How to Develop Verbal Interview Skills that Win the Job

How to Develop Verbal Interview Skills that Win the JobSay there are three candidates coming in to bewerbungsinterview for an open position. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) Candidate 1 has a great resume, lots of experience. But she starts out nervous, fidgets, and tells rambling stories that get far away from the original question. About halfway through, she gets rather quiet (despair at the fizzling interview or just not knowing enough about the topics at hand?). She uses phrases like I guess Im looking to leverage my experience, and the word uh pops up a lot.Candidate 2 has a solid resume, maybe a little light on experience. He starts out a little nervous, but makes it a point to tell specific, targeted stories about his experience, and uses a lot of good words high-performing, solving problems, uniquely suited.Candidate 3 has an admittedly weak resume with little experience, but comes in with a bang. Strong handshake, eye contact tha t would make a bear stand down, and a slick, rehearsed answer for every question. In fact, its so rehearsed you cant even tell whats real from what might be fudged. She uses words like phenomenal and no weaknesses. Youd probably buy a used car from her, but is she right for this job?So which one takes it? It could very well be 2, even without a perfect resumebecause candidate 2 gives good interview. From this brief outline, its clear that candidate 1 squanders her good resume (which likely got her in the door) with a weak verbal performance in the interview. Its possible the strength of her resume could get her another crack via a second interview, but you cant count on a second chance. Candidate 3 comes off as too much. Too slick, too glib, too many bells and whistles that could be covering up serious deficiencies. Candidate 2 comes in just right, Goldilocks-style. Even if his resume may not have been as accomplished as 1s, he uses his verbal skills to sell himself (without oversel ling like 3).Bottom line yur words matter, as does how you present them. You can spend all the time in the world fine-tuning your resume so that you look amazing on paper, but if you cant back that up when it comes time to meet the hiring manager and perform, then you might well have talked your way out of a job you could have had. Its so important to make sure that your interview persona includes strong, appropriate language, and that youre expressing things clearly and professionally.Lets walk through some of the most important talking points of an interview, and how to approach them.Be Honestor At Least SEEM HonestEveryone has tells when theyre lying. Maybe you get an ever-so-subtle tic at the ecksto of your eyelid. Maybe you suddenly feel the need to fiddle with your watch. Whatever it is, if youre less than truthful in a job interview, theres a good chance that youve also tipped off your interviewer. A lot of tics and nervous reactions can be passed off as nerves, but once ther es a whiff of dishonesty, thats very hard to shake in an interview. Before the interview, try to get a handle on your verbal mannerisms, and practice giving interview-style answers without them.Part of this is making sure you appear genuine. If you agree with everything the interviewer says, or gloss over specifics with phrases like I totally got this, it comes off as gliband maybe covering for other issues.If you claim expertise in something, be prepared to back it up with specifics. And if youre going to exaggerate, make sure its in something that isnt going to be apparent right away.If you put on your resume that youre fluent in German, be prepared to make small talk with someone who just happened to spend a semester in Berlin.If you have something on your resume that youre really trying to get around (read a firing or performance issue), try not to outright lie about it. Even if you successfully sell a lie to the interviewer, you risk being tripped up numerous other ways, like a hintergrund check or the interviewer just happening to know someone at your old company. If youre asked directly about something unpleasant, dont come up with excusesthose always sound hollow. Explain that things didnt work out, and what you learned from the experience.Dishonesty or general dodginess will almost always be a dealbreaker, so its important to do everything you can to come across as an honest, forthright candidate whos just right for this role.Like, Yknow, MannerismsThe biggest problem with verbal tics and mannerisms (like, yknow, uh, umm) is that we dont always realize were doing it. So how to fix it? Practicing your repertoire of interview stories helps, as does slowing your speech down a bit.Knowing your conversational mannerisms helps too. Sit down with a trusted friend, and ask about whether theyve noticed any of these verbal issues. Or give your interview spiel, and ask for feedback. Once you know, you can work on addressing them. In an interview, these can come across as you being nervous or you not feeling comfortable with what youre saying, so you want to do everything you can to limit those unintentional habits.This applies to other bad habits, too, like apologizing for everything. Or using words like totally that express very little. via Rymax Inc.Taboo TopicsSome topics are just not appropriate for a job interview, and likely never will be. These are the conversational areas you should definitely avoidControversial TopicsReligion and politics are a no-go. Think Drumpf is going to Make Donald Drumpf Again? Enjoy shouting from the rooftops, Im with her while wearing your best Hillary t-shirt? Doesnt matter. Your party affiliation, and your political opinions stay checked at the door (or in your private Twitter feed). Plus, you dont want to pull the interviewer into a legal danger zone by discussing religion or other topics that theyre legally not allowed to ask you about.Personal LifeYou may well be going through a rough time, but telli ng the interviewer about your concerns about Fluffy McWhiskertons digestive issues is not only inappropriate, its a waste of the interviewers time. He or she is there to evaluate you as a befhigung employee, not as a concerned cat parent. If you see a picture of a cat on the interviewers desk, feel free to make a brief small talk comment about how you have your own furball at home, but then shift right back into go-get-em interview mode.Similarly, you wont get any pity points by sharing your personal woes during the interview. In addition to being distracting, it can raise red flags about whether youre equipped to give all of your attention to the (potential) job at hand.Complaints about Your Last JobIf you left your belastung job under less-than-great circumstances, or are interviewing at this new place because you just cant stand to be in your current job anymore, none of that matters when you show up for the interview. Its a fine line, because youll definitely be asked about your current or last job. You dont have to sugarcoat anything, but dont fall into the trap of complaining. Its best to leave things a diplomatic and a little vague whenever possible, especially if you feel a rant coming on. And its best practice to never personally criticize someone, whether its a boss or a colleague. Remember the interviewer is also evaluating you as a potential colleagueyou dont want to seem like a whiner, or worse, a behind-the-back-complainer.Questions Not to AskYouve heard the advice of always go into an interview prepared with questions to ask, right? Thats always going to be valid, but not all questions are created equally.Are you going to do a background check?You may or may not have shifty eyes while youre saying this, but its always going to sound shady. If youre asking about a background check, its probably because youre concerned about a background check. And if youre concerned about a background check, thats a red flag. Even if its an idle question about th e interview process, it will still raise an eyebrow. Its better not to ask.Do you monitor internet usage?This one basically tells the interviewer that youre looking for a cushy place to mess around, with an accessible water cooler. Sure, we all stray from our duties and find our way to Facebook during the day sometimes. But asking about it up front suggests that its your priority, when your priority should be the job opportunity right in front of you.What does this job pay?He who brings up money first, loses. (Its an old proverb. Probably. If not, it should be.) Being the first to bring up salary makes it a lose-lose for you. Either you get a number that could have been higher later, after negotiation, or the interviewer thinks youre too mercenary and not concentrating on how well you could do the job. Neither one is going to endear you to the interviewer. Save the money questions for the next step, when ideally youll be negotiating your new job offer like a pro.What are the grounds for termination here?Again, if you have to ask, youre concerned about it. Think of the interview as the beginningwhy would you want to talk about the end? You dont want to raise even the smallest concern that you would be a fire-able employee.How you present yourself is such a major part of the interview process. The hiring manager already knows you look good on paperhence the invitation to come in. Its the same reason you dress your best and practice your handshake. Why not make sure youre choosing and using your words and content to your best advantage? It can make you the just right candidate and get you to that next step the job offer.