Communication Skills in any kind of Interview forms plays an important part of the interview process.
Clear communication is an essential component in a healthy and productive work environment. Employees with good communication skills will improve not only their organization contributions but also their overall job satisfaction.
Additional advantages of interviewers looks for communication skills before hiring any employee include that they can :
- Know the candidate’s abilities to make decisions & communicate those decisions to others
- Determine if a candidate will be able to effectively handle unsatisfied clients in an empathetic manner
- See if a potential employee will be able to represent your product & positively spread awareness of your product
- Determine if someone will be able to work very well within a team
Below are top 10 Communication Tips for Job Interviews to impress employer :
- Listen
- Avoid interrupting the interviewer
- Expressions and Eye Contact
- Address the interviewer by name
- Do not Talk Too Much
- Use Appropriate Language
- Body Language
- Ask Them Questions
- Avoid bad speech habits in your interview
- The Importance of Saying “Thank You” After an Interview
- Listen
Always listen properly to the interviewer because from the very initial stage of the interview he/she is giving you the information, either indirectly or directly. If you are not listening it, you are missing important information. Good communication includes hearing and letting the person know you heard what was said. Observe your interviewer and try to match the expectation.
2. Avoid interrupting the interviewer
One of the most important communication advice for job interviews is to avoid interrupting in between when talking with the interviewer. Make sure they have completed speaking before you respond. You can do this by allowing interviewer a pause before you start speaking.
Takes a little gap to think about a question rather than rushing to answer also helps you to organize your thoughts and prevents verbal fillers like “you know” & “hmm”.
These types of comments always come across as very unprofessional. By taking a time to think before you answer you appear polite , calm and confident.
3. Expressions and Eye Contact
When communicating, your eyes act as an indicator of how you are feeling. During the interview, your eyes help convey important messages like your confidence, interest level and intent.
By looking down at your shoes or something else in the interview room, you will come across as nervous and apprehensive. Ensure to maintain regular eye contact, so the interviewer knows you are engaged in the conversation. It will send the message that you are prepared to answer their questions.
If interviewer ask about something you are particularly passionate about, let it show on your expression. Professional does not mean robotic and most employers want to hire passionate candidate.
Smiling can also do magic in this instance. By keeping a friendly and warm expression on your face, your interviewer will be more at ease in your organization, which will go in your favor when try to build a rapport and show appreciation or acknowledgement.
4. Address the interviewer by name
Ensure you pronounce all the names correctly. Ask the receptionist beforehand if you are not sure of how to pronounce any names.
It is suggested to address the interviewers formally. Avoid abbreviating the name unless it is asked for. For example if his name is Rajkaran. do not call him Raj!
5. Do not Talk Too Much
A usual mistake candidates make is talking too much.
Always Listen first to the question being asked, Be sure you are clear as to what is requested and respond accordingly with the information.
Explaining the interviewer more than he needs to know is not required. Before the interview, please prepare yourself by matching your skills with the required position, reading the job posting, and relating only to those information.
Do not guess and make any false assumptions, this usually results in an inappropriate response.
No need to fill silences by unnecessary rambling. Silences naturally occur as the interviewer gathers their thoughts or formulates the upcoming questions, it is important to be comfortable with short silences.
6. Use Appropriate Language
Always use professional language in the interview. Do not use any slang words or references to age, politics or religion statement.
Avoid over-communicating and Respond appropriately in a conversational tone.
Have some of polite conversational type remarks ready for this small talk phase, for example’; comment positively on the surroundings or building.
You can prepare these things while you await for the interviewer in the lobby.
7. Body Language
Your body language is tells many things about you. Interviewer can say, if you are confident or nervous or poised.
A body should be upright and still but not rigid.
Look directly at person speaking with you.
Creates eye contact with all the members of the interview board you speaking to.
8. Ask Them Questions
One of the major missed opportunities in interviews is not asking the interviewer any queries when prompted. When this comes at the end of the interview, be open with few questions you have prepared beforehand.
Asking queries gives you the opportunities to ascertain the organization culture, management style and how things work in more depth. You are not being difficult by asking about their processes and people. Rather, you are showing your interest and finding out if the organization is the right fit, as well as the other way around.
You may even picked up on things during the interview that you would like to clarify, which goes to show you have been paying attention throughout & have found value in what is been discussed.
9. Avoid bad speech habits in your interview
Avoid meaningless fillers like “hmm”, “You know what” and “like”
Using sloppy words like “Kindaa” and “Sort off” make you seem not professional
Highly charged, negative words like “hate” shown an impression of poor emotional maturity
Using words like “perhaps”, “might be” and “hope fully” can be seem as a lack of confidence
Slang words like “nope”, “freeking” and “lit” have no place for job interview.
10. The Importance of Saying “Thank You” After Interview
Do not forget to say ‘Thank you’, even if the interview has gone not so good. Some experts even suggest sending a short thank you email to every interviewer same day or a day after the interview.