In the third of our series of articles on influencing at job interviews we look at what you should be aware of at the interview itself.

As we have outlined in an earlier article, there are three essential impressions to convey during the actual interview:

• that you are capable of doing the job
• that you will fit in
• that you truly desire the job and will be an asset to the team and company

So it is important to be mindful of these points throughout the interview and to recognise that your goal is to effectively persuade the interviewer that you can meet all three. In a number of studies, successful interviewees were found to be more likely to demonstrate certain behaviours:

1. Be Assertive
An assertive style will be more effective than a passive one. Being assertive might include asking the interviewer questions, clarifying a question, arguing a point and taking the initiative in raising topics for discussion.

2. Use Positive Language
Successful interviewees were found to be more likely to demonstrate certain behaviours. For example, they make use of positive and concrete language, give support or evidence for the claims they make, and are able to identify with prospective employers.

3. Avoid Long Pauses
Avoiding long delays in responding to questions and general hesitation was considered helpful for interview success.

4. Be Dominant!
Interviewers liked candidates who revealed a degree of dominance at certain points in the interview (e.g. when the interviewer did not allow the candidate enough time to complete their response). Beware though of displaying arrogant or aggressive behaviour.

​What are your experiences of using influencing skills at interviews? What has or hasn't worked for you? Share your stories with us - we'd love to hear from you.

If you’ve been following the advice on our career transition programmes, your efforts at developing a good CV and applying for appropriate roles will result in invitations to job interviews. [If you are struggling to get interviews there is a problem at one of these earlier stages].

Most of us experience a degree of nervousness around interviews and when the job in question is one you are really keen to get, this can become more intense. So, assuming you are following good interview preparation practice (as outlined in our career transition programmes and in other articles here) what else can you be aware of that might help you land that job offer?

Over the last ten years or so, a number of studies have looked at the interview process and have identified a number of non-verbal and verbal ‘influencers’. Here we are looking at some key non-verbal influencers.

Interviewers have been found to believe that candidates’ personalities can be deduced from the non-verbal cues they give. In the interview situation, it is said that non-verbal behaviours can account for more than 80% of an applicant’s rating. Many of these sound rather obvious but you might be surprised by how many people trip themselves up over some of these at interview. Job interviewers pay attention to:

1. Appearance – dress and neatness are important, with interviewers consistently linking a candidate’s image and capability to his/her appearance. Additionally good grooming and appropriate dress was felt to show respect for the company and the role itself.
2. Posture – Leaning forward (with your bottom lodged in the back of the chair) was seen to indicate enthusiasm and a sincere interest in the job. Interviewers liked candidates who shifted posture when there was a change in topic or when the conversation touched a high point. They did not like quiet, motionless people and they interpreted these people as “holding things back”. Changing posture or leg position from time to time was seen to indicate alertness, confidence, respect and energy. Most interviewers wanted an assertive candidate.
3. Rapport – this was consistently found to be the most important factor. Rapport describes the relationship of two or more people who are on the same wavelength as each other (or in synchrony with each other). People in close rapport may share posture shifts, smile at each other, and even match leg positions. This is supported by eye contact. Making appropriate eye contact was felt to indicate a candidate’s honesty, confidence, self-pride and determination.

​To learn more about career coaching or career programmes, or to make a free initial one-hour consultation, contact us.

If you’ve been following the advice on our career transition programmes, your efforts at assessing your strengths, skills and preferences, identifying the right job market for you, and developing a great CV will mean you are ready to make successful job applications. [If you are struggling with these earlier areas it will impact your success at the later stages and career coaching may be helpful].

Over the last ten years or so, a number of studies have looked at job interviews and identified a number of things candidates can do to maximise their chances of success. This is the first in a series of articles in which we will look at each in turn. Here we are looking at how to favourably influence the chances of getting an interview.

People like people like themselves
Until such time as selection is carried out without human involvement, and despite the best efforts of many interviewers, the selection process is subjective (and in some cases highly so). It is therefore susceptible to being influenced by the well-informed candidate. Here are some important things to bear in mind:

1. Organisational Fit
This is very important. ‘Fit’ concerns issues such as an applicant’s attitude, personality, values and appearance. For many organisations (e.g. John Lewis) the selection focus has moved away from just matching applicant’s skills to a particular job and more towards matching individuals with their future work and interactions with a wide range of colleagues. The view taken is that an organisation can help an employee develop appropriate skills with training, but cannot do much to enhance attitude or fit. The person offered a position needs to be able to fit into the social environment of the company’s culture, its customers and suppliers. Your CV (or application form) is the first impression the organisation has of you. The way your CV looks, the content of your profile and the kind of attributes and style you describe, will be used to form this initial impression. It is important therefore that you get it right – in other words that it accurately reflects you and does you justice, and describes the characteristics they are looking for (and of course those two things should overlap otherwise you shouldn’t be applying for the job!)

2. Selectors' Aims
​Studies consistently indicate that selectors are looking for broadly similar attributes in candidates. They are looking for successful (“winning”) people and those with the potential to be successful. This means people they perceive to be appropriately intelligent, assertive, creative, knowledgeable, optimistic, enthusiastic and confident. They want to weed out those whom they feel do not have this potential. With this in mind review your CV or application form: does it reflect a confident, successful person (or someone with the potential for success)? Or does it reflect a bland, unconfident person or someone who is underplaying his or her achievements or skills?

3. Application Form and CV
Selectors form impressions from the early information they receive, therefore information presented at the start of your CV affects how later information is interpreted. If the selector first reads positive information at the start of the CV, later, less positive, information will have less of a negative impact. Again, review your CV to ensure that the top third of the first page contains the information you consider is most influential to this application. This will certainly include your Contact details and your appropriately worded Profile or Personal Summary. You should then consider what section should best follow. There are no hard and fast rules to CV layout. So for example if you have excellent and recent qualifications and the employer has specifically asked for them or if you know that the employer is a stickler for qualifications, you might follow your Profile section with your Education and Qualifications section. Equally if your qualifications are not so impressive or relevant, you might place this section at the end of the CV.

In the next article in the series, we will look at influencing during the interview itself.

​To learn more about our career coaching or our career transition programmes, or to book a free initial one-hour consultation, contact us.

A report published on 30 October 2014 by the Institute for Fiscal Studies revealed that graduates who have been privately educated consistently earn more than their state educated contemporaries. Three and a half years after graduation, the pay gap is around £4,500.

​The subject of private education in the UK often triggers much emotion and heat, focusing as it often does on the perceived privilege and power of one social class over another. This is unfortunate as the heat generated by these polarised positions obscures some of the real reasons underlying the difference.

The research found that even when they compared graduates attending the same universities, studying the same subjects and entering the same careers, the privately educated were earning around 6% more. This is frequently explained away as a result of the benefit of the "old boy network" and socio-economic background. What is rarely, if ever, referred to is self-confidence and "roundedness" - something private schools frequently excel at and which many state schools do not specifically address. In my experience working with graduates and students from both private and state school sectors, I have consistently seen much focus and attention paid to the development of self-confidence in private schools through encouraging public speaking and debate, involvement in community activities, the development of social skills, competitive sports, endeavour and initiative programmes, and so on. In my experience such activities typically result in students who are more poised and appropriately confident i.e. are willing to try new things, be bold, and risk failure.

The strong link between self-confidence and career success is well established. It shouldn't be a surprise that being more confident at work can mean more promotions. A study at the University of Melbourne found a correlation between confidence levels as early as primary school age and success in the workplace as adults (as measured by increased promotion). Being confident has been shown to significantly increase the likelihood of success in an argument or negotiation (studies from University of Edinburgh and University of California - San Diego). A lack of confidence is associated with a person being less willing to take risks, less likely to accept new challenges, and less likely to stretch themselves outside of their comfort zone. Healthily confident people are much better prepared to step up. Whilst not all privately educated students will emerge into adulthood 'healthily confident' the research would suggest that more of them do so than their state educated counterparts.

Contrary to popular opinion, the stereotype of the "arrogant public school boy" is not significantly evidenced in the research. Other research from the US and the UK indicates that arrogance or over-confidence frequently leads to failure. This may be because it causes the person to overestimate their ability and under-prepare, and consequently perform badly.

The evidence suggests that state schools can and perhaps should learn from the private school example. For adults - whether state or privately educated - self-confidence is a key factor, not just in the achievement of a successful career, but in life more generally.

Coaching is known to be an effective and successful means of developing self-confidence - if you consider that you are lacking in confidence, coaching can help you to turn it around. Contact us for a free consultation to see how we can help.