- A firm handshake. (No live sharks; no dead flounders.)
Hone your handshake.
Aside from making the "magic four" flow naturally, a proper handshake is often the hardest technique to master. The negative impression that a hapless handshake leaves behind can completely obstruct the rest of your interview performance. It's as if the curtain never goes up, the lights never go on, and the audience is lined up at the popcorn stand.
The handshake sets the tempo of the interview. If you have either of the problems mentioned previously-a shark that sprains or a flounder that flops-practice shaking hands with your other hand. You may look funny, but you'll get hired. (You might get to know yourself better, too!) In Contact: The First Four Minutes, Leonard Zunin emphasized the importance of first impressions. He devoted an entire chapter to the handshake. Here's what he wrote;
A moist palm may merely show someone is nervous, a symbol which automatically eliminates any job applicant at least one large company of which I am aware. Its personnel director once told me that regardless of the qualifications of a man he interviews, "if his handshake is weak and clammy, he's out." Such reaction to body language is far more prevalent than we realize, as others assume many things about our glance, stance, or advance.
We shake hands thousands of times in a lifetime, and it is unfortunate that most of us get little or no feedback on whether or not others like or dislike our handshake."
EIM Don't address the interviewer by his or her first name.
Not in any telephone or mail contact or during the interview itself unless the interviewer requests that you do. It should always be "Mr." or "Ms." If the interviewer addresses you by your first name, asks if you may reciprocate: "Mr. Carlson-may I call you John?"
Avoid assuming a subordinate role.
It's only natural to go slow in a new situation. Fear of the unknown, dependence on circumstances beyond your control, and being under close scrutiny can cause you to play a subordinate role.
But this is no time to hide in the wings. Crawling doesn't work, either. It's the time to put your best foot forward. The rest of your body generally follows. Here are techniques to maintain emotional balance, size up the situation, and give an "A" audition.
Admire something in the interviewer's office.
When you enter the office, admire something like a company award, a desk accessory, or an item of furniture. Stay away from family pictures, clothing, and other personal items. It's too soon. By admiring the right thing, you're buying some time to:
Assess the interviewer's style.
This is essential. In those first few moments, while greetings are exchanged and seats are taken, you must be alert for clues to the interviewer's personality. If you can determine his or her style, and adjust yours to be compatible, you're getting hired. You'll be able to communicate successfully and develop rapport with the interviewer. No credentials or experience are as powerful as this. Communication authorities categorize personalities according to specific traits. If you "read" certain clues given by the individual and his or her environment, you can decide how to proceed.
Recognize the four basic personality types.
Most authorities divide people into four personality types:
Type 1: Outgoing and Direct
This person is called the "socializer." He or she is energetic, friendly, and self-assured.
Ways to spot this personality include;
- A flamboyant style of dress. Even in a conservative business suit, a brightly colored tie or scarf might be worn. He or she prefers current fashion to classic styles.
- Many pictures and personal mementos in the office.
- A cluttered desk or at least a covered one.
- Little time-consciousness so could keep you waiting. In most cases, he or she is juggling a hundred things at once.
Type 2: Self-Contained and Direct
This type is referred to as the "director." "Dictator" is more descriptive, though. They differ from socializers because they are far more reserved and conservative. Before unconventional computer kids started running companies, it was believed you had to be like this to make top management. They're still among the high achievers in every field. Clues to this personality are:
- A conservative, quality, custom-tailored wardrobe, impeccably worn.
- A neat, organized work space. A few expensive personal desk accessories, perhaps one or two classic picture frames containing family photos. Nothing flashy, understated.
- A firm handshake, but not much of a smile. Not as talkative as the first type. They'll size you up-critically-and wait for you to make your mistakes.
- Someone who's time conscious and annoyed when others are not. Goal and bottom line oriented, believes that all work and no play is the way to spend the day.
Type 3: Self-Contained and Indirect
They're called "thinkers" and might be found in analytical professions. They don't speak up, socialize, or editorialize. They go about their work quietly, and they get it done properly. Evidence of this personality includes:
- Uninteresting, understated clothes. Gray and beige predominate. Style and looks aren't a priority. Function is. This person is nothing if not practical.
- Few personal items and "warm fuzzies."
- Unless he or she has been looking for a job and reading this book, this type's hand will probably dangle at the end of his or her wrist. Shake it anyway-it will confirm your suspicions that he or she is a "thinker."
- Time conscious and work oriented. The thinker's work ethic is just as strong as the director's, but he or she doesn't want to run things. He or she is a loner.
- An organized desk, with neatly arranged work. Maybe even a "To Do" list with half the items crossed off.
Type 4: Outgoing and Indirect
The most common word for them is "helpers." They're friendly like socializers, but without the aggressiveness. Helpers tend to gravitate toward "human resources"-they're the closest business gets to providing psychiatric social work for employees. Helpers take time to know you before the actual interview begins. They're "nice," but will do almost anything to avoid making a decision. In that area, you need to help them. You're probably talking to a helper when there is:
- A nonthreatening appearance that matches the interviewer's demeanor. Neutral shades, soft fabrics.
- A number of personal items on his or her desk, often handmade. The office will reflect that other people are important to him or her.
- A friendly, expressive, and concerned approach. This type may apologize for keeping you waiting because he or she was busy solving everyone else's problems. He or she will smile warmly, reach out to take your hand, and might never let it go.
- A phone ringing, work piling up, and many uncompleted projects. To this interviewer, "people" are all that matter.
This is a remarkably accurate way to out-stereotype the stereotypers. Some will fit the description exactly, others will fit several. No matter-just know and play to your audience. Study the four profiles and practice typecasting a few of your friends, co workers, and relatives. Learn to pick up on the clues to someone's predominant personality style. Then practice playing to them. They're your audience, too! Picking up clues from a person's appearance, speech, and body language can serve you in many ways throughout your career. Use this little system well!
Align with the interviewer.
Will Rogers said, "I never met a man I didn't like." Jeff Allen says, "Neither did I. That's why I never saw a job I couldn't get." Do you know people who seem to have the knack for getting any job they want, when they want it? Do you wish you knew their "secret"? There's no secret. They simply learned that liking the interviewer has a dramatic, positive effect. It invokes a powerful rule of human motivation: PEOPLE LIKE PEOPLE WHO LIKE THEM. In Power! How to Get It, How to Use It, Michael Korda said:
A great deal can be gained by simply learning to smile, an exercise which is not all that easy for many people to perform. The person who wants to use power must learn to control his facial muscles, his temper and himself, and avoid taking "tough stands" where they aren't necessary. Flexibility and cheerfulness are better weapons than brute force, and if used properly have the advantage of making your rivals forget that you're a competitor for power.
An employment interview is a place to be liked. Unless you're likeable, you won't be hirable. On my first day as an employment interviewer, I was warned to avoid the "halo effect." Twenty-five years later, I still can't tell you how to do this. The halo effect is a phenomenon that occurs when the interviewer identifies with the candidate. Once it happens, he or she can't do or say anything wrong. He or she is hopelessly hired. The halo effect gives you a psychological advantage that will zap any interviewer into submission within seconds. As I wrote in How to Turn an Interview into a Job:
The formula for your ammunition is carefully secreted within the July 1979 issue of Psychology Today, If you want to learn its detailed ingredients, go directly to your local public library, find it, and turn to page 66. There it is: "People Who Read People," by Daniel Goleman. The ammunition is known as "pacing."
Pacing is an accepted psychological technique which has been developed to increase rapport with others. It stems from an even more powerful law of human motivation: WE LIKE PEOPLE WHO ARE LIKE OURSELVES. If you think about it, our entire hiring process is guided by this law. So is almost every other human decision we make about others, including voting, selection of spouses and friends, television and radio choices, product purchases, etc. For our highly specialized purpose, it means aligning yourself with the overworked and underpaid interviewer, and then leading (steering) him almost imperceptibly, but irresistibly, into extending the offer.
I use pacing all the time in court proceedings, administrative hearings, negotiations, and other difficult situations. You can win the ones you thought were lost if you know how to do it properly. I introduced the concept of pacing to placement services in my seminars.... It has been so effective in influencing hiring authorities, that many of them have incorporated the techniques... in their standard operating procedures. It even works over the telephone and simply must have a common ground before you can move toward a mutual goal.*
The next seven items are a step-by-step guide for developing your own skill at pacing.
Attempt to sit next to the interviewer.
If there's a couch in the office, stand there until you are asked to be seated, since that's the best place for your interview. You create an atmosphere of "you and me against the job requisition" rather than "you against me." The opportunity will probably arise to sit on your favored side (your right-the interviewer's left-if you're right-handed, etc.). This is because over 95 percent of the time there are two chairs facing the interviewer. That favored side is psychologically your power side. Sitting there will help you interview more confidently. Look for an opportunity to walk around to the interviewer's side during the interview so you can look at some report, chart, or project "together." Remember the lessons of the four personality types. The director and thinker personalities need more space between themselves and you. They're not comfortable with air space invasions and could react negatively if you move in too close.
"Mirror" the interviewer's body language, facial expressions, eye movement, rate of speech, tone of voice, and rate of breathing.
Note that I said "mirror," not "mimic." This is a subtle art, and you'll need practice to get it right. However, the results will amaze and amuse you. This subtle form of imitation is a proven way to establish rapport. Just be careful to align, not offend. With practice, mirroring will become natural for you-it's a basic form of physical agreement.
Use 'insider" language.
The company buzzwords and insider language I told you to leave off your resume in Jeff Allen's Best: The Resume should be used during the interview. Every group has its own verbal shorthand that its members use constantly. The primary use of insider language in pacing is to lock in the alignment with the interviewer. It's a linguistic password that gets you into his or her thinking process and allows you to lead. It also signifies you're compatible with the corporate culture. "Company" buzzwords should be heard and noted in your job search research and phone work. Understand and use them correctly. As for the "employment" buzzwords (near and dear to any human resource's heart), here all you need to know from How to Turn an Interview into a fob:
Acceptance
The easiest response to any job offer "When do I start?" are the words used.
Available labor pool
What you are walking on, rather than swimming in.
Contact information
Your name, address and telephone number(s).
Curriculum vitae
The resume of a nuclear physicist.
Exit interview
The termination debriefing when you should say nice things about your former boss and everyone else.
Fired
Something you should avoid being. If it occurs, discuss a possible resignation with the firing authority.
Internal referral
Someone working for your potential employer who will act as your public relations representative.
Involuntary termination
One of two ways employment is severed. Generally refers to layoffs and termination for cause. The latter is the same as being fired, and requires the same corrective action.
Job comparability
The similarity between what you have done and what the employer is considering for you to do. Even if they appear totally different, 90 percent or more of every job is comparable. It's all in the eye of the beholder.
Job congruence
The extent to which the job being offered conforms to what you want to do. Your attitude should be that they are identical, or congruent.
Job description
An internal list of duties of a particular position, looks good on paper, but tells you more about the individual who wrote it than the job.
Job order
Authorization to a placement service containing a summary of the position, salary range, and type of individual sought. Generally bears no similarity to the person eventually hired.
Job rotation
A system whereby some employers designate certain employees to rotate jobs, so each learns the functions of a certain activity.
Labor grade
A device used in wage and salary administration to rank jobs in order of their value and compensation.
New start ("new hire"). What you will be on your first day at Company X.
Offer
Something you receive as a result of packaging and selling yourself properly. [Often occurs at the time of the first interview after following the techniques in Jeff Allen's Best:]
The Screen Test: Your Interview
Opportunity. The employer has a great one for you.
Personal references
Those dependent on you for support or who owe you money.
Professional references
Former instructors, supervisors, coworkers and other people familiar with your academic or occupational history and qualifications.
[See my book, The Perfect fob Reference (John Wiley & Sons, 1990) for a more complete definition of the two preceding terms and an effective guide for utilizing them.]
Qualifications
Combination of "quality," "fit," and "occupation." You have them.
Rate range
A device used in wage and salary administration to determine the lowest and highest amount that will be paid for a specific job. A critical consideration for incumbents in any position.
Resume
Something with your contact information, room for notes, job history and enough class to generate an appointment for an interview. [See Jeff Allen's Best: The Resume or further instructions.]
Requisition
The form that is initiated by a supervisor to obtain approval for hiring. Once the approval cycle is completed, it becomes an open requisition ("open rec").
Span of control
The number of subordinates a supervisor can handle effectively. Varies widely depending upon the capability of the supervisor, type of subordinates, complexity of the jobs, physical proximity, and amount of empire building permitted.
Voluntary termination
One of two ways employment is severed. Generally refers to leaving for a better position.
Drop the dictionary on them!
Develop an action vocabulary.
The winners in life use certain words. If you use them, you too will sound like a winner. Then you'll feel like a winner. It will help you look like a winner. Is it a "script"? Are you "acting"? If "being yourself" could get you hired, I'd recommend it. It won't, so it don't. Show me a job you got with no preparation, and I'll show you a job you were overqualified to do. Dennis Waitley stated in The Psychology of Winning:
Perhaps the most important key to the permanent enhancement of self-esteem is the practice of positive self talk. Every waking moment we must feed our subconscious self-images, positive thoughts about ourselves and our performances so relentlessly and vividly that our self-images are in time modified to conform to the new, higher standards.
Current research on the effect of words and images on the functions of the body offers amazing evidence of the power that words, spoken at random, can have on body functions monitored on bio-feedback equipment... that's why winners rarely "put themselves down" in actions or words.®
Write the winner's word list into your script.
Here's a technique for making winning words your words, and using them with ease: Write ten of the words from the list on your old business cards or some cut-up index cards. Place the cards in your wallet or purse. Take them out frequently during the early phase of your search and construct sentences about yourself. Use one word per sentence. Make it sound good. After you've incorporated those ten words into your vocabulary, try ten more. Then another ten. Repeat until you have internalized this entire list. You-and others-will be amazed at the change in your speech and attitude. And at how quickly you get offers.
Choose and use success phrases.
Now that you know the winner's vocabulary, you can develop your own "success phrases." They score major points in inter views. Here are some of my favorites:
- Work is not only the way to make a living; it's the way to make a life.
- We become not what we think, but what we do.
- We must be self-made, or never made.
- As long as you stand in your own way, everything seems to be in your way.
- You never fail, you just give up.
- Procrastination is a roadblock in the path of success.
- When you try hard, you are almost there.
- The hardest work in life is resisting laziness.
- A glimpse of an opportunity is an opportunity wasted.
- The best investment you can make is in yourself.
- The people who succeed are the people who look for the opportunities they want; and if they don't find them, they make them.
Repeat them in front of your mirror in the morning. Rehearse them in your mind before each interview. Consciously say a few where appropriate, and watch the interviewer sit up and take notice. When it happens, you're psychologically being signed for the part.
Don't use trite phrases and tired clichés.
As I observed in finding the Right Job at Midlife, this is often a midlifer's trap, but almost any jobseeker can fall into it. Be careful to avoid the following dusty, tired, condescending lines, as well as any sexist or discriminatory language.
"At my age ..." "Back in the days when ..." "Back then ..."
"In the good old days ..." "It used to be that. . ."
"Listen, son ..."
"Nowadays ..." "Old timers like me ..." "... over the hill."
"The girls in the office." ". . . up in years." "Way back when ..." "We used to . . ."
"When I was younger. . . " "When I was your age ..." "When you get to be my age ..." "Years ago. . ."
Don't call the interviewer "honey" or "dear." Don't refer to grown women as "gals" or "girls" and men as "guys" or "boys." Don't bring out any prejudices or dislikes the interviewer may have.
Withhold your resume.
It has already served its purpose, unless you got to the interview without submitting one. If that's the case, come prepared with copies of your super-resume (perfected with the techniques discussed in Jeff Allen's Best: The Resume). Plan to say success phrases that will help elaborate what's in it. If your resume has already been used, avoid referring to it. It's a direct-mail marketing device that gets interviews, not jobs.
Use the "tie-down" technique to move the interview along.
Listening and questioning properly is the way to win the interview and get the job. For the first few minutes of the interview, you're observing and determining how to proceed. You've been asked impossible questions and have delivered inspirational answers. Now, you must ask questions-carefully. In the recruiter's rulebook. Closing on Objections, Paul Hawkinson wrote:
Constant questioning can be grating, and if overused, can work against you. No one wants to feel that they are on the receiving end of the prosecutor's interrogatory and questions must be used sparingly to be really effective. But they are necessary because selling is the art of asking the right questions to get to the minor yes's that allow you to lead ... to the major decision and major yes. The final placement is nothing more than the sum total of all your yeses throughout the process. Your job, then, is to nurse the process along. [Emphasis added]*
Moving the process along is done through the use of "tie-down" phrases in questions designed to eruct an affirmative response. The most common ones are:
Aren't I/you/we/they? Can't I/he/she/you/we/they/it? Doesn't he/she/it?
Don't I/you/we/they? Don't you agree? Hasn't he/she/it? Haven't I/you/we/they? Isn't he/she/it? Isn't that right? Shouldn't I/he/she/you/was/they/it? Wasn't I/he/she/it?
Weren't you/we/they? Won't I/he/she/you/we/they/it? Wouldn't I/he/she/you/we/they/it?
There are four kinds of "tie-downs/' and you should vary your dialogue with them so you won't appear obvious or over bearing. With each agreement you obtain from the interviewer, you have scored one more "minor yes" leading up to that "major yes"-the offer.
58. The standard tie-down.
These are used at the end of the question:
"My qualifications appear to fit the position you have open, don't they? "Diversified Investments really has a lot to offer someone with my experience, doesn't it ?"
"It looks like we'll be able to eliminate the problem, don't you agree?
The inverted tie-down.
These are used at the beginning of a question:
"Isn't it an excellent position for someone with my back ground?"
"Don't you think we'll work together well?" "Wouldn't you like to see how I can be of assistance?"
The internal tie-down.
These are used in the middle of a compound question:
"Since the entire data processing staff agrees, shouldn't we discuss when I can start work?"
"When the budget is approved, won't it expedite production to have someone who knows the project?" "Now that we've had the opportunity to meet, wouldn't it be great to work together?"
61. The tag-on tie-down.
The final kind of tie-down is used after a statement of fact. A slight pause, then emphasis on the tie-down, improves its effect.
"My experience will benefit Allied Products, won't it? "You've really spent a lot of time and money to get the right person, haven't you? "This problem can be corrected easily, can't it?
The best way to learn tie-down questioning techniques is the same way you rehearse your script for the interview. You write down all the tie-down lines you can use during the interview, then read them into a tape recorder and play them back once or twice a day-every day-to implant them into your sub conscious. They'll pop out automatically when you need them. After about a week of this exercise, the tie-down technique will come naturally to you. You can begin your dialogue with a general question, such as:
"National Manufacturing leads the market with this product, doesn't it?
Then hone in for the win with questions such as:
"Wouldn't it be interesting to work for a supervisor like that?"
And, finally:
"Shouldn't I give notice?"
Remember: Overuse of questions will make you sound like you're auditioning for a game show rather than taking a screen test. Use them sparingly for best results.
Find an area of agreement, and lead slowly and carefully to the offer.
When you hear a positive comment, such as "This is the kind of experience we need," lean forward slightly in your seat, smile, and try one of these:
"My background fits this position very well." "We have a good match here." "This looks like a long-term situation." "I'm excited about the position." "Everything looks good."
These statements gently "close" the interviewer with class. He or she doesn't know and doesn't care whether you're using closing techniques. What matters is that you're a qualified candidate who knows how to perform on the set.
Be honest not modest.
Over 65 percent of all candidates don't know how to handle a compliment. They're so ready to "overcome objections" that they're unprepared when a favorable response occurs. When the interviewer says something like, "These are really impressive credentials," you should look pleased, smile, and say, "Thank you. It's been great developing my career. I'd like to continue doing so at Training Dimensions."
Say positive things about your present (or former) employer.
It may not be easy, but it's essential. A successful interview is a positive performance. Remember what I said about the words used by winners? They work. If you are negative, you "negate" yourself. The interviewer perceives you as a malcontent who will do the same in your new job. You're associated with your present (or former) employer's success or failure, too. You were there, weren't you? If it succeeded, what did you contribute? If it failed, why didn't you make it succeed? Even if your former employer was a loser, accentuate the positive. As Dr. Waitley noted in The Psychology of Winning:
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.
. . . Winners know it doesn't matter how many times they have failed in the past. What matter 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 jobseeker.
Be observant.
Throughout the interview, look and listen to learn 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.
Package a positive image.
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
- Loyalty
- Honesty
- Pride in work
- Service for value received
- Efficiency
- Organization
- Economy
- Profit
To keep your interviews irresistible, there are eight errors you absolutely should not make:
Don't smoke.
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.
69. Don't chew gum.
Farrah Rambo Einstein, Ph.D., wouldn't stand a chewing chance of getting hired.
Don't interrupt.
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.
Don't object to discriminatory questions.
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.
Don't look at your watch.
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?" You never want to interview beyond 45 minutes with one person
73. Don't read any documents on the interviewer's desk.
Bad, bad manners-and annoying.
Maintain eye contact with the interviewer.
Don't pick up any objects in the interviewer's office.
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.
Don't ask for the job.
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."
Use the "magic four good-bye."
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.
Perfect for the Part!
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.
