The Foundation of Charismatic Interviewing

Interview Best Practices

The most effective interviewees know how to engage a hiring manager or recruiter with candid, interesting conversation. There is a charisma and confidence to them that draws others into their way of thinking.

Their influential abilities resonate throughout both their professional and personal life. This includes those with whom they interview.

Specifically, charismatic interviewees are able to get hiring and recruitment professionals to open up to them via coming across as sincere, knowledgeable and in-tune to their needs.

Because being captivating is so important to professional success, our recruitment team has listed 3 tactics that the most effective job seekers employ in order to connect with the professionals whom they meet and, ultimately gain a great job and a more robust compensation package.

1. Speak their mind rather than avoiding a horrible impression. When interviewees answer a question to avoid making a bad impression, they do little to impress and connect with the hiring manager or recruiter.

Instead of having the end goal of flying below the radar, successful interviewees have an aim to form a trusting relationship with that potential employer. To do so, they reveal who they are and what they’re about in a sincere, upfront manner.

They understand that this strategy might turn people off, however they are willing to take that risk. Authenticity is at the heart of their message.

2. They possess a sincere tonality in their voice, make consistent eye contact and speak with enthusiasm. They understand that interviewers will disregard their message if their non-verbal signs fail to show engagement, enthusiasm and emotion.

Their voice has a bounce to it. They gain trust because their words and emotions are congruent.

All their conversational signals are in-line. They tell the other side of the interviewing table that they respect their opinions via attentive listening.

3. Appeal to the traits and ideals that people have assigned themselves and their company. Each interviewer has an image of themselves and their company regardless of how accurate it may be.

They obtain a sense of the hiring manager’s most proud aspects via closely listening throughout the meeting as well studying the job description as the latter is a tool that includes a plethora of pertinent information.

For instance, many hiring managers view themselves as competent, innovative and influential. Also, most believe they possess inherent leadership skills and like others to recognize this in a sincere manner.

Charismatic interviewees leverage these perceived traits and naturally work into the conversation that their interest in the job spawns from what they perceive to be the strong leadership and innovation within that organization.

Being a charismatic interviewee is not about being an expert on the company that you’re interviewing with, but rather gaining the ability to make the hiring manger feel understood and connected. Interviewers crave sincere appreciation and a perceived importance from the job seeker. Charismatic interviewing entails being able to properly deliver the message.

Picture of Ken Sundheim

Ken Sundheim

Ken Sundheim is the CEO of KAS Placement Sales and Marketing Recruiters, a sales and marketing recruiting firm specializing in staffing business development and marketing professionals around the U.S. Ken has been published in Forbes, Chicago Tribune, AOL, Business Insider, Ere.net, Recruiter.com, Huffington Post and many others. He has also appeared on MTV, Fox Business News and spoken at some of the country's leading business schools on HR, job search and recruitment.

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