Have you ever been in the following situations?
1. Your interview lasted for very few minutes and you came out of the interview room with very low expectation of getting the job.
2. The interview panel dismissed your answers by asking other questions while still answering the previous.
3. The interview panel stopped you at the slightest of attempts to answer a question.
4. The panel did not smile at any of your responses.
5. One of the panellists was holding his chin midway the interview.
6. Any of the panellists sighed and leaned back on his chair.
7. You got stuck while answering a technical question and the room was silent after that with the panel shaking their heads.
8. Was a question like ‘are you sure?’ asked at any point in the interview.
9. Did any of the panellists lean towards the table and look at you towards the face with his hands folded.
This can easily send very bad shivers or chills down your spine but never should you think that way, it may be the opposite. After an interview, you feel that you can easily tell whether you have made it through the interview or not. Wait till you meet a good human resource manager who does not show any emotion or who shows opposite emotion. Interviewers like me will expose you to a situation of pressure and you may think that I am doing it because I do not like your face but no. Just imagine a situation where in the middle of an interview, a panellist drifts away and seem disinterested or walks and looks out of the window without paying attention to your answer while responding to a question. This may seem to you as a negative sign but how to respond to it may determine whether you get the job or not.
A good worker or employee should be flexible, agile, down to earth and humble. All this virtues should get tested during an interview and even after. I have told you before that employers can take you to an hotel for an interview, they can call you for a cocktail for an interview or even be among interviewees outside the panel centre. Be careful on how you respond to a panellist or how to ask them questions because you may have an idea of how interviews should be conducted but that is not what they want. The best interviews are those carried out in places where the environment is not official and intimidating but this is not to say that interviews carried out in the office are intimidating but you need to see how your future employee responds to various environments. Most grinding interviews are just meant to see how well you respond to situations under pressure and please be careful because you never know the pressure you will be subjected to during the interview.
We have had situations where after we look disinterested in your responses and seem to chase you away with our actions, people will turn abusive, others will revenge while others will be meek and bear with the situation as it grows. Be very careful how you respond to an interview especially you body language in the final minutes of the interview because that is where the interview is. If you are careful you will notice where a situation of pressure is and we recommend the following responses:
1. Display a very hearty smile: This should be the first sign of gratitude from an interviewee and whether he made it through or not we will keep remembering this in the future. It shows that you really loved the experience although you do not have powers to affect the result or the outcome. If you time your smile well and it seems genuine, you will realise the panel taking a closer attention of what you will say next and they may smile back. This will show that you have opened their hearts to listen to what you have to say.
2. Gesture gratitude by giving a slight quick bow: This can be confusing and you may end up giving a big bow which may seem worshipping but if you can bow using your head within a second do it while maintaining eye contact and at the same time speaking the next point. Be careful not to overdo it because it does not seem professional. The hand gestures should be minimised at this stage and if you must then hold your hands tight together on the table that you were using for the interview.
3. Thank the panel: This can be a daunting affair after the ordeal that you have gone through. Appreciate the fact that they gave you a chance to the interview and the opportunity to listen to you. At this point be precision is encouraged because too much gratitude may be understood as sycophancy.
4. Opportunity review: Say that if granted the job, it will provide the ground to demonstrate more in deeds than just plain words.
5. Last thanks: The earlier version of appreciation was to start your final remark and the last gratitude is said on your way out. Say something like, ‘Once again, thank you for your time.’ While you open the door and take a slight bow like the one before.
These may sound basic but most people forget the usefulness of the little things in life that make a whole lot of difference. If you left an interview room and you left behind a good attitude, trust me if you were ranked second and the first candidate forgets to do these things, you will get the job. Basic is what drives an interview. We have said before that simplicity can give you a job easily because when you try to complicate yourself, someone can tell easily that this is not you.
Among things that you should never attempt after an interview is to bang the door or click on your way out. This includes shaking your head because the interpretation may be misguided and unwanted. Please be careful on the gestures that you display on your way out of the interview room because some employers observe them.
We at HCC wish you all the best in your interviews and job searches.
