Are your social skills ruining your interviews? Here are some ways to help
Social skills are important in the workplace. Knowing how to deal with co-workers, clients and supervisors is the only way to navigate the maze of workplace interaction. But, for people who have trouble with those skills, interviews can be especially hard. There is so much pressure and such a strong desire to make a good impression that it can be easy to over think it. Trying to keep an eye on your body language, what you're saying and stressing out about how to answer the questions can cause many people to panic. This doesn't typically make a great impression.
If you find that interviews are especially difficult for you, you may want to re-evaluate your interview style to see if it is hurting you.
Here are 5 tips to make your interview easier:
- Write down the most common questions and answers – When you are preparing for the interview, write down questions you are pretty sure you will be asked. Some of the most common ones are “Tell me about yourself” and “Why do you want to work for our company?”. Write out your answers, edit them down and try to memorize them. This way, you'll know ahead of time that you at least have the first part down cold.
- Look for examples that show rather than tell – Often in interviews, you'll be asked behavior questions. These are questions like “Tell me about a time your work was criticized.”.Think about these types of questions and write out answer about specific times that show your talents. When you can give the interviewer a real world example, you'll look much more professional.
- Shake hands and smile – This one is so easy, but it makes a huge difference. When you are greeted by the interviewer, make eye contact and shake their hand. It breaks the ice and shows the interviewer that you are a professional.
- Don't panic – If you get asked a question that you hadn't thought of or have just drawn a blank, don't panic about it. Simply say “Wow, that's a great question. Let me get my thoughts together for a moment.” Most of the time the hiring manager has been on your side of the desk before, and understands that it can be hard to be put on the spot. It's much better to take a minute to think of the best answer rather than stammer and give an answer you are less than happy with.
- Say thank you, and mean it – This one is huge, and you would be amazed at how often people overlook it. When the interview is over, thank your interviewer for their time and shake their hand again. After you leave, be sure to send a thank you note as soon as possible.What else do you think is important during an interview? Let me know in the comments.If you are looking for a job in Business, visit BusinessWorkForce for the best Business job listings.By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for BusinessWorkForceBlog, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
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