Tip Tuesday - Awkward Small Talk?

     

     We always hear about how important it is to prepare for a job interview.  Research the company.  Dress professionally.  Be on time.  Come prepared with your own questions.  But what no one talks about are the small things that employers cannot help but notice about job candidates.  These include things like the initial handshake and body posture during the interview, but also displays of the candidate’s personality.  Just as important as a high GPA and relevant work experience are to an employer are a candidate’s ability to interact with others and the interpersonal skills he or she has. 

That’s why it is important to come prepared to an interview beyond researching the company and preparing answers for possible questions.  Place yourself in a job interview room.  The tension is high and the pressure is on.  Each party is wondering what the other is thinking, and it’s a breeding ground for awkward moments of silence.  Filling these gaps in conversation with small talk can help you more than you think.

     It’s important to first understand what’s going on in any given interview.  It’s a conversation between an employer and a candidate in which the employer is trying to gauge the level of success with which the job candidate could perform his duties if hired.  While the employer’s primary concerns are addressed through his or her questions, there are certainly other things that he or she will notice about the candidate.

     Put yourself in the shoes of an employer.  You walk to the waiting room, call the next candidate’s name, and wait to see who it is.  The candidate shakes your hand and the two of you begin walking to the interview room.  The candidate told you his name and greeted you with a firm handshake.  But on the walk to the interview room, not a single word is spoken between the two of you.  It is a two-minute walk that includes waiting for an elevator and walking through a seemingly endless hallway.  120 seconds.  Not one word.  This in no way harms the candidate’s chances of employment with your company, but rather considers what happens next. 

      You walk into the waiting room and call the next candidate’s name.  He steps forward and after firmly shaking your hand, he engages you in a conversation about what happened in the football game your hometown team played in this past weekend.  Once that conversation dies down, the candidate makes a remark about another commonality he has with you.  To this you laugh, and even try to further the conversation.   Before you know it, the two of you are already in the interview room, awkward silence has been avoided, and a certain comfort level has been reached between you and the candidate. 

     The key to a successful interview is being charismatic and personable.  Just think about the first two minutes of each of the candidate’s interviews.  If you were an employer, which candidate would you be more likely to remember?  The one who engaged you in conversation and made the walk to the interview room void of awkward moments and tension would stick out.  If the first candidate stands out more to you, it is only because of a negative memory, which does no good for him

     Often times when making small talk, the conversation is secondary.  The employer will notice things like the confidence you are displaying when making conversation and your communication ability.  It is a way for the employer to see how you think on your feet, and if you have the ability to hold someone else's attention through a conversation.  Be on the lookout for any comments made by the employer.  Try to find something in common and start a conversation about it.  If you can’t find too much in common between the two of you, just stick to the basics.  Talk weather and sports.  Both of those topics are simple and generally accepted as common knowledge. 

      Avoid bringing up anything related to the job itself.  After all that is the point of small talk: to help ease the tension about the daunting discussions of the job itself.  Avoid being negative, and be careful when stating your opinion on current events and such.  Remember, not everyone shares the same views as you.  But, if you seem like a friendly person with something interesting to say, who wouldn’t want to talk to you?