We’re obsessed with getting the right answer. But, our words are only a small fraction of what people remember …
as in about seven percent of what people take in (in contrast to the 93 percent that we communicate through body language, tone of voice and breath).
What people remember is attitude, energy and engagement.
I recently asked people at the Interview Club for their best advice. As you read their suggestions, note that they did NOT focus on content. Rather, they talked about delivery and listening skills; and they offered tips to help relate to interviewers and deal with nervous energy, self-confidence and mindset.
Here is sage advice to help you ace your next interview:
In the body:
- Stay grounded, feel your feet and your seat
- Do conscious breathing for three minutes before an interview
- Do the “power pose” for two minutes before an interview
- Chill out and meditate
- Smile a lot
Relating to interviewers:
- Think more about the other person (and less about yourself)
- Active listening
- Research the person/s interviewing you
- Learn how to engage and draw others in
- Slow down
- Pace yourself (don’t talk too fast or too slow)
- Soften and be curious
- Keep your sense of humor!
Mindset:
- Be yourself, everyone else is already taken (thanks to Oscar Wilde for that wisdom)
- Remember that it’s a conversation
- Working together is mutually beneficial
- You’re both making an offer
- You’ve got gifts/have a sense of abundance not scarcity
- High intention-low attachment
Let me repeat that last piece of advice: high intention, low attachment. Make sure you know your intention. What do you want to convey?
Prepare, practice and get settled. Then go out and deliver from your best most grounded, attentive, self; and let go of the outcome. The more you feel success on the inside, the more it’ll come to you on the outside.