1. Do not miss the interview timeslot. This means you: misremembered the time or place of the interview; arrived late; or more than 5-10 minutes early, if it is at their office. If you arrive at their office too early they may feel rushed and pressured to go out and meet with you. We know it is merely your exuberance; but they may not realize it. Never mention how early you got there. If you were waiting, put a positive spin on it.
2. Do not forget your manners. Call them Mr/Ms/Dr until they invite you, if they do, to call them by their first name. Don't interrupt them when they are speaking. If you meet at a coffee shop or share a meal, do not leave a mess of napkins, cups, or fail to pick up after yourself, it does not leave a good impression. Same thing with parking folks and receptionists, they might be someone's family member just starting out.
3. Do not wear clothes that you have not road-tested for appropriateness, fit, marks or stains, price tags or other removable labels. Less is more on jewelry. Nothing you wear should detract from your presentation.
4. Do not fail to shower and DO NOT WEAR ANY FRAGRANCE WHATSOEVER! If your face or palms of your hands sweat, carry a handkerchief. A tissue can disintegrate and leave dots.
5. Do not fail to smile. A warm, welcoming smile will cover a multitude of uncomfortable moments and is the surest way of establishing and maintaining rapport and a positive attitude! The halo effect is real. If they like you, they will gladly become your advocate! YOU are the solution to their problem!
6. Do not fail to look them in the eye or shake their hand. Eye contact is an easy way to establish rapport and show confidence! If you avoid eye contact, they may feel that you have to hide and/or do not believe what you are saying and/or are not interested in making a connection. Shake their hand when you meet them and again when you leave. As the only socially-permitted touching handshakes are important. Make it firm, confident and make it count.
7. Do not fail to listen and do not mumble or speak too softly. Actively LISTEN to THEM and make sure that you are speaking from your diaphragm. S-L-A-N-T. Sit up, lean forward from the waist, pay attention, nod your head and track speech speed with your own. Mumbling or speaking softly does not convey confidence and, worse yet, someone has to ask you to repeat, calling even more attention to what you were previously, tentatively, saying about the topic.
8. Do not joke or be overly familiar with the interviewer. It only goes one way on this. If they choose to make a joke, be sure you laugh. Obviously you would not tell a "knock knock," memorized joke. But even situational humorous comments are too risky because you really do not know how they will react. They should not be overly familiar, but if the interviewer asks an inappropriate question, respond as if the question were reframed to not be overly intrusive.
9. Do not be arrogant. Yes, you may be smarter the interviewer. Maybe they could not get into their school/company today with the intense competition for each slot. Just make sure they don't know that you think that! You can express yourself confidently by saying you work hard, are very fortunate or other people talk about your great quality.
10. Do not fail to be enthusiastic! You are enthused about the opportunity and this is the time to be excited and hopeful. If not now, when?
Be authentically yourself. Establish rapport. Open doors by winning with words. Making Conversation can assist you to develop responses which are thought out ahead of time, not the "automatic” or “right" response, but your personal best answer. If you communicate effectively with confidence and ease, your answers will persuade the interviewer to become your advocate.
Prepare thoroughly and respect the interviewer and the interview process. Always be OTHER-Oriented!
Peggy Wallace's Making Conversation can assist you in showing your best self to the interviewer, so they become your advocate for admission. Contact her at peggy@makingconversation.com or (760) 803-2641.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Friday, November 2, 2012
Should you forgo an interview/meeting, if you are not confident about your interviewing skills?
A client of mine told me that an admissions representative at a highly competitive school on the East Coast had said to a group of students touring the campus, "If you present better on paper, forgo the interview. It can hurt you, if you do not do well." I found that particularly odd as most schools promote that they are doing holistic admissions, looking at the whole person. They are assembling a class of people; not papers.
The same thing applies in a job/internship interview or taking the initiative to create a face-to-face meeting opportunity, through networking or informational interviews. Even if you don't feel totally comfortable doing an interview, do you forgo the opportunity to express your interest in the school/job/internship? If you are fearful of new situations, you may talk yourself into a higher level of discomfort, blown out of proportion, which may well stop you from taking the risk.
As an alumni interviewer for over 25 years, I found that even in evaluative college-level interviews, it is exceedingly rare for you to hurt your chances by seizing the opportunity to do an interview. If you are not prepared, it may not be as good as it could be; but, the only way it could diminish/neutralize my write-up was to:
By admitting a weakness you bring them to your side; no one is perfect and we all have had to overcome hurdles in our life. Letting them help you to help yourself shows that you are open to improvement. Your blossoming will make them feel better about themselves. Most people like to help others and they will consider it a personal achievement that they were able to make you feel more comfortable.
Just don't say that you "really don't like people." I think that sentiment is what really was expressed by that admissions officer who would rather not meet you unless you present in person as well or better than you present on paper. The mark of a good conversationalist/interviewer is that s/he makes the effort to have the other person comfortable. A little bit of fear/nervousness is perfectly reasonable - the stakes are high. Of course, if you can delay and not harm your chances while you prepare for your interview, either on your own or with professional help, so much the better. To cite the Nike slogan, take the risk, "just do it," I think you'll be happy with the result. At least you will know you tried your best!
Be authentically yourself. Establish rapport. Open doors by winning with words. Making Conversation can assist you to develop responses which are thought out ahead of time, not the "automatic” or “right" response, but your personal best answer. If you communicate effectively with confidence and ease, your answers will persuade the interviewer to become your advocate with the school. Making Conversation can assist you in showing your best self to the interviewer, so they become your advocate for admission.
Contact her at peggy@makingconversation.com or (760) 803-2641.
The same thing applies in a job/internship interview or taking the initiative to create a face-to-face meeting opportunity, through networking or informational interviews. Even if you don't feel totally comfortable doing an interview, do you forgo the opportunity to express your interest in the school/job/internship? If you are fearful of new situations, you may talk yourself into a higher level of discomfort, blown out of proportion, which may well stop you from taking the risk.
As an alumni interviewer for over 25 years, I found that even in evaluative college-level interviews, it is exceedingly rare for you to hurt your chances by seizing the opportunity to do an interview. If you are not prepared, it may not be as good as it could be; but, the only way it could diminish/neutralize my write-up was to:
- Decline to interview or fail to take the initiative to create the opportunity. Not a negative; but not a positive.
- Set-up the interview and then (a) not show up, (b) offer no explanation whatsoever, and (c) not reschedule. Yes, I let teens reschedule even if they did not contact me until well after the time we were to meet. But, make no mistake, this will burn your bridges on the job/internship front and can with certain college interviewers; and/or
- Be rude to me and/or clearly show prejudice or gross indifference to the dignity of others. By this I do not mean saying the wrong/stupid/inept/non-sequitur thing. This happens due to nerves, exhaustion, etc. I am also not talking about social gaffes, e.g. during the trailer for the new TV show Emily Owens, M.D., Emily ruminates about her inability to stop herself from saying something stupid. In response to someone saying they are from Wisconsin, you hear her admonishing herself to not mention cheese. The she blurts out. "I really like cheese."
By admitting a weakness you bring them to your side; no one is perfect and we all have had to overcome hurdles in our life. Letting them help you to help yourself shows that you are open to improvement. Your blossoming will make them feel better about themselves. Most people like to help others and they will consider it a personal achievement that they were able to make you feel more comfortable.
Just don't say that you "really don't like people." I think that sentiment is what really was expressed by that admissions officer who would rather not meet you unless you present in person as well or better than you present on paper. The mark of a good conversationalist/interviewer is that s/he makes the effort to have the other person comfortable. A little bit of fear/nervousness is perfectly reasonable - the stakes are high. Of course, if you can delay and not harm your chances while you prepare for your interview, either on your own or with professional help, so much the better. To cite the Nike slogan, take the risk, "just do it," I think you'll be happy with the result. At least you will know you tried your best!
Be authentically yourself. Establish rapport. Open doors by winning with words. Making Conversation can assist you to develop responses which are thought out ahead of time, not the "automatic” or “right" response, but your personal best answer. If you communicate effectively with confidence and ease, your answers will persuade the interviewer to become your advocate with the school. Making Conversation can assist you in showing your best self to the interviewer, so they become your advocate for admission.
Contact her at peggy@makingconversation.com or (760) 803-2641.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
The Phone Interview: 7 Tips to Present Your Best Self.
Is a phone interview the same as one in person or by webcam (using Skype, G-talk, etc.)? In many respects, yes.
Be prepared. That means setting up the call (preferably by e-mail) so you can both be at your best. If they call unexpectedly and the time is inconvenient, or you cannot devote yourself fully, completely and uninterruptedly to the call, ask to reschedule. You want to be able to shine, showing your accomplishments and skills and why you are a great fit for their opportunity. Be other-oriented, knowing about their company and this opportunity. Use good manners. The phone interview has some unique challenges. Here are 7 tips to make your voice come alive enabling you to promote your best self on the phone.
1. S-M-I-L-E! Smile before you pick up the phone. Your voice will reflect the smile and sound positive and upbeat.
2. Dress up! Wear what you would plan to wear to an interview, including polished shoes! If you are super comfy in your pajamas, that is lovely, but you won't be wearing them to work. To the extent you can recreate the interview environment, you will be better able to act as if you were in a face-to-face interview.
3. Shorten your Responses. Try for 20 seconds to 30 seconds - no longer unless it truly is your best imagery-laden story. We all unconsciously wait for a signal (visual or verbal) to acknowledge the relevance of the response. Because you cannot see them, you might tend to over-talk. They do want to not interrupt you. Follow a pattern: (1) state your point; (2) back it up with illustrative details, being quantifiably specific, e.g., increases/savings by dollar amount or percentages, time deadlines met or accelerated, and/ or increased employee productivity; and (3) summarize! Consider getting a noiseless timer which can assist you in making your responses crisper. When the sand hits the bottom, it's time to "wrap it up."
4. Pause for the technology to catch up. There are the inevitable technology delays. If there is a pause, give them a moment more than you would if you were face-to-face, then ask a question of them which follows up on your response, e.g., "would that be pertinent /relevant to this position?" Also, wait an extra second after they finish talking, so you don't inadvertently interrupt them. If you speak quickly, slow it down just a bit; synchronize with their pace.
5. Use a mirror. Many of us derive energy from an audience. We miss that in a phone interview; so energize yourself.
6. Organize your supporting documentation using manila folder(s). Even if they cannot see you, they can hear you. Reduce the sound of papers rustling by putting each page taped to a side of a folder. Try to have no more than 2 pages of information. Your resume would be on one side and your story prompts on the other. Summarize, highlight, use outlines and make sure you know where everything is. A person can tell when you are reading so DO NOT USE FULL SENTENCES. Know your talking points. Use trigger words - so you know the stories that demonstrate each skill, e.g., for Strengths Teamwork: Constellation project at (prior job or school activity)
Leadership: Organizing Fun Run for ___________(volunteer activity)
Perseverance: Doctoral Dissertation (educational degree) or _____ project at (another prior job)
If you have to have more than two pages affix them to clearly marked manila folders.
7. Stand up/sit up straight. When you speak from your diaphragm you appear more confident. Your voice sounds fuller and likely, if you are a woman, brings it down a bit in pitch and makes your message more easily understood.
Be prepared. That means setting up the call (preferably by e-mail) so you can both be at your best. If they call unexpectedly and the time is inconvenient, or you cannot devote yourself fully, completely and uninterruptedly to the call, ask to reschedule. You want to be able to shine, showing your accomplishments and skills and why you are a great fit for their opportunity. Be other-oriented, knowing about their company and this opportunity. Use good manners. The phone interview has some unique challenges. Here are 7 tips to make your voice come alive enabling you to promote your best self on the phone.
1. S-M-I-L-E! Smile before you pick up the phone. Your voice will reflect the smile and sound positive and upbeat.
2. Dress up! Wear what you would plan to wear to an interview, including polished shoes! If you are super comfy in your pajamas, that is lovely, but you won't be wearing them to work. To the extent you can recreate the interview environment, you will be better able to act as if you were in a face-to-face interview.
3. Shorten your Responses. Try for 20 seconds to 30 seconds - no longer unless it truly is your best imagery-laden story. We all unconsciously wait for a signal (visual or verbal) to acknowledge the relevance of the response. Because you cannot see them, you might tend to over-talk. They do want to not interrupt you. Follow a pattern: (1) state your point; (2) back it up with illustrative details, being quantifiably specific, e.g., increases/savings by dollar amount or percentages, time deadlines met or accelerated, and/ or increased employee productivity; and (3) summarize! Consider getting a noiseless timer which can assist you in making your responses crisper. When the sand hits the bottom, it's time to "wrap it up."
4. Pause for the technology to catch up. There are the inevitable technology delays. If there is a pause, give them a moment more than you would if you were face-to-face, then ask a question of them which follows up on your response, e.g., "would that be pertinent /relevant to this position?" Also, wait an extra second after they finish talking, so you don't inadvertently interrupt them. If you speak quickly, slow it down just a bit; synchronize with their pace.
5. Use a mirror. Many of us derive energy from an audience. We miss that in a phone interview; so energize yourself.
6. Organize your supporting documentation using manila folder(s). Even if they cannot see you, they can hear you. Reduce the sound of papers rustling by putting each page taped to a side of a folder. Try to have no more than 2 pages of information. Your resume would be on one side and your story prompts on the other. Summarize, highlight, use outlines and make sure you know where everything is. A person can tell when you are reading so DO NOT USE FULL SENTENCES. Know your talking points. Use trigger words - so you know the stories that demonstrate each skill, e.g., for Strengths Teamwork: Constellation project at (prior job or school activity)
Leadership: Organizing Fun Run for ___________(volunteer activity)
Perseverance: Doctoral Dissertation (educational degree) or _____ project at (another prior job)
If you have to have more than two pages affix them to clearly marked manila folders.
7. Stand up/sit up straight. When you speak from your diaphragm you appear more confident. Your voice sounds fuller and likely, if you are a woman, brings it down a bit in pitch and makes your message more easily understood.
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