How to Charm at Job Interviews

Do you want to ace interviews and get the job of your dreams? Then you need to study and master the art and science of making a good impression at a job interview.

There is nothing as powerful at a job interview as making a good impression. It is the single most important factor in making a recruiter or employer decide if you pass the interview or not. Your professional competencies often come second.

In my experience as a communication coach, most people have a hard time making a good impression at any interview. They get nervous, they don’t know what the interviewer expects of them, they lack the practice of selling themselves and thus, they ruin their opportunities.

Fortunately, there are simple tips and techniques that you can start applying immediately in order to charm and make a good impression at a job interview. I am going to share some of the key techniques in the following paragraphs.

1. Dress for Success

If you want to get the job, you need to look the part. An interviewer will judge your professionalism not only based on the data in your resume, but also on visual cues such as the way you are dressed. This is particularly true in creating the first impression.

So, in order to put your best foot forward, you want to dress for success: wear a good looking and well fitting suit. Harmonize the pieces of your outfit among themselves and also with your physiognomy. Look like a successful professional.

2. Relax Your Body

One of the best attitudes you can communicate non-verbally is confidence and comfort in that situation. Even if you don’t feel that way, you can end up feeling more so by consciously relaxing your body.

Before you enter in the building where the firm is, do a simple breathing exercise, or stretch your muscles a bit. This will help you loosen up and relax. Continue to focus on breathing regularly during the interview, to stay as calm as you can.

3. Act Casually

People connect best with other people. You don’t want to seem like a robot during a job interview. You want to be casual in your behavior. It’s the best way to make yourself likeable and create the feeling you’re someone that’s fun to have around and work with.

There are small but powerful things you can do to communicate a casual attitude: smile, make a joke once in a while, use simple and casual language, talk about your personal life in addition, and be willing to show some vulnerability.

4. Demonstrate Results

Out of your entire experience, your results are what matters the most. If you want to impress with your work, focus on the results you’ve created. Many people make the mistake of going into every detail of their professional life during a job interview.

Here’s the thing: an interviewer doesn’t want or need to know all those details. He or she wants to know that you’re a competent and reliable professional. Your results are truly the only real part of your experience that proves this. Focus on them and you’ll see your interview success drastically improve.

Passing a job interview with success happens through demonstrating you are a competent professional and a cool person to work with. It is these two factors that you want to concentrate on when seeking to charm and make a good impression and you’ll find that getting a job can be easy.