The goal of a job interview, from the applicansts perpsective, is to persuade the employer to hire them for the advertised position.
To be hired, each candidate will show their level of competencies through their chosen interview answer structure, with the common option being the use of an ‘example’.
At a basic level, giving examples to highlight a required skill is one method to influence the interviewer, but more cunning candidates use a number of persuasion techniques to increase the likelihood of being offered the job role.
Interview persuasion techniques isn’t a type of ‘dark art,’ instead, psychologists have completed experiments to understand why some career professionals are more successful in a job interview then others?
Some people have a natural ability to influence; their persona, communication style and their interview answer(s) convince employers that they are a sure-bet.
Using evidence based-research, we have created a list of simple techniques that can be used to persuade the employer.
Message Framing Theory
The frame of the job interview answer changes a persons viewpoint.
Framing is persuasive as it influences how the mind sorts and organises information. The world is interpreted, differently for each individual person, depending on their own filters created through their own experiences, beliefs and values.
Meaning, two people seeing the same thing can attach different meanings to it. In the job interview, a late applicant, due to a faulty car can be viewed by one employer as ‘lazy’ – lateness = laziness, or by a second interviewer as ‘unlucky’ as they also have ‘car troubles’ so have empathy with the applicant.
Framing helps to influence the filters used to give meaning to things. As an example, if I was to talk about rivers and then asked about ‘banks’ the frame of the conversation would influence how the ambiguous word ‘bank’ is understood – as a riverbank.
Whereas, if I started a conversation about money and asked about banks, the meaning of the word ‘banks’ would be viewed differently to that of a riverbank.
In the job interview framing affects how an applicants answer is perceived.
A glass half full or half empty has the same quantity of water, but one frame is perceived to be negative and the other positive.
In fact, the way the glass is framed has an emotional response to a person hearing the chosen statement.
Imagine being in a job interview and after explaining that you worked for X organisation, the employer responds by asking ‘You worked at X? Isn’t everyone lazy over there?”
This negative stereotype creates an emotional association between you and the employers opinion of the ‘lazy’ organisation.
In this example, a ‘re-frame’ is required to break the association and to create a new, positive, emotional response “Yes, they are, that’s why I am applying for a position here, your reputation tells me that you appreciate hard work, good ethics and quality – the 3 things I personally value.”
The use of positive emotional words, compared with negative ones, throughout the job interview, can instill a positive image of an applicant, just as the glass half full metaphor feels more optimistic.
Research shows how the more positive words used during a job interview correlates directly with high scoring answers.
The interview answer, therefore, in the main should be frame a positive perspective, not focusing on negativity.
Encourage the employer to hire another candidate
People have a deep need to feel free to make a choice.
The interview, depending on an applicant’s interview identity, results in candidates attempting, sometimes quite obviously, to persuade the employer to hire themselves over other suitable interviewees.
Because humans value free choice, being forced, or feeling that you have no choice, creates resistance.
A review of 22000 people over 42 psychology studies found that the ‘but you are free‘ technique can increase the chances of someone saying yes by 50%.
The idea is simple, to reassure an individual that they have free choice.
In the experiments, asking for donations or take a survey, all gained an increase in participation if the ‘but you are free’ technique was used.
As an example, a charity collector may ask for a recommended donation of £5, and then add ‘but you are free to donate whatever you would like’ which would increase the donations received.
Or a surveyor would ask ‘can you complete our top-standards survey?’ and add, ‘but obviously you don’t have to feel obliged to complete it’
In the job interview framing the answer as if you will be hired for the position and then stating ‘but you are free ‘ can increase the likelihood of an employer saying yes to hiring you.
Imagine being asked ‘what can you bring to the team’ interview question.
Embedded into the interview answer can be ‘…if you hired me, but obviously you have a free choice, I would….A, B and C’
Rational Persuasion
In the main, persuasion experts talk about influencing people through the emotional part of their brain the limbic system.
But logic influences.
Presenting data, facts and using rational counter-arguments, research shows, helps to support a positive outcome in HR decision making.
The logical approach is easy to utilise within the job interview.
When asked a question many applicants revert to an example answer. The example is a powerful influencer, as storytelling talks to the emotional brain, where snap decisions are made.
The analytical process, created through the structured job interview, allows for and uses logical decision making.
Imagine, as an interviewer, you have asked a question and presumed the applicant will give another ‘example’ answer, but instead, the interviewee highlights their level of knowledge and experience by presenting evidence in terms of a target sheet, a data set, statistics or a written reference.
This proof of expertise, rather then a suggestion created within an example answer, can be more persuasive as it is harder to argue against facts then it is the possible fictional example answer.
Successful career professionals don’t simply prepare for their job interview by finding examples to the predicted job interview questions. Instead, expert interviewees focus on the frame of their answer, use purposely chosen positive words and make their persuasion feel like a free choice.
Job Interview Advice
