How to Build Rapport During an Interview
To be offered any job, you will have to build rapport by ticking two key boxes: suitability and likeability.
Your future boss should have confidence that you can succeed in the role, but they also need to feel that essential personal connection with you. They won’t hire you if they are not sure they will get on with you.
Managing to build rapport with someone you are meeting for the first time is essential for job search success. It should seem natural and should not be forced. Here are some hints and tips to improve that interview chemistry and make you a memorable candidate. Incorporate them into your interview performance.
Make a confident and approachable first impression. We all know that subconscious feeling when we meet someone we feel we might get on with. We can’t quite put our finger on it, but they somehow make us feel at ease with the meeting. They are probably smiling, have a relaxed way about them, lean in a little when you talk and engage with their eyes and words. In short, you feel a connection from the very first moments.
Prepare some topics for small talk. A positive first impression can quickly alter if you do not follow it up with some engaging conversation. An interview is a two-way exploration of suitability, so think about what the employer might want to discuss. Check them out on social media and look at their previous experience. Don’t make it evident that you have stalked them but bring up interesting small talk topics where appropriate.
Engage to build rapport
Ask intelligent and engaging questions. There is nothing worse for an interviewer than spending precious interview time answering unnecessary questions. Do your research check the information on their website and in the news. Only ask questions that are genuinely enlightening and will inform your decision to join. Getting them to talk about the role’s challenges is a good place to start.
Mirror and match behaviours where appropriate. Salespeople are well-practised in this dark art, but if you try to subtly match the behaviours and language of your interviewer (now and again), they will feel more comfortable. If they adopt a considered conversational style, don’t rush your answers. If they take off their jacket, consider doing the same. Observe your interviewer – adjust your body language, demeanour, language, and tone.
Take an interest in their perspectives. When a hiring manager feels that a candidate cares about their opinion, they will open up. A candid conversation about the role’s challenges is a key component of a productive interview. There is nothing worse than a guarded hiring manager who gives little away. If you can get them talking about something they care about, they will feel closer to you and be more likely to offer you the role.
Show enthusiasm for the role. It is one thing to understand that you can do the job (you probably can; otherwise, you wouldn’t be in that interview room). It is another thing entirely to understand that you would give everything you have for the role. Everyone wants to work with passionate colleagues who know why they come to work every morning. Act as enthusiastic as possible – playing it cool to squeeze out a higher salary could backfire.
Use their name where it feels right. This last rapport-building tactic should be used sparingly. Use the interviewer’s name when you greet them and when you part company and sprinkle it into the conversation every 5-10 minutes. People like hearing their name subconsciously, and it can get them “back in the room” if used before a particularly important thing you wish to say.
If you build rapport successfully with the interviewer, they will be looking forward to meeting you again soon. Maybe for the following interview or even for your first day in a new job.
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This blog is shared with Job Seeker Duetists.
Written by former recruitment ghostwriter Paul Drury (not AI).
