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Interview Tips: How to Make Friends with your Interviewer

Sucking up is an art. Walking the line of charming and desperate in the most elegant of ways is rough. If you’re interviewing for a job that you **really** want, that line can be a tough one to toe. One of the best ways to ensure you are the top resume receiving a call back on an interview is to, on a certain level, become professional friends with your interviewer. Below is a list of do’s and don’ts that make that goal a bit more achievable!

 

Do: LISTEN!

You know the old saying: two ears, one mouth? It applies to an interview! Be sure to listen to what your interviewer is saying and don’t just assume you know what they will say.

 

Do Not: Interrupt

Piggybacking on the Do of Listen, do NOT interrupt your interviewer. This is the quickest way to make sure your interviewer will not think highly of you or your skill set.

 

Do: Be Humble

Humility speaks volumes. While an interview is, essentially, a time to brag, it doesn’t hurt to also speak to areas that you can improve on. We all have them, so confronting them and bringing them up to your interviewer is actually a very good strength. It shows a great deal of maturity.

 

Do Not: Speak down to your interviewer.

If you are a master of your craft, understand there is only a small population of people who will be able to be at your level and your interviewer is likely not on that level. That does not give you the liberty to speak down to them in any way. Expressing your expertise is one thing, but please be sure to do a quick read on yourself while you are talking to make sure you aren’t coming across derogatory.

 

Do: Be Relatable

Your interviewer is a human being and so are you. Listen to the person you are talking to and look for ways to relate to them. It can be anything simple, such as talking about the weather, or talking about it being early (if you’re in an early morning interview).

 

Do Not: Take kindness for granted

Every interviewer is different, so this doesn’t apply to all interviews you will have, but if you are speaking to someone who is friendly, or trying to make a connection with you on a human level, recognize and respect that. Every human being wants to feel connected to someone, and that applies in an interview, so if you get the sense your interviewer is trying to be funny, or genuinely asking about how you are doing, pick up on that, and respond in the same way.

 

Do: Imitate your interviewer’s rhythm of speech.

All of these ‘dos/don’ts’ apply for phone interviews, but this one is one you can apply both for phone and in person interviews. Mockery is the highest form of flattery. So, really listen to how fast your interviewer speaks and how they phrase themselves, and mock it. It will build a better connection with you and your interviewer, and it will instantly make you likeable to them.

 

Do Not: Let a bad answer trip you up for the rest of your interview.

Interviews are really all head games you play for yourself. If your interviewer asks you a question and you just completely fail at your answer: it’s ok! There are other questions you can answer correctly. I have never known an interviewer that would count a candidate out just because one bad or off answer. Get back on the horse and move on to the next question!

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