Reaching Your Interviewer on a Personal Basis

Ken Sundheim, CEO of KAS Placement Recruitment

As a job seeker or any business professional, a great deal of your success relies on how effectively you can deal with others.  There is more to interviewing than simply answering job related questions.

The most effective meetings occur when the two parties reach each other on a personal basis and, when done the cohesion creates a stir of positive energy in the room which is going to increase performance, heighten perceived intelligence and make the meeting enjoyable.

How do you do so?  Some of us are born with great people skills, however if you’re anything like me, to have to work at the topic and before you work on the topic, you must come to terms as to how important it is to become better with others.

How to Start and the Overarching Message:

Want to get to the point where you connect with the hiring manager on a more human basis?  While there are tons of different personality traits that exist, these rules will work with any type of person:

1. Nobody likes to feel that they are being sold something or told what to do, rather they want to feel that they are doing something on their own accord.  The takeaway here is to not be forceful or overbearing with the interviewer.  For instance, if you have another job offer at the same time, kindly inform them and let them decide the best course of action.

2. Think about the other person’s viewpoint.  What does the employer want?  If you were that individual, what would you want?  Among other variables, traits such as honesty, hard working, reliable and many others should come to mind.

3. Think to yourself as to what benefits the employer will receive when they hire you.  Will you be able to hit the ground running with little to no training?  Can you take tedious work that the hiring manager has to do off his or her hands making them free or worry?  Can you deliver better client relationships?

Before you think about what the company can do for you, show them what you can do for the firm and you will be paid back in spades.

4. Appeal to the interviewer’s noble motives meaning that you should explain actions you’ve taken throughout your career as full of ‘good will.’  For example, if you’re leaving your current job, you can tell the interviewer that you want to be fair to your employer so you are going to need a few weeks to start as it’s the honest action to take.

5. Let the interviewer talk and listen to what they say.  Rather than only thinking about how you’re going to respond, take the time to hear every word, then react to what they are actually saying vs. what you perceive them to be saying.  Remember to never interrupt.  If you have a pertinent thought during their monologue, write it down.

In the End

All things being equal, the employer is going to hire the job seeker they can relate to more…that is even if all things are not equal and the other applicant has more extensive qualifications, you significantly even the playing field.  The best thing I’ve done in a long time is read this book again as sometimes invaluable lessons are forgotten.