first of all, congratulations! That’s excellent news, well done. So….
Presentation
confidence in presentation. dress smart. dress so smart you feel like a million dollars. buy an new tie or shirt if it helps. everyone like wearing new clothes for the first time. imagine you are already representing yourself, and the company you are being interviewed by. you are, after all, there to sell yourself to them.
NO KNUCKLE BREAKING HANDSHAKES!!! surveys often have this as one of the biggest turn offs when meeting new people. the secret to hand shaking is to match the other person. people shake hands in a way that is comfortable to them. match it and you start to build a rapport straight away - they see you as being more like them. sometimes, the first handshake goes wrong - thumbs hit, you miss a full grip... if this happens, withdraw your hand, smile and confidently say "that didn't go to plan, let's try that again" and shake properly.
ask everyone who talks to you what their name is if they do not offer it, then each time you address them, use their name. it's the sweetest word to each and every person - their own name. use it. this also shows you were paying attention.
to top it off, wear a smile, a genuine one. no one likes a social smile - we're talking full-on Duchenne smiles here. Orbicularis Oculi and Zygomaticus Major and Minor must be used. in other words, smile with your eyes.
do not overpower them with aftershave.
know about the company. do some research on them, a bit of history and any products the sell.
as for your presentation, make it easy on yourself and do it about your favourite thing. it means you will know everything about it, can talk enthusiastically about it and will be happy to elaborate and answer questions on the topic. if that means it's about your dog or your favourite band, great! this is your chance to teach them something. make sure you show the best side of you whilst doing it - you can truly be you when you are talking about something you care about or have an emotional investment in. anyone can present a series of facts about a topic they don't know about. it will be boring. they will switch off and they will remember how they felt when you spoke. please, please, please do not try to be clever or pretentious with choice of subject - honestly, choose something you really enjoy. it will make a WORLD of difference in HOW you present the information.
Attitude
with every person you meet in that building, smile brightly and ask how they are. even more importantly, listen to their answer - elaborate the conversation if time and circumstance permit. if the receptionist seems bored or in a quiet spell, ask if they had a nice Christmas and new year. if they seem busy, thank them for their time and take a seat to wait for your interviewer.
smile like each person you see is a great friend you haven't seen for ages - you need to be pleased to see them. this includes the receptionist, the cleaner... everyone. you never know who your interviewer might ask about you after you've gone. when I interview, I will always ask the receptionist how the person was towards them because it gives a fair reflection of who you are when you don't think you are being watched.
thank people. don't be too shy to accept a compliment. never, ever try and put the compliment down - you are essentially insulting the person who gave you that compliment. you don;t need to explain and elaborate on what they said, just say "thank you very much, that's very kind of you to say". mean it. a lot of complimentary conversations go along like this:
P1: "you look well presented"
P2: "oh, really? I don't have many formal clothes, so put on what i could"
wrong!
do it like this:
P1: "you look well presented"
P2: "thank you very much. that's very kind of you to say"
Leave it there.
Don't forget, although you are there to be interviewed, you also need to know if YOU want to work for THEM, so you need to treat this like THEIR interview for your benefit. ask questions about anything you want to know about.
remember - you do not NEED to be there and you do not NEED to do anything that makes you uncomfortable. you can say no. in fact, if things are that bad, you fully retain the right to stop the interview politely and leave.
Use words and phrases they do. There are 4 streams of speech reference; auditory, visual, kinesthetic and gustatory. For example;
Auditory people will use words and phrases like ‘I like the sound of that’, ‘it’s a difficult thing to hear’, ‘listen..’ (when getting your attention before telling you something) and so on.
Visual people will use things like ‘I don’t like the look of this situation’, ‘look…’ (when getting your attention before telling you something) and so on.
Kinesthetic people; ‘this whole thing doesn’t feel right to me’, references to temperature when talking about situations or people, emotive references when talking about things that don’t require emotion and so on.
Gustatory; things that refer to tastes and smells.
Most people are a mix, but will tend to favour one of these more. Be aware of it and match it – to each individual! Match the person you are addressing.
Body Language
- Dry your hands if they are sweaty. No one likes a wet hand shake.
- Match the other persons hand shake, as said before. Do not overpower them, do not let them crush your hand.
- Keep your body language open. no crossing legs or arms. no feet locked behind chair legs under the table.
- palms up / open and if sat, then on the table top and apart if you are interviewed at a table. bringing the hands together across you / your torso creates a barrier.
- make good eye contact with everyone, especially those in the interview with you, but do not stare.
- address everyone by name.
- relax - being tense shows.
- take a moment before answering - when under stress, small moments can seem like ages - it's not.
- if you are offered a drink, accept it. but do NOT sit the drink in-between you and the interviewers. move it to one side of you and sip when you need a moment to think. it's a good pacer for you.
- no hand-to-face/neck gestures or moves, like scratching or rubbing.
- do not lean or position your feet towards the door - it implies you are ready to go.
- the interview may get interrupted, but this will only be for something urgent - offer privacy to your interviewer by asking if they would prefer you to leave the room whilst they discuss the business matter.
- don't twitch, fiddle, wriggle or bounce. nervousness can cause feet to bounce and fingers to fiddle in a repeat manner. be aware of yourself - they will be!
- fingertips touching each other (left had to right hand - not some weird and awkward contortion on one hand!!!) implies authority and confidence. do that.
- be open and expressive.
- mirror your interviewer SUBTLY. it is an art to get right. too much and/or too enthusiastically and it could be seen as mocking.
- Do not show signs of dominance. You want to show confidence, not dominance. Dominance displays are those which increase your size or draw attention to sexuality – hands clasped behind head, standing with feet wide apart, genital framing by letting hands hang from pockets by the thumbs, et cetera.
Most important of all, go there with the attitude that you are going to enjoy it – and do. believe in yourself because if you don't, they won't.
If I think of anything else, I’ll come back and let you know!!
HTH
