interview advice

[Unregistered]

hello,
i have a very important job interview tomorrow and it occured to me that NLP and rapport techniques would be perfectly suited to an interview, hopefully i can give them a great impression of myself even before i start to talk.

I was hoping someone could give me some simple tips that will give me the "edge" over other applicants using these techniques.

please help, thankyou

[Persuasion Skills]

hello,
i have a very important job interview tomorrow and it occured to me that NLP and rapport techniques would be perfectly suited to an interview, hopefully i can give them a great impression of myself even before i start to talk.

I was hoping someone could give me some simple tips that will give me the "edge" over other applicants using these techniques.

please help, thankyouHi I actually teach interview skills

Once you have secured the interview to your dream job, you should approach the interview as if it were an exam in which you are allowed to relax and talk.

Preparation for the interview works like revision for an exam. The more you know about the company and the industry, the more successful you will be in the interview itself.

Mental rehearsal is also very important. The world's top athletes use NLP to mentally rehearse a race before they run it, hundreds of times. A good applicant should do the same.

Before you go to sleep tonight imagine going to the interview, imagine yourself feeling relaxed and answering the interviews questions easily and comfortably.

See the interviewer smiling and relaxing and nodding encouragingly at your answers....

Your brain very rarely recognises the difference between fantasy and reality. So if you have already sat the interview ten times before you have even got there, your brain will be much more relaxed.

Obviously it is also very important to be well-presented and on time, being late for an interview is never an option. Make a point of finding out the name of the person who is interviewing you. There is nothing worse than walking into a company's head office and announcing that you are 'here for an interview' but not being able to respond when the ever-so-helpful receptionist asks you 'who is it with?'

Being early will relax you and it will give you a chance to peruse many of the in house and industy magazines that are in company reception areas.

You may find out about new contracts, recent award etc in these magazines and you can use these in an interview!

One of the biggest errors many applicants make is not to prepare answers to difficult questions, such as, what is your biggest strength and what is your biggest weakness? The pregnant pause as you try to come up with an answer can be the kiss of death in an interview.

An NLP strategy would be to take a weakness that is'nt too negative

EG:

"People used to say that i could be over enthusiatic"

(notice the word "used" this puts the weakness in the past)

"And in the last year I've learnt that whilst being enthusiastic is a good thing its also really important to analyse and plan before jumping in. in fact I would say this is probably my key strength now, i make sure I plan adequately and still encourage others with my enthusiasam"....

You must ask questions of the interviewer.

Tell me what your looking for in an ideal canditate?

How do you develop staff, is there a training programme?

Asking questions about the role and the company show that you have actually thought about the job and that you care .

More importantly it turns the interview from a one-way question and answer session to a conversation. Conversations are things that you have with friends. This will not only make the interview more enjoyable for the interviewer, it will also make it more enjoyable for you and provide a much more positive outcome.

During the interview, take time to consider whether you like the offices, do you like the interviewer, is he/she the same person that you will be working with, is it difficult to travel to the office, will you have to move, do you like the role, and what opportunities does it offer for further development? These things can make a difference when you are stuck in traffic on your way to work on a cold, wet, Monday morning.

It's important to remember in an interview situation that they are not just choosing you, you are also choosing them.

Hope that Helps

Marc
www.persuasion-skills.co.uk (http://www.persuasion-skills.co.uk/)

[Don]

As a person who used to train people in doing interviews, I would just like to add a couple of things to what Marc said.

Turn the conversation back to the job. When a person asks about your personal life and interests, they really don't care if you collect comic books, are a thrasher, raise roses, or like science fiction. Rather, they're looking to see if your interests coincide with the needs of the company without exceeding the needs of the position you're applying for.

For example, let's say that you're applying for a position of computer programmer. If you say that in your spare time you like to create little programs and simple games to entertain yourself and your friends or children, that's good. It shows your interest in programming goes beyond it being "just a job." But if you say, "I'm in the middle of programming a massively multi-player game that will revolutionize the industry," they may think that you'll disappear after you complete your game and sell it.

Think in terms of how hiring you will make money for the company. For example, if you're asked, "What do you consider a high point in your previous job?' you might answer, "I headed a committee on product development procedures." How nice. So?

Now, if you were instead to answer, "I headed a committed on product development procedures that decreased the time to market, eliminated the need for two part-time positions, decreased costs by $400,000.00 per year and helped us turn out three new products, rather than the usual two, earning an additional $1.5 million," they're going to sit up and take notice!

I hope this helps. Let us know what happens.

[Unregistered]

thank you for your help. I used some of the techniques you suggested and i think i came across pretty well considering the interview lasted 2 hours!! so something most have kept them interested

cheers

[Unregistered]

must have kept them interested*