Most often people forget about the importance of nonverbal communication in an interview. We take the time to practice and prepare our answers, yet we spend no time checking the effectiveness of our nonverbal communication.
It is a fact that your answers during an interview carry a lot of weight in the decision, but it is also a fact that nonverbal communication plays a significant role in the hiring process.
During an interview, it is vital that you remain aware of how your nonverbal communication speaks of you as an individual. You may have prepared the best answers in the world, but how you say it or what are you doing while saying it affects how the interviewer interprets your answer.
Tips to Improve Nonverbal Communication:
Before the Interview
Before coming to an interview, make sure that you wear the proper attire. It is important to dress properly during the interview—going to an interview underdressed just shows that you do not care about what people think of you. This is not how you want to be viewed as an applicant. You want to show the interviewer that you are serious about applying and made the effort to dress properly.
Dressing properly also means practicing proper hygiene. You need to make sure that you shave and trim your nails. If you’re going to wear perfume or cologne, don’t overdo it. It is also important to avoid coming to an interview smelling like cigarettes.
In today’s economy, finding a job is not easy. Even getting an interview is hard, and that’s why you don’t want to waste the opportunity when you do get an interview. Let me share with you some tips on how to ace an interview.
Preparation is Key
If you want to ace your next interview, remember that preparation is key. Your success to an interview largely depends on what you did prior to the interview. Understand that a soldier who goes to war unarmed would end up dead. If you want to ace your next interview, follow these essential preparation tips.
Research
There are several things you need research before your interview. The first is:
Know the Place
One fundamental reason why interviewers fail to get the job is they get lost on the way to the interview location. Be sure to look up the location a few days before your interview. Make time visit the place if you’re unfamiliar with the area so you don’t get lost during interview day and arrive late.
Call to confirm
This is something most applicants miss: Call the day before the interview to confirm the day and time. This will show that you respect the interview’s time and will convey your interest in getting the job.
Resume Review
Another reason applicants don’t ace their interviews that they neglect to check their resumes. Review your resume the day before your interview to make sure you highlight the skills and accomplishments that would help you land the job. This will help you to understand and express your major selling points. Also, be sure to know which buzzwords to leave out of your resume for the job interview.
Research the Company
Do research on the company you’re applying for. Find out everything you can about them, their products or services, their mission statement and history, your interviewer, and any other relevant information. This will show your interest in the company and the job.
Hygiene
Before your interview, be sure to check your hygiene. Do the necessary personal grooming. You don’t want to show up in an interview with bad hygiene.
Dress Properly
Know what the company culture is when it comes to attire. For example, you don’t want to apply for a clothing store wearing their competitor’s products.
Drive Responsibly
You may neglect this part, but you don’t want employees or the interviewer seeing you drive recklessly, as this just shows irresponsibility and will ruin your chances of getting the job.
Be Early
The one thing that you don’t to do during an interview is arrive late. When showing up for an interview, arriving on time isn’t enough and will show that you just do the bare minimum. Employers love employees who do more than what is required of them, and being early will score points with the interviewer.
Turn the Cell Phone Off
One of the worst things that can happen is a phone ringing in the middle of an interview. Remember to turn your cell phone off or put it on silent before the interview.
Interview Time
Most people think that when they feel nervous before the interview, they’ll likely mess up during the interview. If you prepared properly in advance of the interview, have faith in yourself and be confident that you’ll ace the interview.
Prepare for the Questions
Knowing what answers to give your interviewer will increase your chances of getting the job. Preparing for questions that often come up and having answers ready for them will help you stay confident. Create a list of common job interview questions, and craft the best answers that will help you sell yourself as the right person for the job.
Be Careful with Nonverbals
Your answers to the interviewer’s questions may be important, but how he or she sees you is just as important. Be sure to give a solid handshake, establish eye contact, and don’t fiddle with your pen.
Your body language also sends signals to an interviewer about how qualified you are and how much you want the job. Monitor your actions in order to avoid unnecessary nonverbal signals that could hurt your chances of landing the job.
Ask Questions
When an interviewer asks, “Do you have any questions?” prepare questions and don’t be afraid to ask them.
Follow up and Thank-You Notes
At the end of the interview, don’t be afraid to ask for contact information. Within 24 hours of the interview, send the interviewer a handwritten thank-you note. Don’t forget to follow up if they don’t contact you first.
With the right preparation—and by following the tips mentioned above—you’ll be sure to ace your next interview and land that job.
