How to excel in an Interview - III

First Impression

How to conduct yourself at the reception area.

         It may sound inquisitive as to “What the hell! Do they watch us at the reception area also?” The answer is no. Nobody watches the visitors at the reception area until its some kind of an intelligence agency. You have to keep in mind that all your preparations in form of your imaginative interview actually starts taking shape right there at the reception area of the organization that you are attending the interview for. Let me assure you that at least half the chance of the interview to be a success or a failure is set up there in the mind of the interviewee right there at the reception area where you are waiting for your turn. If you don’t believe me, just remember the thoughts which were going on in your mind while waiting for an interview in the reception area from your most recent of the experiences, if you can recall.

        It is where, you actually start to get the feeling that you are in their den. The ambiance, the certifications hanging on the wall, the receptionist, the colors, the furniture, the people coming in and out of the main door, the employees etc. and above all the other candidates, all start giving you judgments about a whole lot of things like the culture of the organization, well being of the organization, the work pressure on the employees and most of the times even how your interviewer would look like. Many even make a judgment then and there in the reception whether they will be selected or rejected based on their perception, even before facing the interview. When we are nervy, such things generally create a negative effect on your preparations and even on your chances to perform to your expectation in the interview.

        I have had a number of friends who have returned from the reception area without attending the interview citing all sorts of lame excuses.

        Now, how can one avoid such a situation where the mind can get diverted from the focus by such insignificant aspects? If you have reached early, take some time to have a last look at your appearance and give a touch up in the parking area itself and enter the reception only 10 – 15 minutes before the schedule time. As you enter through the main door, straight away register your arrival and purpose of the visit to the receptionist with a smile. You should not forget to greet her before announcing your name with the time and name of the person your interview is scheduled with. If the receptionist asks your name again then do register that you have to work more on your first appearance.

        Immediately ask for the way to the wash room at the reception itself, if you are asked to wait for some time. Relieve yourself; wash your face and hand as you need to look clean and put forward a clean and non stick hand for handshake.

NOW

Managing the first twenty seconds of the interview

            You have 20 seconds or less to impress upon an employer whether or not she should consider hiring you. From the moment you walk into her office to the moment you sit down in a chair, thousands of neurons will be firing in the interviewer’s brain asking one of two things: “Is this person friend or foe?” It’s an inescapable reflex, necessary to our survival as a species, to gauge immediately whether the stranger before us is going to help us or hurt us.

Whether it is morally right or wrong to judge a person the moment we meet her, it is a biological necessity that we do so. As long as we know that’s a fact, we need to ensure that we use it to our advantage.

If you want the interviewer’s initial response to be “this is a friend” rather than the opposite, you should follow a few simple instructions.

1. Wear a smile, no matter how you feel. A smile conveys confidence, high self-esteem, competence, warmth, and enthusiasm. Plus, believe it or not, medical testing of brain activity has shown that when people smile, they actually perform better at what they are doing because they are using more of both the left and right sides of the brain! Linguists and psychologists have said that 95 percent of communication is nonverbal, and the smile is one very important part of that communication.

2. Wear clothes that are appropriate to the occasion. It is not so much the color of your suit or the pattern on your tie that matters. It is the respect you show to the interviewer by indicating, indirectly, that the interview is an important occasion to you and that you value the interviewer’s time so much that you have put serious consideration into your appearance.

3. Have a firm handshake, using the whole hand. A handshake that is too loose unconsciously communicates to the interviewer that you are not fully committed. On the other hand, a bone-crushing handshake sends a message that you may be overly competitive. Neither of these messages is attractive to an interviewer. A handshake that is firm with one, two, or three “pumps” of the elbow is an appropriate business greeting, signalling to the employer, “Let’s get down to business.” There is no reason to shake a woman’s hand any differently than you would shake a man’s hand. Firm and businesslike is the rule to remember. Many people, both men and women, have no idea how their handshake feels to other people. I strongly suggest that you practice it with a few friends or family members and ask for their honest feedback. Keep testing different strengths and positions until you and the other person feel comfortable.

4. Address the interviewer as Ms. or Mr. ________________ until you’re invited to call him or her by a first name. Again, this greeting is part of being respectful of the interviewer’s time and authority.

5. Introduce yourself by your first and last names and say that you are happy to be there. Do you know that only 40 percent of interviewers are trained to do the job of interviewing? My experience with managers and directors from companies indicate that they very often feel more nervous about interviewing you than you feel about the interview! Introducing yourself and expressing that you’re glad to be there is the first step to putting the interviewer at ease, so that you can both enjoy a relaxed meeting.

6. Do not sit down until the interviewer suggests that you do. If he or she doesn’t, ask politely if you may sit down. As soon as you sit down in a chair in the interviewer’s office, you become part of his or her territory. It is therefore wise to wait until you are invited to sit or you have asked permission to do so.

7. Do not, at any time during the interview, put anything on the interviewer’s desk. Keep briefcases, note pads, and purses by your side or on your lap. The employer’s desk is even more sacred and private territory than the surrounding office. Keep hands, elbows, and any other items from the top of the desk. If, however, you have been invited to sit at a conference table or a round table that is not a desk, you should feel free to take notes on the tabletop as the meeting goes on. These spaces are shared territory, unlike a person’s desk, which is private.

8. Turn your cell phone off! If you forget and it happens to ring, do not glance to see who called. Simply apologize for the interruption and turn off the device.

                 Another thing to remember is that you are interviewing the company, just as the company is interviewing you. When you keep that fact in mind, you’ll remember to notice how you’re being treated before, during, and after the interview. Do you like being treated that way? If you were left waiting for an hour in the waiting room, if you were treated rudely by the receptionist, or if the interviewer was taking phone calls during your interview when he or she was supposed to be paying attention to you, you need to remember that you most likely will be treated in that same way on the job.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you like the general tone of the company?

• Do you feel respected?

• Do you feel you’re being listened to?

• Are your questions and answers being taken seriously?

                You might even think of it this way: You are hiring a new boss! Do you want to work for this person? Would you like to be around this person almost 40 hours a week? Would you like to be a part of this organization?

               When you think about it, the power belongs not only to the interviewer but also to you! There will be many more things you need to ask yourself before you accept that offer.