HRGuru

The first 5 minutes of an interview

 

How you perform in the first 5 minutes alone will often determine the outcome of the entire interview. Ever heard the joke, “Man 1 - how long did you interview that guy for? Man 2 - an hour. But I stopped listening after the first 5 minutes!” Well… Its true! First impressions do make a difference, and unless you present yourself as proficient and trustworthy within the first few minutes of walking in the door, the interviewer is likely to lose interest, no matter what you do or say later.

The key things to keep in mind are that you project the appropriate image and substantiate that with well-thought out and confident answers.





 

1. 
   
   Dress in appropriate clothes and shoes, “A man came dressed in jeans and shirt for a formal interview. I was so irritated that he didn’t even respect the job enough to wear trousers, forget tie. Obviously, I didn’t give him the job!” shared an HR Head.
   
   


2. 
   
   Walk confidently and introduce yourself clearly. Dragging your feet and mumbling your name is not going to make you appear at all eager or capable.
   
   


3. 
   
   When seated, maintain good posture and keep making eye contact. This will make you look more engaging and professional. As any body language expert will tell you, looking down at your feet when talking suggests poor self esteem and lack of interest.
   
   


4. 
   
   Be prepared to discuss anything from your CV or job application form at length. “I like to gauge interviewees based on how they respond to a few initial questions about their interests or school or something. Only if they can answer comfortably and generate a positive vibe do I start asking more in-depth questions” explained a Campus recruitment officer.
   
    
   
   


5. 
   
   Don’t be daunted by these first few minutes. Instead, look on them as an opportunity to shine. By recognising the gravity of the first impression, you can avoid many of the pitfalls that come with just ‘winging it’. Putting in some serious thought and investing time, practicing what you are going to do and say during those critical first few minutes of your interview can make more of a difference than you may have once thought.
   
   

another great article!

So very true!

I'm sorry that you aren't getting the feedback that you deserve. Not having ever interviewed you, I'm going to have to go on what I'm getting from reading between the lines here a bit. I think that it is entirely possible that you're a bit over-confident due to the fact that you know the ropes so well. This is likely giving the impression that you're far above the job that you're applying for, and the employer is doubtful that you would be able to happily stay there. I would suggest that even though you know you've got the job down cold and the interview process down cold, you remove yourself from that just a bit so that it isn't overpowering in the way it comes across. I think that you've already suspected that to be the case because you used that very word...overpowering. You could actually be giving the interviewer the feeling, quite unintentionally, that you could do at least as well in their job as they are, if not better, which could subconsciously put a bit of fear in their minds causing them to overlook you as overqualified. What you could do is concentrate more on what the job is requiring rather than on what you are capable of, and show the employer how well you would fit in the position as it is offered. If you look at the particular job description and feel that your resume may exceed that a bit, tailor your resume to tone down other things and just highlight the things that the job requires. Bullet point those skills and qualities at the top of the page, and make sure that your objective is toned to suit the company's goals for that position. Make sure of their inhouse promotion policy so that you know if you could be promoted from within. Working in a company that's in the habit of doing that would enable you to market yourself as a future asset as well as a current one, and "humbling" yourself to fit the job will help to convince the interviewer that you wouldn't bore in the position quickly or outgrow it and decide to up sticks and move. I've lived in the world of "over-qualified" for more than two and a half decades, and when you're job-hunting, it's pure hell trying to overcome it sometimes. But I believe that you might find these tips helpful.

Have you thought about bringing a notebook with the questions that you wanted to ask and a space for the answers?  This actually makes you appear like someone who wants to get all the information and think about it carefully, and gets the notice of the interviewer.  As for remembering the answers to the questions that you know you're going to be asked, it's really probably just a case of nerves.   It sounds like you're freezing up due to the tension and fear of making a mistake.  Perhaps you could try doing some relaxation exercises.  It might help.