Real Communication An Introduction

522 Appendix A   Competent Interviewing

During the Interview

After a diligent job search, you’ve finally been called for an interview. Now what?

Well, now you impress the socks off your interviewer by making your best first

impression, preparing for and anticipating different types of questions, preparing

questions of your own, and following up after your interview.

Making a Good First Impression

Salina, who works in the nonprofit world, interviewed a candidate who came

forty-five minutes late to the interview. To make matters worse, he explained his

tardiness by noting that he had to “run home” to get his mom to help him with

his tie. Later, Salina had a phone interview with a young woman who didn’t

bother to ensure that she had adequate cell phone reception, meaning that the

question “What did you say?” dominated the conversation. What these candi-

dates forgot is that the interview is a communication transaction that begins

with first impressions and includes situational factors as well as questions.

In any interview, both verbal and nonverbal behaviors contribute to a good

first impression. As you prepare for the interview, review your impression-

management skills to help your actual performance (Kleinmann & Klehe, 2011).

You can also prepare mentally— for example, remembering a personal experience

in which you were powerful or took control results in stronger impressions in the

interview (Lammers, Dubois, Rucker, & Galinsky, 2013).

In a more practical sense, try to control the things you can at the outset.

Give yourself plenty of extra time to get there, so that if something comes up

(traffic, a stalled train) you’ll still make it on time. Have your clothing ready

ahead of time. If it’s a phone (or Skype) interview, find a quiet place where

you can talk undisturbed and where there are no visual or auditory distractions

(Dizik, 2011).

BOX A.1

WHAT NOT TO DO

AT AN INTERVIEW

The following are real stories about job applicants shared by hiring managers.

Needless to say, they didn’t get the positions....

c (^) “Said if he was hired, he’d teach me ballroom dancing at no charge, and
started demonstrating.”
c (^) “Took three cellular phone calls. Said she had a similar business on the side.”
c (^) “Man brought in his five children and cat.”
c (^) “Arrived with a snake around her neck. Said she took her pet everywhere.”
c (^) “Left his dry cleaner tag on his jacket and said he wanted to show he was a
clean individual.”
c (^) “When asked about loyalty, showed a tattoo of his girlfriend’s name.”
c (^) “After a very long interview, he casually said he had already accepted
another position.”
c (^) “After a difficult question, she wanted to leave the room for a moment to
meditate.”
Source: Miller (1991). Used with permission.
CONNECT
In Chapter 14, you learn
that communication ap-
prehension is a general fear
of real or anticipated com-
munication with a person or
persons. Speaking before
an audience causes anxiety
for many people—and so
does speaking with a hir-
ing manager. To make sure
anxiety doesn’t adversely
affect your communication,
try some of our suggestions
for building confidence
(Chapter 14, pp. 405, 407),
such as performance
visualization and preparing
for the unexpected.
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