How to Conduct Yourself Once You’re at an Interview
To start out, let’s discuss some general behavioral tips. While seemingly superficial, these are actually those little extra things that can make you stand out and just might be the difference between you and the next best person, particularly when there are just two of you left in the selection process.
One thing to always keep in the back of your mind is this: first and last impressions are the strongest. You should make a conscious effort to smile when you first walk in and introduce yourself, smile periodically throughout the interview, and at the end when you shake hands goodbye, smile again. Even if the interview didn’t go so well, in fact even if it was a disaster, you still want the first and last impression of you to be a good one. After all, the interview may very well have went better than you think.
Don’t forget to shake hands whenever you are introduced to someone and then again with everyone when the interview is over. Handshakes can sometimes be a bit awkward, so my best advice is to use a medium firm grip so that you don’t appear either hesitant or overly aggressive. And please…avoid the light “shake the fingers only” handshake. It gives the impression of a lack of self-confidence.
As you answer questions during the interview, be thorough but brief. Yes, I know this sounds contradictory, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen otherwise good candidates talk themselves right into – and then right out of – consideration because they just didn’t know when to stop. As a rule of thumb, any answer you give that is longer than about three minutes is likely too long.
Another tip when answering questions: be sure to speak clearly and look the person who asked you the question in the eye. I’ve seen many candidates stare off into space when answering a question and/or mumble their answers, both of which can make good answers appear weak.
Toward the end of the interview, after the interview panel has finished asking questions, and after you’ve asked any questions you might have (remember, you should have some) the hiring manager will frequently ask you if you have anything else to say. Many candidates stumble a bit with this one, thinking that they are obligated to say something else about themselves. However, if you’ve done a good job selling yourself (and have asked the single best question with which to end your interview, which I’ll reveal a few posts from now), then the best way to end the interview is to shake hands, thank everyone for their time, and say that you’ll look forward to hearing from them.
As your last task, be certain to get the name and business card of everyone you interview. This way, you’ll have their email addresses and can send them a thank you email (this is perfectly acceptable in today’s world). You should do this the same day, as this shows professionalism.
In my next post, I’ll cover some very specific behaviors and attitudes that you’d better NOT demonstrate during your interview, as they will almost without exception cost you the job.
