Three keys to a successful job interview

1) Listening: is it just verbal communication?

Vincent Giolito, Promoter – New Career
Managers’ guidance program

Listening means more than taking words into account. It also means paying attention to different forms of communication: verbal, paraverbal communication or non-verbal signals like the body language. While listening, you should smile to show you are willing to communicate. But smile only when it is appropriate. You should also focus on the visual signs that could enable you to start a conversation for example. Listening also means being aware of your interviewer’s facial expressions. Is he or she annoyed? Or on the contrary is he or she relaxed and smiling? If you analyze the facial expressions of your interviewer correctly, you will know when to ask a question.

2) Asking questions: open or closed questions?

Open or closed questions? I would say it is a good question and I will answer as follows: open questions work a lot better because they open dialogue and promote discussion. A closed question can be answered with yes or no or a very short phrase. For example, it is much better for you to ask “what is the recruiting process in your company?”, than to use the closed question “May I see the HR director or the project managers?”.

So, it is important to collect as much information as you can about the company and about the department you may work in. You have to know what is the practical role of the department. If you are lucky, you will get the information from the Internet. But you might also consider searching for former employees of the department on social networks. And the third and most important thing is to get information about your interviewer in order to know who you are dealing with and to start a positive conversation.

With open questions, you can know if your interviewer and you have the same understanding of the words you are using. For example, when the word is “management control”, do your interviewer and you refer to the same concept?

At the end of the interview, you can use closed questions, but be sure to make your interviewer answer in the positive. Try to get positive answers. That way, you will come to a kind of agreement. And during an interview, use the magic question: “what do you mean?”. This question is interpreted as a sign of complicity.

3) Convincing: how to be persuasive?

Once you have met the two following requirements – listening correctly and ask the right questions – convincing happens to be much easier. There are three ways to persuade. First: honesty. Speak with honesty, even about your mistakes. Acknowledge your mistakes but explain it is not easy to do so. Do not try to deny your failures but change the topic afterward. Secondly: emphasize your successful accomplishments. Make a quick list to encourage your interviewer to ask you further questions. But choose relevant accomplishments in connection with the position. Do not exaggerate your job experience and answer the question your interviewer is asking you. Third: be practical. Being practical means talking about tangible facts. Mention brands everyone knows. Figures are also a key to success.