19 Psychological Tricks To Succeed In A Job Interview

1. Schedule your job interview around 10:30 a.m.

According to Glassdoor, the “best” time to set up a job interview is when it’s best for the interviewer — not when it’s best for you.

Therefore, if the hiring manager shows some flexibility in choosing the time of the job interview, try to go around 10:30 a.m if possible. Why 10:30? Because this is the time when, in terms of the psychology of work, your interviewer seems to be relatively relaxed and cheerful. In general, you should avoid first thing in the morning meetings because your interviewer may still be caught up in the day’s work.

You also don’t want it to be the last meeting of the day, because your interviewer might be thinking about things they need to do at home. Therefore, around 10 to 11, which is not yet lunch time, seems to be a better time. On the other hand, the first day of work is always full of tension and bustle. Weekend days are also spent with stress, confusion, excitement and sometimes distraction.

2. Match the colour of your clothes with the image you want to present.

A survey of hiring and HR managers conducted by CareerBuilder found that different colours of clothing evoke different effects.

Twenty-three percent of the interviewees said that blue indicates that the candidate has the ability to play a role and work in a team, while 15% said that black indicates leadership ability.

Meanwhile, 25% said orange was the worst colour to wear, suggesting the volunteer was unprofessional.

Here you can see what the other colours represent:

Grey: logical/analytical

White: Regular

Brown: Reliable

Red: Power

Green, yellow, orange, or purple: creative

3. Make eye contact when you first meet your interviewer.

Don’t be shy – look your interviewer in the eye when they come to say hello. In one study, researchers asked participants to watch videos of strangers talking to each other for the first time and then rate how intelligent each person seemed. The results showed that people who constantly made eye contact were considered more intelligent when speaking than those who did not make eye contact. So don’t forget to make eye contact in your agenda to succeed in the job interview.

4. Choose your answers according to the age of the interviewer.

You can learn a lot (but not everything) about the interviewer and what they want to hear based on their generational age.

Dr John B. Molidore and Barbara Paros write in their book “Combat Interview” that you should behave slightly differently based on the generation of the interviewer. Its details are as follows:

Generation Y interviewers (between 20 and 30): Bring documented and visitable examples of your work to emphasize multitasking.

Gen X interviewers (between 30 and 50): Emphasize your creativity and mention how work-life balance helps you succeed.

Interviewers of the Jang generation (between 50 and 70): Show that you are hardworking and respect what they have achieved over the years.

Interviewers of the Silent Generation (between 70 and 90): Mention your loyalty and commitment to previous jobs.

5. Your palms should be open and clear or put them in a dome position.

According to Molidore and Paros, hand gestures or body language help you to be effective in a job interview and experience success in a job interview.

In general, showing your palms shows sincerity while placing the fingertips of both hands on top of each other to form a dome shows confidence.

On the other hand, you don’t want to have your palms facing down, because it’s a sign of dominance. Also, avoid hiding your hands, because it will look like you have something to hide.

finger tapping, which indicates restlessness; Hand to the chest, which is a sign of disappointment; And excessive use of hand gestures can be annoying and disturbing. Play your hands to succeed in the job interview.

6. Find something in common with your interviewer.

According to the “Similarity Attraction Hypothesis”, we tend to like people who share similar views with us.

So if you know your interviewer really values ​​community service and you do too, try to bring that into your conversation.

7. Mimic the body language of the interviewer and be his mirror.

The “chameleon effect” is a psychological phenomenon that explains how people tend to like each other more when they display similar body language.

Body language expert Patti Wood says the ideal is to make it look like you’re “dancing” with the other person.

Otherwise, it might seem like you’re not interested in what he’s saying, that you’re not a team player, or that you’re even lying.

So if your interviewer leans forward in their chair and rests their hands on the table, get comfortable and do the same. He probably won’t notice that you are imitating him. Undoubtedly, imitating body language is an important factor for success in a job interview.

8. Compliment the interviewer and his organization without defining yourself.

In a study reported on Cyblog, researchers found that students who flattered their interviewers were more likely to receive a job offer. It is probably because those students seemed more suitable for a company.

Students who indulged themselves especially praised the organization and showed their enthusiasm to work there and complimented the interviewer. They did not emphasize the value of the positive events they were responsible for or take responsibility for the positive events even though they were not solely responsible for them. To succeed in the job interview, compliment and praise as much as you can reasonably.

9. Show your confidence and humility at the same time.

Business management professors who wrote the book “Friend and Enemy” say that success in business is often a matter of competition and cooperation.

In a job interview, one way to show humility and confidence to your interviewer is to say something like: “I love (take the name of the job). Because it reminds me to focus on my (name the job).”

This, while being respectful and showing interest in what your interviewer is proposing, ensures that you have the initiative to direct the conversation.

10. Emphasize how you took control of your previous jobs.

Another study reported on Cyblog says that in order to impress your interviewer, you should talk about taking initiative in your past work experiences.

In this study, a group of retailers were told hypothetical scenarios (for example, a customer walks into a store on the eve of a holiday and doesn’t know what to take with him, so you talk to him about different products, and the customer buys sunscreen and sunglasses.) and They were asked to indicate how much they felt responsible for that positive outcome.

Employees who implied they were responsible for purchasing generally received higher performance ratings from their managers.

The same idea probably applies to job interviewers. If you can show how you contributed to a positive achievement at your company, your interviewer is likely to be more impressed than if you act like you had a small part in it. (But be careful not to overstate your role in the results)

11. Be honest about your weaknesses.

In response to the question: What is your biggest weakness? Your initial instinct may be to craft a strategic response that actually emphasizes your strengths. For example, you might say, “I’m a perfectionist” or “I work too hard.”

But new research says that “humble ranting” or self-praise hidden in a complaint can be a discouraging factor in interviews. It’s smart to say something matter-of-fact like, “I’m not the best at discipline,” which sounds more honest and can make your interviewer more inclined to offer you a job.

12. Prepare yourself to feel empowered.

A growing body of research says you can easily make yourself feel and appear powerful in business situations.

In one study, it was found that participants who wrote about a time when they exerted power over others were more likely to have influence over the group in a group task—and that influence lasted even two days later.

In another study by Harvard Business School professor Amy Cuddy, some students practiced two high-power gestures (wide and open) for one minute each before talking about their dream job, while others practiced low-power gestures (collect and package) were used. The results showed that the students of the high-powered group were ranked with higher self-confidence scores and were more likely to be offered hypothetical jobs.

It’s obviously not a good idea to strike a power pose during an interview, but you can certainly do it before entering the building or conference room. For example, you can stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands above your head.

13. speak clearly

If you want to sound smart, avoid speaking in a monotone.

According to Leonard Moldinoff, author of “The Subconscious: How the Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior,” “If two speakers say the exact same words, but one speaks a little faster and louder, with fewer pauses and more vocal variation, that speaker is more energetic, more aware.”, and will be judged smarter. Eloquent delivery with variations in tone and volume, and a minimal amount of noticeable pauses, enhances credibility and heightens the impact of intelligence. ”

Geoffrey James of Everat suggests: speed up and down according to the importance of what you say. If you are summarizing or reviewing history, speak faster than when you are providing new information. When introducing an important concept, slow down to give listeners time to digest it.

14. Be friendly and firm at the same time.

An interesting study explored the reasons why applicants who appear anxious are less likely to get a job.

Turns out, at least in mock interviews, nervous tics aren’t the same as shaking that hurt your chances of getting a job. Rather, it’s because being anxious makes you seem less warm and assertive, and makes you speak more slowly.

Deborah M. Powell, one of the authors of the study, told Forbes: “If you’re not naturally extroverted, you need to make sure you’re offering your skills, don’t be afraid to contribute to a project.”

Powell told Forbes that speaking slowly hurts candidates’ chances because interviewers may think candidates are struggling to answer their questions.

15. Show your potential.

You might be tempted to tell your interviewer about your past accomplishments—but research shows you should talk more about what you can do in the future if hired by the organization.

In one study, participants received information about a hypothetical job applicant. Some participants were told the applicant had two years of experience and scored high on a leadership achievement test; Others were told that the candidate had no experience and scored high on a leadership aptitude test.

The results showed that when the participants realized that the volunteer had a high capacity, they thought he would be more successful.

According to social psychologist Heidi Halverson, our brain pays more attention to uncertain information because it wants to decipher it. That means, in the end, we spend more time analyzing that information, and if the information is positive, we have a more favourable attitude toward a person’s merit.

16. be enthusiastic

As Jonathan Goulding and Ann Lippert point out in Psychology Today, a number of studies have found that candidates who show energy and excitement are generally more likely to get a job.

They write: “Specifically, candidates with higher interest and energy level and tone variety and range were more likely to be called for a second interview than those with lower interest and energy level and tone variety and range.”

17. Do not underestimate the short conversation before the interview

Recent research shows that a seemingly useless chat before the actual start of the interview – which psychologists call “understanding” – can affect the impression the interviewer gets from you and lead to success in the job interview for you.

In one study, candidates who were good at making small talk in mock interviews scored higher on job-related questions than candidates who were less skilled at small talk, meaning the interviewers’ initial impression overshadowed their overall impression.

18. If you are destined, do not do your job interview on the same day with the strongest candidates.

Research shows that interviewers base their evaluation of each candidate on who they interviewed that day.

One study found that job applicants who interviewed at the end of a day’s work after a number of strong candidates were ranked lower than expected. On the other hand, those who had a job interview after a number of weak candidates were ranked higher than expected.

It is unclear whether this is an unconscious phenomenon, or whether interviewers unconsciously rank the last candidates lower or higher than they should because they don’t want their supervisors to think they are rating everyone the same.

Either way, if you know what other people are interviewing and at what time, you can arrange to succeed in the job interview after the relatively unqualified candidates come in. Never compete with the stronger on the same day to succeed in a job interview.

19. Ask the interviewer why he invited you to the interview

“Why have you invited me for an interview today?” It may seem like a very strange question. But according to psychologist Robert Cadini, asking is effective. In particular, it draws the interviewer’s attention to your strengths and the reasons they like you.

Caldini told Business Insider, “You’re focusing those evaluators’ attention on the positive attributes, the most powerful element you’re looking for.” With this in mind, they will now have the mindset to see you in a positive light. ”