Some of the techniques that follow can even help you take control of the interview, but that doesn't mean you should. It might be better for everyone if you limit your use of these techniques to planting the seeds for constructive recall and follow-up.
The following techniques can help you stand out from the crowd and keep the interview moving toward your goal. We mentioned one or two of them earlier in another context. Here we will consider them as ways to keep your target sharply in focus so you can use them whenever you feel they would be appropriate.
Future Pacing: "Once we finish our discussion, you may want to consider how closely my credentials fit this opening." The key to the success of this technique lies in our ability to discuss possibilities as though they were realities, since the subconscious mind is unable to distinguish reality from fantasy. Thus, when you can persuade someone to think of something as though it were an actuality, so that he or she subconsciously accepts it as such, you will increase the chance that the mind will loop back, accept the suggestion, and act on it as though it were already fact.
Upon hearing the suggestion, "you may want to consider how closely my credentials fit this opening," the interviewer's mind is likely to go through this process and, indeed, do just that. After all, it's something the interviewer already knows how to do, and he or she is going to have to do it with some candidates anyway. Thus, the suggestion is reasonable enough, isn't it? In its objective, it is not much different from saying, "I'd like you to consider me for the job," but that is more obvious and could meet with resistance. The future-paced statement, on the other hand, gives you a better opportunity to have the same idea receive the interviewer's consideration.
Embedment: "It may be possible that you have seen enough candidates to make your decision." On a conscious level, the interviewer hears you express your own views in a very speculative manner: "It may be..." On an embedment level, however, the interviewer's subconscious hears: "...you have seen enough candidates to make your decision." By presenting the thought in a way that is comfortable to your interviewer, you increase the chance of acceptance. It is a powerful tool for overcoming resistance and helping the interviewer keep you in mind. Like so many advanced techniques, it is neutral until it is used. The rest is up to the user.
Reframing: "It might cost you a little more in salary to bring me in at this time, but my organizational skills could save you at least the equivalent of another half person in the department." The technique says: "There is another way to look at this." It takes a seeming negative, your salary in this case, and puts it in a positive context: the savings that would come about.
Linking: "You know, Harry, it's just a matter of having a nonprofit background and the skills that are needed on this job." In this case, the interviewer was looking for corporate, not non-profit, experience. Using the linking technique enables you to gain acceptance for an idea that might be difficult to sell otherwise. It works because when you put two ideas together, the second tends to give support to the first. Because you have connected them, they seem interconnected. That helps make the first one more acceptable to the interviewer.
Giving "Permission": "You know, Tom, it's okay to think about engineering skills and supervisory talent in the same context." Even though the interviewer may have expressed a concern over it, the candidate's heavy engineering background has now been put into a new context. The technique is to link two concepts that the listener may have previously found incompatible. It is so obvious that it may appear to be ineffective, which partially explains its power. It enables you to give the interviewer "permission" to think in a way that may have been contrary to his or her views. Since people recall so very little of what they hear anyhow, you help the interviewer retain what you give permission to consider. Just be sure you have examples, anecdotes, or proof of some other kind to show how it really is "okay."
Other Techniques: Of course, other techniques are available, thanks to research in the behavioral sciences. Check the reading list at the end of this book for titles.
Additional Rapport
In your interviews, be sure to use the matching techniques for establishing a better rapport. One of the most effective uses of this technique is the "bridging" concept touched on earlier, in which you try to match the interviewer's word choices (visual, auditory, or kinesthetic), rate of speech, voice tones, pitch, intensity, inflections, and accent. These step-by-step details can help you carry out the bridging technique even with a difficult interviewer:
- Observe and reflect the interviewer's own words, voice tones, body language, and other patterns, so that they can flow smoothly through you from their present mode (visual, auditory, or tactile) to others.
- To accomplish this, first reflect the questioner's present mode, whether indicated through verb choice, speech rate, breathing, or another manner. Then start with readily agreeable, general observations and observe the individual's responses. Again pace his or her verb choices, speech rate, breathing, and other responses and switch to another sensory mode.
- Observe the questioner's response. Match that again and then switch into another mode.
- If the questioner fails to make the switch with you or if you observe resistance or lack of interest at any point, immediately shift back to the original mode where interest was high. If he or she objects, acknowledge the concern directly, and then shift back. If the person is indecisive, return to where receptivity was highest, elicit agreement, and then try switching again.
- Once you have engaged all three modes, you should be able to achieve greater understanding and acceptance.
- This technique may help you in situations where, in the past, you may not have received the acceptance you felt was merited.
By knowing as much as possible about the organization, the opening, and your own skills before the interview, you can use your rehearsals to prepare yourself to anticipate the questions and get behind the resume to show how well you would fit the opening. You can learn how to take complete charge of yourself and your answers.
