The psychology of job interviews part 1 of 5

The job interview is one of the most nerve-racking experiences you have to face. The reason you fear the job interview is down to the psychology of the interview process. In this series of ‘job interview psychology,‘ you will learn 5 psychological processes that are in play, that effect your job interview success, without you even knowing about it.

Job Interview Psychology 1 of 5 – rewards and fears

The psychology of the job interview starts prior to you attending the actual job interview itself.

DOES THIS SOUND LIKE YOU?

Today is the day of your job interview! You scared, nervous because you haven’t prepared. You received your job interview date 2 weeks previously; you had planned to rehearse the job interview question but just never gotten around to it and there’s a psychological reason for this

Job Interview Psychology

Are you a future optimist? Psychologists Arie Kruglanski and Torey Higgins, have found that we have two motivational systems: the “thinking” or “doing” system

We believe we think and then take action. But humans are only skilled at using one of these systems at a time. For job interview preparation we are good at planning what we need to do to be successful at the job interview:

I will research the organisation

I will prepare job interview questions and answers

I will rehearse my interview presentation

This planning creates a positive feeling – you have achieved something and because you have spent time organising your job interview preparation, you allow yourself to complete the actual action of job interview preparation tomorrow – as a reward

The future optimist – you believe this plan is great, and tomorrow you will focus on the action taking. When tomorrow comes, something, more important, takes over so you plan to take action the following – what does an extra 24hrs matter …you have a plan!

Sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system

Another system is also in place that affects your job interview motivation. Within the autonomic nervous system sits the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. These two systems work in opposite ways; “the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) meditates the body response to arousing circumstances. for example, producing the famed ‘flight pr fight’ stress response” (Robert Sapolsky – Behave; book 2017) The parasympathetic nervous system “PNS is about calm, vegetative states” (Robert Sapolsky – Behave; book 2017)

How do these two systems effect your job interview preparation?

The Sympathetic nervous system speeds up your heart rate, stops your digest process and sends the fight or flight stress signal – we don’t like to feel this way. When you think about a forthcoming job interview your perspective of the situation is ‘life or death’ if I don’t succeed in the job interview I have failed. These thoughts lead to the activation of the SNS.

Whereas, the PNS – parasympathetic nervous system, slows down the heart rate, activates the digestive system and sends out the relaxation signal. This is a state we all like, the state that we all desire be in.

It’s simple; the thought of a job interview sets of the SNS – and we want to avoid this feeling. Moving the ‘thinking about job interview preparation’ task to tomorrow releases the PNS – the state we crave. This leads to you self sabotaging, we have planned so now we can watch TV (releases SNS) and focus on job interview preparation tomorrow (removes PNS)

The Reward System

The final emotion in play is the reward system. The brain’s reward is via the release of dopamine – the happy chemical. When you receive the job interview offer from an organisation, you receive a big dollop of dopamine. If you have a strong application and receive regular job interview dates, the amount of dopamine decreases with each job interview offer. Constant success reduces dopamine releases.

The dopamine system if fired of in anticipation of, rather then achieving, a task (unless the achievement of a task doesn’t result in a reward, then we get very angry IE we think we will be successful in a job interview and are then told we have been unsuccessful)

The job interview request comes into your in-box; dopamine release. Now you have to prepare for the job interview; If you feel confident you will expect a positive outcome (where you will receive another dopamine release and a job offer) but the level of dopamine reduces as you prepare for the job interview (taking action doesn’t release as much dopamine as the anticipation of a reward) and surprisingly the dopamine release is less when you are offered the job compared to the release of dopamine you received from being invited to the job interview (unless this situation is rare for you)

If you fear the job interview, the dopamine receptors are blocked and you become stressed. Because you desire dopamine, you have learned where you can get this from; the thought of a chocolate cake, as an example. So instead of job preparation activities (that make you feel stressed because this is a fearful activity for you), you eat cake, waste precious time, but don’t care because you have your chocolaty hit of dopamine.

To be successful in the job interview you need to be proactive in job interview preparation. You need to evolve your mind to reduce job interview fear and increase job interview excitement.

In the next article, you will learn about job interview subconscious bias and how to make these work in your favor

Interview Pyschology 2 of 5 – Unconscious bias

Job Interview Advice

June 10, 2017November 19, 2020

Why You Should Act As Though You Already Have The Job

There is a psychology to job interviews that many people are unaware of.

By accessing the interviewer’s subconscious mind you can influence the job interview outcome. One key psychology of persuasion that is always in play is the psychology of authority – people are more likely to be persuaded by someone they see as an authoritarian

Why You Should Act As Though You Already Have The Job

In the job interview, the interviewer has the power. This is because you, the interviewee, want something from them – the job offer!

Actually this is untrue, it is you the interviewee with the power because the interviewer wants something from you – your skills and experience. Remember you have been asked to interview from, on average, 300 applicants. They like you, they want you.

You have the power and you can exploit this to increase the number of job offers you receive.

Act As An Authority

In the job interview, you need to be the master of the industry or at least be seen as the master.

Quote industry regulations, industry policies, industry advancements and new technology and state industry declines and barriers.

Build on what the employer states. As an example if they discuss a new piece of industry technology or a development idea, explain where this idea has come from or where the technology has advance from. Also give the pro’s and con’s to key statements.

This will help you create an identity as an industry expert. Once a powerful identity has been established, whatever you state next will be taken as the truth – because we believe what experts say. This includes when you explain how you will be best suited for the role.

Take Work Away From Them

Basically, we employ new staff members because there is too much work.

To build on your authority, explain how you will be able to complete the task, project, company objective without needing to create more work for the employer.

When the employer is discussing the role and/or job duties, reference how you have worked successfully on a similar task and what you will do to make this new task a success.

You can also reference previous mistakes, explaining the lessons learned (this creates the task objective to be harder than they may have previously believed which creates a subconscious desire to hire an expert – you!)

FREE With Every Purchase of The 73 Rules for Influencing the Interview

Act as if you Already Have the Job

Throughout the job interview, you need to act as if you already have the job.

When giving an interview answer, the mind creates images of that answer – the interviewer will imagine you doing whatever it is you say you are doing.

By tweaking they way you word your answers you can create stronger emotional images of you working collaborative with the employer in a success manner.

Change “I would do…” to “I will” – this creates images of you working for the organisation.

Change “I” to “we” to create the thought of collaboration – this works great when talking about future successes “…by doing X we will be successful”

Explain what you will add to the team “by using my knowledge of X I will achieve Y within 2-3 months”

Employment King offer;

Interview Coaching in Manchester
Career Advice in Manchester
Online Interview Coaching
Interview Confidence Sessions in Manchester
Interview and Presentation Sessions in Manchester
Mock Interview Sessions in Manchester

March 29, 2017November 19, 2020

3 Out The Box Ways to Prepare for Your Job Interview

Think Out The Box to Prepare for a Job Interview

What career advisers don’t tell you when they coach you to pass a job interview, is that job interview success doesn’t just come from researching job interview questions and preparing killer answers.

Job Interview success comes from being in the right state.

Scientists long ago taught us that your emotional state changes your behavior. If you are stressed and nervous you will act differently, you will give different answers and you will come across differently, than you would if you were focused, excited and in a flow state.

To get into a positive flow state you need to increase dopamine levels in your brain – dopamine is the happy chemical that is release for pleasure and reward.

Set Up Your Own Coaching Business

Increase Dopamine, Increase Interview Success #1

To increase dopamine levels you first need to write out a list of things you need to do to prepare for your interview (things you need to do on the interview day).

Include basic things that you know you need to do, iron your shirt. As you do each task, physically tick it off the list. Your mind likes to see things being achieved. As you achieve each task you release more dopamine.

Increase Dopamine, Increase Interview Success #2

Dance…or at least move about (this can include going for a run).

Exercise is key for high levels of dopamine while releasing stress. If you mix this with drinking an increase in water you have a positive formula.

Many failed interviewees, rather than exercise, will sit and worry about the forthcoming job interview – all this leads to is an increase in stress and anxiety. As Taylor Swift said “shake it out, shake it out”

FREE With Every Purchase of The 73 Rules for Influencing the Interview

Increase Dopamine, Increase Interview Success #3

Relax, Remember and Re-enact.

You have had many successes. As you are preparing for a job interview, these successes which make up the back bone of your interview answers, should be at the forefront of your mind.

The secret hear is not just to remember each success, but to remember how the success felt. As you remember each success you will feel it inside yourself, releasing even more dopamine

Follow these 3 steps:

Take ten long deep breaths with your eyes closed (while sitting in a comfortable chair in a room you won’t be disturbed in)
Remember each success in turn; imagine being there – see what you can see, hear what you can hear and re-feel the positive emotion
Focus in on this emotion and imagine that you can amply this feeling, keep turning up the feeling until you feel it at its peak

Employment King offer;

Interview Coaching in Manchester
Career Advice in Manchester
Online Interview Coaching
Interview Confidence Sessions in Manchester
Interview and Presentation Sessions in Manchester
Mock Interview Sessions in Manchester

December 11, 2016

3 Ways to Feel More Powerful in the Job Interview

Yes job interviews are scary and no, its not just you who thinks that.

In fact job interviews are in the top ten most commons fears. But there are ways to feel more confident, to feel more powerful. By creating the feeling of internal power, increasing your job interview self esteem your interview performance will impress and show you at your best.

By creating this positive state you are more likely to sell yourself, build rapport and of course be offered more job positions.

Sponsored Ad

Set Up Your Own Coaching Business

Need Help to Pass Your Next Job Interview?

career

You can book an ONLINE Interview Coaching Session and/or a Mock Interview with an interview coach by e-mailing employmentking@gmail.com all you need is a webcam.

Learn The 3 Step Process for Killer Interview Answers
Double Your Interview Confidence with Specialised Techniques
Mock Interview – Get Really Feedback on Your Interview Skills

Create Job Interview Power #1

Interviewees feel inadequate as the compare themselves to a fake but positive perspective of the interviewer. We wrongly believe that the interviewer is this powerful god like person who has your life, your future in their hands.

We search for and find all of our own weaknesses and presume that the interviewer god will know about them. To feel more powerful you need to turn this negative technique on its head. Instead of looking for your on weaknesses, search for theirs. Look for little signs of weakness; a dirty shoe, un-ironed tie, messy desk – anything that makes them human again.

Even compare yourself to this weakened person – my shirt is smart, clean and ironed – this creates a natural aura of power within yourself

Create Job Interview Power #2

Every time you go to a party there is always one person who stands out, a person who grabs the attention of the room, a memorable individual that everyone warms to

It is this same type of person who sticks out and gets offered the job from any job interview

Whats the secret??? Stories! Yes stories.

People are emotional drawn to a story. The likable party goer will have hundreds of stories and anecdotes for any situation. They build up suspense, give a detailed description and end with a bang. By adopting this story telling tactic in the job interview you can create an authority by selling your skills, experiences and qualities through the adventure of a detailed story

FREE With Every Purchase of The 73 Rules for Influencing the Interview

Create Job Interview Power #3

Create a conversation

Because people, generally, are scared in the job interview, they will nervously smile, answer the question in a matter of fact way (no story telling here) and prey for the job interview to end

Instead build both rapport and likability, which increase your chances of receiving a job offer, by asking questions to the job interviewer.

This answer then ask a question technique puts the interviewer on the back foot, helping you to feel more powerful. It also creates a natural conversation that will create a connection between you and the interviewer. Its this connection and gut instinct from the interviewer that will land you the job offer.

Over 50 Job Interview Questions and Answers

Interview Preparation Resources

Other People Who Read This Article Also Read:

Sponsored Ad

Employment King offer;

Interview Coaching in Manchester
Career Advice in Manchester
Online Interview Coaching
Interview Confidence Sessions in Manchester
Interview and Presentation Sessions in Manchester
Mock Interview Sessions in Manchester

September 25, 2016November 21, 2020

Out Of The Box Interview Tips

Think Out Of The Box To Pass a Job Interview

Run of the mill interviewing techniques are becoming talk of the past.

“Tell me about yourself”?, A question that has been out there for so long that candidates tend to just learn the answer to it by heart with minor tweaks here and there.

If the questions aren’t going to change so will the same patented responses will be given during interviews. There is no advancement in the interviewing procedures and no learning for graduates coming fresh out of the universities.

career

Let’s consider a situation where a candidate (you) gets the call from HR representative of the company you applied to.

A unique feature about this call would be (we’ll get into that) but how normally a candidate would respond to one such call:

HR: “Hi, is this Mr. X I’m speaking to?”

Mr. X: “Yes, who’s this?”

HR: “This Ms. Y from ABC Co., you applied for the position of XYZ. Have you got a minute, I have to ask a couple of questions?”

Mr. X: “Please go on”

HR: “Ok, so have been you working somewhere?”

Mr. X: “Both yes and no, actually I resigned from my previous employment and am currently serving my notice period”

HR: “Ok, it says here you’ve been with the firm for last 5 years, what makes you want to switch?”

Mr. X: “Although, I have had no issues here during the tenure of my employment, all I feel is a bit stagnant where I’m and want to challenge myself in pursuit of new and better opportunities”

HR: “Alright, let me schedule an interview with you tomorrow say at 11am?”

Mr. X: “Sounds good to me, will be there.”

HR: “The directions to our office will be emailed to you shortly.”

Mr. X: “Sure thanks. Bye.”

That is how a normal telephonic interview appears as. But if we could improvise and candidate can earn the seat in front row? Startling? We pick it up from point no. 10 above and see how it changes.

Mr. X: “Can I suggest a date, as I have some things to take care of in the days to follow? Hence I won’t be able to squeeze time for the meet.”

HR (based on the availability): “When it would be possible for you to visit, then?”

Mr. X: “On so and so date (suggest a date for 2-3 days ahead)

The idea is to buy time so you can thoroughly search about the company, its stakeholders, review their profile on LinkedIn and prepare yourself well.

HR: “How does day after tomorrow sound?”

Mr. X: “Great!”

Now if the counter argument is not up to your liking, best lock in the day as it maybe that the organization is interviewing other candidates or the interviewing authority may not be available in those days.

At least by making a request you have made your presence felt and that you are not typical instead expressive. Just that is the purpose of asking to schedule at a later date. This gives you leverage in negotiations at the time of offer.

You don’t need to insist on scheduling for the day/date you have in mind or you’ll lose the opportunity, altogether. An attempt suffices and generally employer allows for a day or two in scheduling meets for candidates.

Secondly, the questions needs to be revisited to allow candidates to speak open-endedly and when someone is provided the platform to speak, their frame mind is reflected and the person interviewing can gauge whether or not the person would be a suitable fit for the organization.

Questions could be:

“How much element of fun is part of your life?”

“Do you cater to sarcasm?”

“What if I were to ring up a close friend of yours, will he/she be able to tell me your weaknesses?”

Author Bio

Rayanne Dany is an HR consultant and can be reached for assignment writing service via her twitter handle. She has tons of experience in different organizations amounting to a total of 10 years. Her insight over the years as an HR professional has paved way for writing improvement techniques.

September 10, 2016November 21, 2020

How to Answer the Interview Question Tell Me About Yourself?

Interview Answer for the Interview Question“Tell Me About Yourself”

An interviewer almost always starts off by asking you to tell him about yourself, like an overview about what kind of a person you are.

The question is, most of us get this question wrong and it’s actually the question that sets up the tone for the rest of the interview.

Depending on what you answer, the rest of the interview will carry on from there. What you don’t know is that there are actually a lot of secret and hidden meanings hidden behind every word you say.

This question is designed in such a way as to provoke you into speaking up about yourself. No, the interviewer is not interested in asking about your personality or life story. What she actually wants to know about are your work ethics and how you behave professionally, not to mention what achievements you’ve made and how much experience and dedication you have.

The art to pass any interview is to appear confident and dedicated in your work. You need to show promise and sell yourself. Here are a few ways you can rehearse and answer this question in a well-mannered way.

Set Up Your Own Coaching Business

Need Help to Pass Your Next Job Interview?

career

You can book an ONLINE Interview Coaching Session and/or a Mock Interview with an interview coach by e-mailing employmentking@gmail.com all you need is a webcam.

Learn The 3 Step Process for Killer Interview Answers
Double Your Interview Confidence with Specialised Techniques
Mock Interview – Get Really Feedback on Your Interview Skills

Focus on your strengths

First things first, what are your core strengths? What is your experience, the level of your skills, your best traits, and your winning points?

Mention skills you’re proud of and use strong words to make yourself sound different from the tens of candidates competing for the same position.

Conduct a suitable S.W.O.T analysis about yourself because you’re sure to be asked about each category in general; your strengths, weaknesses, the opportunities you’re hoping for, and the flaws which you know you have and need to work and improve upon.

The interviewer would be on high alert looking for any trait which poses a threat to the organization in your interview, so it’s better if you know about them beforehand and try not to let them show.

Follow a Script

Just in case you don’t forget the important points you came up with, design a script and write all the things you wish to discuss yourself and the pattern in which you should bring them up ideally.

Don’t swallow your script whole and recite like a robot in your interview. You don’t want to appear memorized in front of your potential employer.

The pattern you come up with should have a systematic pattern about your past experience and your accomplishments.

You can cover your weaknesses in a smart way by stating the measures you took to overcome them and how they made you a better person. After that, you can tell where you are currently and your responsibilities, your skills, and your qualities which can be beneficial to the organization.

End it by a well–versed speech about what you wish to do in the future and how you’re looking forward to the company to help you achieve your goals. Give importance and the impression to the fact that you’re willing to stay long-term with the company and you’ll also commit to them and stay loyal.

FREE With Every Purchase of The 73 Rules for Influencing the Interview

Practice till you’re Confident

It is a well-known fact that a nervous candidate on average spends about forty-five minutes going over an interview. Think about it this way. The job you’re applying for may very well affect your whole life and decide where you go from there. So basically, you’re spending less than an hour practicing for a job which can decide your whole career.

Remember, you’ll only stay confident as long as you have had enough practice about what you wish to emphasize about yourself and how quick of a learner you are. You need to learn to manage how to cover your weaknesses by reiterating the ways which help you become a better professional and how best you manage the things under your responsibility. Stress about your previous successes like how you are extremely deadline-compliant and how you have benefited the areas you have worked on by giving your input to the field.

Think of yourself as a product that needs to be marketed and how you can make it sell. What do you do when you pitch a concept or idea? You highlight all the benefits of your strategy or product, cover up any gaps by talking smoothly about how they can be overcome, and then you make your clients value it by making them understand how much better their lives will be if they incorporate your idea and what they’re missing out on.

Even if your interview didn’t start off with this question, it’s still useful to practice and knows about your self-worth and what you have to offer to the company. It’s not just for this question, but it’ll also help you answer the other questions asked in your interview. The main focus in an interview is you.

About the Author:

Rebecca Katharine is pursuing her PhD degree from the well-known university of California. Rebecca is serving in the capacity of assistant professor in the same university and also provides dissertation writing service online for university-level students & private tuitions at the school level.

Interview Preparation Resources

August 9, 2016November 22, 2020

Why Confidence Is Key in the Job Interview

Confidence Is Key in the Job Interview

Confidence equals charisma and a charismatic interviewee is the one who steals the job offer

Don’t ever underestimate the power of a confident interviewee. Confidence is the packing for your gift and your gift of course is your unique selling point. People admire confidence, are spellbound by charisma and are naturally persuaded by those who ooze self-esteem.

This article will teach you how to increase your job interview confidence, confidence that will win you the job offer.

Set Up Your Own Coaching Business

Job Interview Confidence #1

Confidence is an emotional state. The natural state for most in the job interview is anxiety.

This technique is quick and powerful and will spin your anxiety into a feeling of extreme confidence

First think about being in a job interview. As you imagine this situation, focus on the feeling of anxiety inside of you. Notice where this anxious feeling originates from in your body; your stomach, feet, chest, head

As you focus on this feeling of anxiety you will feel it move inside of you, you will feel it spinning. Imagine you can see this spinning feeling and give it a colour.

Imagine pushing the feeling externally. See it spinning in front of you.

Flip this spinning feeling back on itself so it spins in the opposite direction, spin it faster and faster, faster still until it changes colour.

Once it changes colour, push it back inside of you replacing the old feeling. Spin it faster and faster inside of you until you start to feel the feeling of confidence spreading throughout the whole of your body.

Do this before your job interview and you will double your job interview confidence

Job Interview Confidence #2

All job interview coaches will tell you to use examples and stories to sell your skills and unique selling points. This is a great strategy to adopt.

Using stories has a confident side effect, it makes you feel more confident. Anxious interviewees have an external perspective, they focus on the employer’s reaction. By using stories you will naturally go inside yourself, imagining the event from your own eyes as you dictate the story-line.

When you have this internal focus your fear evaporates and you focus on the emotions attached to the story – which will be positive as the story or example will be one of you being at your best

FREE With Every Purchase of The 73 Rules for Influencing the Interview

Job Interview Confidence #3

Put yourself into awkward situations

Confidence comes from familiarity. This is why most people are anxious in job interviews, this random activity – the job interview, is so uncommon that your frame of reference is one of fear. By making, being the focus of attention, a common experience, you eradicate the fear through exposure.

Attend public speaking groups, approach and talk to strangers, go to speed dating, as for directions…anything to get you speaking more. To key skills, you will want to learn and develop is improv speaking and debating

August 7, 2016November 22, 2020

3 Things You Must Do Prior To The Job Interview

What 3 Things You Must Do Prior To The Job Interview

As an Online Interview Coach, I’m always surprised by the lack of job interview preparation that most interviewees undertake.

If you only prepare for a job interview for 45 minutes or under then this is the reason why you fail a job interview. Successful interviewees, from my research, on average spend around 4-5 hours on interview preparation.

But even the interviewees who spend a longer duration on job interview preparation often prepare badly. This article will give you a few tips to advance your job interview techniques.

Set Up Your Own Coaching Business

Pre-Job Interview Preparation 1

Clarify your selling points.

The job interview is a 45-minute sales pitch. As with all sales techniques, the key strategy to sell anything is to give a solution to a problem. What does the employer require from you? What is the essential criteria for this position? What unique value can you add to the team?

The first preparation task you should always undertake prior to the job interview is clarifying what your sales point is? This sales point has to be something the employer requires, needs or can’t do without.

In addition to having sales points, you need to create real examples of how you have used this skill, quality or experience.

Pre-Job Interview Preparation 2

Anticipate the Interviewers concerns.

Even if you had a list of key selling points, you will only be employed if the employer 100% feels that you will fit in with the team and if they believe you will make a real impact within the organisation.

If the employer has any doubts, you are likely to miss out on the exciting opportunity. Think about your application; your work history, qualifications and skills. Also, review your prepared job interview answers. On reflection put yourself in the shoes of the interviewer – what concerns would they have about hiring you?

Maybe you have a gap in your CV, maybe you lack essential qualifications or experiences. You need to prepare answers to any potential question or doubt the employer may have. In the 73 rules for influencing the interview, we use techniques such as re-framing the interviewer’s negative opinion.

It doesn’t matter how you change the interviewer’s mind as long as you leave the interview with the interviewer being full of desire instead of doubt.

FREE With Every Purchase of The 73 Rules for Influencing the Interview

Pre-Job Interview Preparation 3

Create a powerful induction.

When you met anyone the human mind will within milliseconds create an impression about the stranger in front of them. In a job interview, this impression can be the reason for the successful or unsuccessful interview outcome.

You need to prepare for this first encounter. Prepare your body language, posture, clothes, stance, smile, your opening induction including the words, tone and volume of your key communication.

Even go one step further, plan your small talk and prepare everything to help increase likability.

Employment King offer;

Interview Coaching in Manchester
Career Advice in Manchester
Online Interview Coaching
Interview Confidence Sessions in Manchester
Interview and Presentation Sessions in Manchester
Mock Interview Sessions in Manchester

August 7, 2016November 22, 2020

How To Use NLP Embedded Commands in a Job Interview

NLP Embedded Commands – how to use in a Job Interview

NLP embedded commands are used by hypnotherapists to make a phobic no longer afraid of a spider. NLP embedded commands are used by master influencers to con unsuspecting public. NLP embedded commands are used by mentalists, such as Darren Brown to get you to do whatever they want.

As you can see the power behind NLP embedded commands is sot string that you can take command of any situation. These skills are highly transferable to the job interview. The goal of the interviewee is to create desire; you want the employer to want you.

This article will teach you what an NLP embedded command is, how to set up an embedded command and how to use NLP embedded commands in your job interview answer.

Set Up Your Own Coaching Business

Need Help to Pass Your Next Job Interview?

career

You can book an ONLINE Interview Coaching Session and/or a Mock Interview with an interview coach by e-mailing employmentking@gmail.com all you need is a webcam.

Learn The 3 Step Process for Killer Interview Answers
Double Your Interview Confidence with Specialised Techniques
Mock Interview – Get Really Feedback on Your Interview Skills

NLP Embedded Commands Broken Down

An embedded command is a Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and Hypnosis technique for “planting” a thought (state, process, or experience) within the mind of another person without the person’s conscious awareness.

The embedded command is broken into three sections;

The set-up

First, you need to set up the embedded command (this set up hides the command in the structure of a sentence (or interview answer).

“When you..”
“You can…”
“The more you…”
“You want to..”
“If you were to…”

The Command

Second, you need to add the “Command” (this gets the interviewer to do X without them knowing why they are doing X) .

“Feel….”
“Think about…”
“Imagine…”
“Notice…”
“Remember..”

State, process or experience

Thirdly finish the embedded command with a State, Process or Experience:

“A change of mind”
“Excitement”
“That I am right”
“You agree”
“Joy”

Embedding the Embedded Command in a Job Interview Answer

When using the embedded command in a job interview you only need to focus on 2 key things.

First think about the desired outcome – what process, state or experience do you want to employer/interviewer to feel?

Second when you state the “Command” and “SPE” raise your voice, or slightly change your tone, or leave a short pause before and after the command. This allows the subconscious to process the command without conscious awareness.

FREE With Every Purchase of The 73 Rules for Influencing the Interview

Common asked Interview questions and example embedded command answers

Example common interview questions:

tell me about yourself
what are your strengths
what are your weaknesses

To answer these commonly asked job interview questions, start your answer before using the embedded command.

Tell me about yourself

I have over 20 years of experience in this sector. My key strengths include X, Y and Z (add your own strengths here) as you will notice I am highly passionate about this role and it is this passion along with my experience that has made me highly successful. My key achievements include (add your key achievement) Overall I have a range of skills and experiences that will be highly useful to you and your organisation and when you need me to step up and take on any extra task, you will know I am reliable and flexible.

What are your strengths?

My previous manager often said that I was highly motivated with everything I did. But for me, that is just having a good work ethic. I consider a strength something that others don’t possess. If I had to pick one of my key strengths (this presupposes that you have more than one key strength) I would choose my ability to turn around projects on the blink of failing into a success. You will agree with me that this is no easy feat. The way I approach this task is by analyzing the project brief, the successes and what hasn’t worked. This overview tells me what I first need to concentrate on. If you feel that I would fit in with your team, this is a skill we could collaborate on together, sharing the same successes I have had with previous organisations.

What are your weaknesses?

Everyone has weaknesses. If you offer me the job you will know that I am the type of person who will work hard to overcome any weaknesses that I recognise. In fact, I often search for any areas of development as I see this as the perfect opportunity to develop my skills and knowledge. In my last company, I had never used their database before, so I spent time reading the manuals, being trained through other members of staff and practicing. In quick succession, due to having strong ICT skills, I become skilled in this and was asked to teach other new recruits.

August 6, 2016March 1, 2022

Why All Interviewees Should Train As Public Speakers

To Pass an Interview Train As a Public Speaker

In the job interview book “the 73 rules for influencing the interview” I talked and taught you how to increase your communication confidence and how to influence the interviewer using words.

This mixture of persuading with confident communication is the desired skill that increases your chance of being offered a position. This skill can be developed through public speaking.

How many times have you been influenced or moved by a powerful orator? How has a charismatic speaker motivated you? How did confident communication get you to change your opinion?

Being able to persuade with words is the desired skill of any interviewee. These same techniques are being used right now by public speakers.

Set Up Your Own Coaching Business

chris delaney public speaker

Talk With Purpose

When learning to public speak one of the first lessons you learn is to talk with purpose.

This is a lesson you need to take with you to the job interview. One of the biggest interview killers is the way an interviewee communicates. Often, due to nervousness, the interviewee talks without thought, they drone on and on about everything apart from the answer to the asked question.

When asked an interview question, first think to yourself “what skill, quality or experience do they want me to discuss with this interview question?” Remember to think back to the job spec

All job interview questions, even curved ball job interview questions, are asked to uncover specific desired criteria. By focusing in on these criteria you can speak with purpose, keeping your interview answer on point.

Create a Strong Structure

It is easy to get lost in your own interview answer.

Have you ever found yourself asking the interviewer if you have answered their question? This is because we answer interview questions with no structure.

In public speaking you are taught to 1; state what you are going to say 2; say what you are going to say 3; summaries what you said

This is a great structure for getting your point across and keeping your interview answer short and on point. In the job interview, you can adopt this same (or a similar version) structure. Start by 1; saying you have desired criteria 2; give an example of desired criteria 3; summaries by stating that these criteria are your key strength

FREE With Every Purchase of The 73 Rules for Influencing the Interview

Use more than Just Words

Great public speakers inspire, motivate and enthuse the audience not just with words, but also with their tone, body language, gestures, stage presence, stories, metaphors, rhetorical devices, facial expressions and the use of props (maybe a PowerPoint presentation)

Confident interviewees use these same well-tuned skills (that you can easily learn from an interview coach or by attending a public speaking group) A remember-able interviewee, the one who is offered the job, creates an emotional connection with the interviewer by communicating with all their senses, creating intrigue and using public speaking persuasion techniques.