Likeability and the Similarity Principle
Many hiring managers and interviewers hire those that they like. Here are some ways to increase your likeability:
- Use the same language. If you sound like them, you must be like them. Copy similar vocabulary and patterns of speech. Also copy their speech pace.
- Use the same gestures. (Same as above.)
- Dress the same way. If you look like them, you must be like them.
- Have the same hobbies. If they like foosball and yoga, build attraction by claiming similar interests.
- Have the same affiliation. There's a reason why millions pay to go to Harvard or join the local country club.
- Emphasize similar experiences. Instead of saying, "You went to Princeton, and I went to Yale." Say "We're similar: we both graduated from Ivy League schools."
Passion Principle
Human beings get energised by those who are upbeat and optimistic. Be careful! Over do it, and you'll rub others the wrong way.
Recommendation: gauge the interviewer's energy level, and exceed it by 10%.
Needs Principle
Every individual has a core set of psychological needs: validation and inclusion are the two big ones.
For the first one, validate the other person. Acknowledge their accomplishments or feelings. Give them the appreciation that they only seem to get from their mother.
For the second one, include the other person. It's a little tougher to pull off at the interview. However, let's say the interviewer is new to the city, you might be able to make them feel "included" by inviting them to a insider-only party.
Detail Principle
Interviewers find candidates that use detailed stories more credible and competent than those that do not.
Warning: detail does not mean filling up airtime with jargon. Interviewers are smart enough to see past that.
Excitement Principle
Research from Harvard professor Alison Wood Brooks indicates that presenters who say "I am excited" are 17% more persuasive and 15% more confident than those that say "I am calm."
Based on my experience with my job search clients, the same principle applies to interviewees.
This technique, known as "mirroring", is widely used among the psychological world as a mean to gain an interlocutor's trust and make them feel at ease. Good salesmen often use it to increase their chances of closing.
By mirroring their movements, tone, gestures, breathing pace and so on, you're basically communicating: "Hey, we're playing the same tune here. We're akin. You can trust me."
Remember: verbal language represents only about 7% of what we're actually communicating. The remaining 93% is up to your body and your tone, so focusing on howto speak rather than what to tell is a priority.
Bear in mind: mirroring isn't parrotting. It's not quite easy (at least for most parts) and it's a skill that requires training. The good side is that it can be practiced anywhere, anytime, with anyone.
Try it with strangers at the bar, with your friends, your mother, your teachers, on a date (especially on a date: it works wonders).
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