Businesses use interview as part of their recruiting process and these interviews are typically transcribed with the support of interview transcription providers and the transcripts are safely maintained for use when required. Transcripts are important because they contain the information of each and every candidate and how they performed during the interview. Performing well in an interview is crucial for job seekers due to the competitive job market. The employer judges the candidate based on his/her performance. Most of the time employers ask relevant questions but there may be occasions when they ask certain questions that make the employee ill at ease, or questions that have little relevance to their job. The objective of the employer is to test how the employee responds to questions that disturb him/her or take them out of their comfort zone.
Interviews need to be smooth and relaxing to ensure a positive experience for both the candidate and the interviewer. The manner of conducting job interviews is changing considerably now, and many things that were taboo earlier are accepted now. In other words, there are certain interview rules you can go ahead and break, and still stay impressive. You can be honest, and asking the right questions could prove favorable for you.
How can you make an interview more conversational and comfortable?
- Do not wait for the interviewer to ask you a question. Start the conversation by thanking them for inviting you. Tell them about your interest in knowing the history of the company or start talking about a new project or a news about the company.
- Answer the interviewer’s questions with a question tag to try and take your interviewer off the script.
- Start the conversation by asking about the role of the interviewer in the organization and find out more about the organization.
Experts on the subject say that today many interviewers wish to get off the stereotyped interview format, but few candidates are willing to take the risk and become more informal during a job interview. So, forward-thinking employers will understand that you are not trying to monopolize the situation, but only through your friendly and open manner giving the interviewer social permission to put the script aside, says Liz Ryan, CEO/founder of Human Workplace and author of Reinvention Roadmap, in an article in forbes.com.
Given that the attitude of employers are changing, and a more informal and friendly atmosphere is welcomed in many organizations, you can take the stiffness out of interviews and even break some rules.
- There is no hard and fast rule that the interviewee should sit opposite to the employer with hands folded and back straight, and give crisp answers to the questions asked.
- You can break the rule that says you have to wait for a particular slot in the interview agenda, maybe towards the end of the interview, to ask questions. Go ahead and ask your question when you want to, provided it is relevant to the conversation.
- Take the liberty to answer questions in the manner you want, it needn’t be crisp and to-the-point. Choose to elaborate your answer as you think is relevant.
- There is no need to put on a meek and deferential demeanor for your interview. Focus on being the person you really are.
- Don’t hesitate to ask about your salary.
- You can talk about the problems you had in your previous company, and how you helped solve those.
- Be bold enough to tell your interviewer what you realistically expect from their work environment, salary, bonus and so on.
- Tell them what you realistically expect from their working environment, salary, bonus, and, yes, even politics.
- Be confident about discussing projects you may have failed in, and also why you left /are planning to leave your previous job.
- If you are unhappy with the interview, do not simply walk out without saying anything. You can express your feeling and speak the truth. You can say “I am happy to meet you but this is not the type of job I am looking for”.
- Break the rule that you have to disclose everything the interviewer wants to know. Do not give away too much personal information such as your current salary, marital status etc and stay away from organizations that do not respect your privacy.
- If you are having a long conversation with the interviewer then don’t hesitate to take a break and drink water or coffee etc if you want to.
- Leave the interview if you feel uncomfortable or feel that it is not the job for you. There is no need to overlook any impoliteness on the part of the interviewers.
As a provider of interview transcription services, we have listened to and created hundreds of interview transcripts that reveal the personality of the candidates. While most interviews are scripted and follow the traditional pattern, there are some that traverse the road less taken. In any job, the most important thing is how happy you are to be working in that capacity. That is exactly why right from the interview you must be your own self and show the employer what they can expect from you.
