How Much Easy To Go You Are With Others?

You can establish a further rapport with your interviewer if you monitor the rate of speech and match that as well. Speech rate also tells you about the individual's mode: A person who speaks rapidly is generally processing information in the visual mode. One who speaks at a moderate rate is usually in auditory. A person who speaks slowly is most likely in a tactile mode. As you saw in the preceding chapter, you can also match a person's voice tones, pitch, intensity, and inflections. Just be careful to sound sincere, not as though you are mocking. Be particularly sensitive in this respect when it comes to matching an accent or regional dialect. It will take a bit of extra effort to attend to this additional information and still keep track of the content of what the interviewer is saying. It is worth the effort because the interviewer's impressions of you will be built upon your ability to establish an early rapport.

What People Remember

Widely accepted figures indicate that your interviewer will forget up to 40 percent of what you've said after only 20 minutes, 60 percent after half a day, and 90 percent after a week. Furthermore, a well-known study by Albert T. Mehrabian shows that, of any communication, approximately 55 percent is transmitted through body language, 38 percent through voice tones, and only 7 percent through actual content. When it comes to what you say, most people can generally recall no more than nine "bits" of information, at best, shortly after they hear them. (Researchers refer to this as Miller's Law of Seven, plus or minus two.) So the other message here is to keep your content sharply focused and your explanations simple.



Additional Tools for Rapport

You will help your interviewer follow along best when you:

• Proceed from areas of agreement to areas of uncertainty, from the known to the unknown. You can enhance the likelihood of acceptance if you build strong bridges or transitions between any two such sets.
  
  
• Clarify your own career goals in your meeting; discuss the steps that would have to be taken in the hiring process; review the goals and objectives that go with the position; and ask the interviewer how he or she would know when a candidate is the right one.
  
  
• Put yourself into the position as often as you can without becoming overbearing. For example, "That's interesting, Alison. If I were in the position, how would that actually work?" Follow up the reply by saying that, assuming you were hired for the position, you believe the plan outlined would work well.
  
  
• Relate everything you say to the question at hand and to the position being discussed.
  
  
• Invite the interviewer to become actively involved in a mock scenario and then be sure you participate actively. "Let's see now, Alison. If we were actually doing that, how would it go?"
  
  
• Do your best to keep the environment mutually supportive.
  

What You See

Whatever behavior you observe is simply that: behavior you observe. Since we are all in charge — or at least try to be in charge — of our emotions, behavior reflects the way the interviewer has chosen to be. Try to see attitudes for what they are, and see what you can do to understand them and to help the individual be more successful. Then you are less likely to be intimidated.

What's at Stake for the Interviewer?

Here are some other attitudinal observations you might want to keep in mind as your interview progresses: Professional On a professional level, the interviewer needs to make the right decision and be perceived as having good judgment. Therefore, you should ask yourself whether the interviewer is thinking and talking about the good of the organization as a whole. If so, your comments should address that. Ask questions about the organization and use the interviewer's replies to show how you would be a good fit. Personal Person-to-person, it is logical for most interviewers to want to be liked and accepted. Here, too, you can show how you would fit in, this time as a coworker and an employee the interviewer would want to have on staff. The "we" approach is a good one here. For example, when the interviewer describes a challenging task, it might be appropriate to ask: "How would we ordinarily deal with a situation like that?" Other Assurances Your questions and comments should also show that you recognize and respect your interviewer's level of responsibility and capability. They should also convey an appropriate amount of respect for authority, letting the interviewer feel knowledgeable and in charge.

Moving On

You have done everything you can to deal with personal, content, and environmental considerations. You have gone through the social amenities portion of the interview. You are about to get down to business. Be sure you put yourself in a posture that exudes confidence, and remain alert to what happens next. Show the interviewer a friendly face. Sit toward the front edge of your chair, and lean slightly toward the interviewer. You may cross your legs at the ankles or position one foot slightly in front of the other, but don't cross your legs at the knee. That creates a physical stress point, inhibits deep breathing, and causes tension. Position your hands lightly on your lap with your palms facing inward. Don't be tempted to grasp the arms of the chair. That posture may look great for Lincoln's statue, but in an interview, it could make you look as though you're in the electric chair. As you speak, allow yourself to gesture immediately. The more quickly you get your hands moving under your control, the more quickly you will burn off any residual stress, lubricate your voice, and increase your feelings of confidence. Now it's time to find out what kind of interview your potential employer is conducting.