The Secret of Interview Magic : Hone Your Interactive Skills

You don't have to be a Houdini or a David Copperfield to create interview magic. Sharp listening, observation, and communication skills will work a lot of magic for you. If you don't have them now, don't despair—you can cultivate them!

Did you know that you can listen much faster than most people talk? That’s a bad-news/good-news situation when you’re in an interview. The bad news is that your attention might begin to wander if you’re not fully engaged in what the speaker is saying, or you might start planning what you’re going to say as soon as the other person stops talking. If that happens, you could miss an important piece of information or, which could be worse, show the speaker clearly that you’re not focused on him or her.

The good news is that if you develop the habit of listening, consciously and actively, to what’s being said, you can file-away the key points in your memory and respond appropriately to them when it’s your turn to speak— without losing concentration and becoming unfocused. That’s a key skill to acquire with regard to interviews. What the interviewer says—and how it’s said—should provide hints that enable you to select and customize the information you choose to share about your skills, accomplishments and potential value to the organization.

Along with active listening goes observation. How much attention are you paying to non-verbal clues about the organization and the job you’re applying for? This question relates not only to the duration of the interview itself but also to every aspect of the process—before and after the interview.

Hints on What to “Watch” For:

•  During the telephone pre-screening, do you sense any pressure or abruptness from the caller? Any non-responsiveness to your questions?

•  How early or late do the company’s current employees arrive or stay? (You’ll have some idea about this if you pay a visit to the facility at the beginning or end of the normal workday.)

•  Is the company atmosphere open and friendly? If not, how does it strike you?

•  Are you kept waiting well past your appointment time? With or without an explanation or apology?

•  Do you pick up on any indications that the company might be experiencing difficulties?

•  When you ask probing questions, do you receive frank answers? (For example, “Why is this position open? What happened to the person who held this job before? What challenges is the company facing in the near future?” etc.)

•  If you follow up appropriately after the interview, do you receive a prompt, courteous response?

•  Have you checked out the company with impartial outside parties who might know something about it? What feedback did you get?

•  Does what you’ve been seeing/hearing about the company and/or the job give you the feeling that you and it would make a good fit? If not, why not?

So now that you’ve honed your listening and observation skills, does the interview magic happen automatically? Not quite. You still need to know your “product” (yourself) and find ways to articulate to the interviewer that you are genuinely enthusiastic about the company/job and underscore why you believe strongly that you can contribute value to the organization. Be prepared to offer specific, relevant examples from your experience (selected based on what you’ve learned by listening and observing), because “showing” carries more impact than “telling.”

Finally, send or drop off a thank-you/follow-up letter ( not an email, unless an actual handwritten or typed note is impossible for some very good reason). Send one to each person you interviewed with. Don’t make the letter sound like just a pre-recorded speech. By all means thank the interviewer— sincerely —for his or her time, but you need to do much more than that. Mention at least one thing you particularly appreciated or found interesting about your interview with that individual. If possible, add a point or two to emphasize the value you are confident you can bring to the organization and your main reasons for wanting to become a contributing member of their team.

Not enough people send these letters, so if—no, when —you do, you will leave a strong impression with the interviewer, and that plays a key role in making your interview magic happen.