That’s the essential part of an interview, right? If you get an interview obviously your skills and experience are quailifed.
I’m usually very uptight during interviews and not great making small talks.
Just wondering what other people think about how to nail interviews…
Smile, be positive, sell yourself as someone who can take care of the need they have.
Some things that work for me:
Most people are bored in their jobs, they want to be entertained. I don’t mean be a clown. If you are credible and know what you are talking about, that goes a long way. If you can crack a decent joke once in a while during a serious meeting, you are money. I can make almost anyone laugh in a finance meeting. It doesn’t matter who they are, how old, how rich, etc. If I don’t get at least one laugh in a meeting it was a bad meeting. I have fun in almost every meeting and people react well to that.
Know what you are talking about. I mean really know it. There is so much bullshit in the world and even more bullshit in finance. Rich / successful people hear bullshit all the time. Keep it real, smart people will know immediately if you are lying.
Be smart. You can sense the intelligence level and perceptive abilities of other people in the room. If you are smart, smart people will tend to like you. This is similar to #1 but from a different angle. I have a hard time connecting with people that I perceive as dumb – not from an arrogance stand point, it just feels like its harder to establish a connection with people that are not “with it”. This goes both ways, so if you bring a spark to the room other people will notice and react positively to that. If they don’t, you probably don’t want to spend time with them anyway.
Have awesome pitch materials. I spent a lot of time on mine and they are received very well. Less is more. Think classic design with killer content and a good color scheme.
This may or may not be relevant to your standard entry level interview but this is stuff that works for me and I’ve pitched some of the biggest names on the Street (and even closed a few).
I was going to say GHB but this looks like much better advice.
@Igor: extremely well known. If you hadn’t posted that, I would have.
Thank you very much for sharing.
As for #4, do you think it is worth having your resume and cover letter professionally done? I can see it might work for fresh graduates, but not sure if it’s worth for seasoned professionals.
If you don’t mind, can you also shed some light on “Less is more. Think classic design with killer content and a good color scheme”?
The reality is not everyone has great sense of humor like you who knows how to tell good jokes…Of couse people who make others laugh are always pleasant and welcome.
Basically you are who you are and you attract people who have similar personalities. Interview is sort of like dating.
Thank you very much for sharing.
As for #4, do you think it is worth having your resume and cover letter professionally done? I can see it might work for fresh graduates, but not sure if it’s worth for seasoned professionals.
If you don’t mind, can you also shed some light on “Less is more. Think classic design with killer content and a good color scheme”?
The reality is not everyone has great sense of humor like you who knows how to tell good jokes…Of couse people who make others laugh are always pleasent and welcome.
Basically you are who you are and you attract people who have similar personalities. Interview is sort of like dating.
I will check it out…Thank you!
Do you pick your nose on the first date? Of course not. (Well, I hope not.) Context matters.
Being uptight and uninterested in small talk is fine in general, but you do need to curb that due to context. The interviewers don’t know you and can’t ask deep probing questions, but they have to judge your attitude. So even if you are not a scintillating conversationalist, just be (or appear) relaxed and open even if you are nervous. It’s a job, not life-and-death. They need someone to fulfil the position and provided you can give them #2, #3 and #4 from Bromion’s list, you are that someone. For small talk, imagine you are stuck with some strangers for the next half hour or whatever, like on a flight. Don’t display any weird prejudices and you should be fine.
Before the interview, there are physical things you can do to relax - avoid coffee or stimulants, take deep breaths using your diaphragm, not upper lungs; etc. Smile.
Great question, I too am not a small talker. Personally I do SINCERITY and nothing else. No fake smile, no talk about sports. Just directness “this is who I am, so now you know”. I would guess making yourself known makes the decision easier for the employer; they either like/want what you are and buy with confience, or don’t want what you are and no job. Personally I find it annoying to interview a bunch of fake small-talker people who are clearly trying to BS me, how do I know what they will actually do once hired? Buying and LATER finding out what you purchased is annoying.
Bromion’s advice is rock soild!
Very true. I actually have a geeky theory about that – that people can’t truly communicate with other people when they are 2+ IQ std deviations appart. Communication just goes nowhere, and can only result in frustration for both parties. As Bromion says, sensing who is in the room is incredibly important. It amazes me when people say things which are clearly wrong for the audience. Personally I can’t work with dumb people. But going the other way, I’ve worked with certified geniuses, and they find it frustrating talking to smart people. They prefer the company of other geniuses. I guess this goes back to knowing who you are, and finding people like yourself. Which requires sensing who is in the room (intuition).
don’t act like the guys on this forum
LOL
if youre asking this question, you probably dont have what it takes broski. Now thats real talk.
smart, eager to learn, and willing to STFU
Yeah the best thing you can do if you are an entry level guy is sit down, stfu, and figure out how to add value.
Why would you assume this is a question from an entry level guy?
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I wasn’t assuming you are entry level. itera’s comment said “eager to learn” which I assume means entry level.