Importance of Communication Skills during a Job Interview
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The Importance of Communication Skills during a Job Interview

Although not all careers have a direct relationship with the ability to communicate, it is necessary for every professional at some point. During a job interview, the day-to-day at work, or when needed to perform a presentation or networking moments.

Importance of Communication Skills during a Job Interview

Good Communication Skills are crucial to a Job Interview because they are the means to express and transmit the reasons why the interviewee is a great fit for the role and the organization. And it’s often a key factor in getting or losing a job opportunity!

When we don’t have our communication skills polished, we lack the words and physical and mental security to say something meaningful that will help us get the job of our dreams.

One of the most prominent examples of how effective communication can be the reason we get a job is when we are asked to explain why our presence would bring a difference to the position we are applying for. If we’re not persuasive enough, or at least clearly showcase our value, then it’s often a key reason for losing the opportunity.

With the job market becoming increasingly competitive, it is not always easy to get a job interview. When you do, you often have to compete for the job with other professionals.

In an employment interview, candidates are evaluated from the minute they greet the recruiter; it is expected that a behavioral evaluation of the candidate can be made in the first moments of the interview.

They can analyze, for example, if we are introverted or outgoing, trusting if we know how to behave, and if we are aligned with the company’s culture. Only after this first contact does the interview begin, and the professional’s technical skills are analyzed.

In this article, you will learn ways to improve your communication skills to have a successful job interview and understand their needs.

For verbal communication expert Kim Archetti, the most important thing is always to try to act in the most natural way possible to win the empathy of the interlocutor throughout the interview. 

“The more natural and comfortable the candidate is, the more the recruiter will see a professional prepared to take the position in the company,” she says.

Communication is a soft skill that helps and makes us understand, transmit and understand a message; contrary to what is commonly thought, communication is not just what we say or write. 

Our way of communicating is also shown by our tone of voice, posture, gestures, attitudes, and expressions of the face.

Communicating well requires, therefore, emotional balance, clarity, security, and self-esteem. However communicating effectively, means making our interlocutor understand perfectly what we want to transmit and act accordingly.

In the context of the job interview, effective communication as an interpersonal skill is crucial. One of the reasons is that candidates can use it to go beyond the history that exists in the curriculum.

TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Talk about your best features

Often, in an interview, we try to be someone we do not believe that this performance will please the recruiter. But the reaction can be reversed and you risk sounding false.

Instead, it’s much more advantageous to work with who you are. What are the characteristics that can make you stand out for that vacancy? What are the needs of that company that its personality and its knowledge can fill?

We’re all unique people with very particular characteristics. You don’t need to try to be someone generic, with skills you read somewhere that could be considered favorable for a good employee.

Be clear in your ideas.

When it comes to developing good communication, having clarity in ideas becomes an essential part of this process. A good tip is to rehearse the key answers – not to force things and look like you’re on a podium, but to be sure of what will be said.

By practicing, recording, and listening, you can also assess the coherence of what is being stated and make the appropriate adjustments.

When doing this essay, think about how you will highlight and explain your main professional achievements and prepare to be asked when your performance might not have turned out so well.

When asked about some negative aspects of your trajectory, avoid clichéd answers like “my worst flaw is being a perfectionist” or something that camouflages some limitation. Instead, say that you are aware that a particular point needs to be improved and that you are willing to devote yourself to that improvement, so the more realistic and genuine.

Acting with assertiveness and transparency, you will have a good chance of getting a successful job interview.

Work on Balancing non-verbal and verbal language Skills

A healthy balance between the physical posture and the message we are conveying is crucial for a successful job interview. It ensures that information is between assertively and coherently and does not distract the recruited.

That is, there is no need to make grand gestures with your hands or arms or to be too rigid, neither eight nor eighty.

 If you haven’t had enough time to understand body language meanings, try to mirror how the recruiter presents; it will help you create a bond of conscious trust between you and him.

The subtle and natural imitation of the recruiter’s actions (cross your legs, have your arms on the table, move your head, among others) indicates that you agree with what is being said by the person interviewing you.

The mandatory wearing of a mask can make it difficult for face-to-face job interviews to cover a large part of the face of the candidate and interviewer, the mask limits reading of facial expressions and understanding of speech, be aware that in some moments, you will have to repeat what you said. Vice versa, always be calm and patient.

Use eye contact and gestures to your advantage.

When half your face is covered, reading each other’s facial expressions becomes complicated; thus, use visual contact and body and sign language to convey your ideas better.

Keep in eye contact with the interviewer as he approaches you. To show that you understand what this one is saying and that you are attentive, go nodding.

By wearing a mask, showing enthusiasm with a smile can be impossible, so you could focus on body language to demonstrate your interest and avoid looking bored. 

When your turn to speak comes, remember to make eye contact, and don’t be afraid to use your hands to gesture whatever is necessary to support your words. When used effectively, gestures can make you appear dynamic and enthusiastic.

“If I speak one thing and my face shows another, I will generate misunderstanding, and I will generate noise in my communication.” – justifies Leny Kyrillos.

– justifies Leny Kyrillos.

According to the specialist, the search for coherence is fundamental; she also warns that, at this time of the pandemic, some non-verbal elements are essential.

Conclusion

Communication skills play a crucial role during a job interview because they are the one who helps us express ourselves honestly and in a more appropriate way to the position we want to fill.

Reference and Further Reading

10 Communication Skills for a Career of Success. Indeed.com

AcethePresentation. AmadeBai, Emidio. Top 15 Social and Interpersonal skills at Work.

AceThePresentation.How to Improve your Communication Skills – 7 Essential Communication skills

Importance of Communication Skills during an Interview. The Yellow Spot.

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