Don’t Underestimate the Power the Four “A’s” Have On Your Interview
In a previous article, “Leveraging the Power of the First Impression Helps You Win the Interview” we discussed just how critical (not important, critical) the first impression is to the interviewing process. One of the suggestions was to understand the most important points known as the four “A’s.”
These four “A’s” can dramatically impact the interview before the interview even starts. That is powerful.
Each of these must be integrated into your interviewing style and come off as if they come naturally to you.
- Appearance – This is not just how you dress for the interview, it is much more than that. It includes your body language during the interview, how you sit in the chair, the appearance of your resume and cover letter, the appearance of any materials used during the interview, eye contact, and I hate to say it, but it does include physical appearance.
- Assertive – This is mostly about how you project yourself during the interview. Please take note, the word was not “aggressive.” There is a big difference between aggressive and assertive. Most interviewers respect an assertive person and dislike aggressive people. Do you come across as confident, do you answer the question with a strong voice, do you engage the interviewer during the interview, do you ask probing questions or just sit there and answer questions, do you mirror the interviewer, does your body language and voice have a strong presence?
- Affable – Are you friendly, outgoing, easy to communicate with, engaging and even have a sense of humor? Does the interviewer feel comfortable talking with you, are they relaxed and feel at ease, do you have some conversational questions to bring up on the way from the lobby to the interviewing room, do you engage in casual conversation and are you building rapport with the person the second they lay eyes on you?
- Articulate – How well do you communicate? Do you listen to the question? Are your answers sharp and succinct? Do you have proper language skills, syntax, avoid using the word “like”, proper sentence structure and use of verbs? Do you ramble in the interview to make sure you hit every point in your background or are you able to quickly get to the point? This can be one of the easiest of the “A’s” to master. It takes practice and rehearsing, and you will probably need a coach to help you with this one.
On the surface, as you read these, they seem so obvious. Most are thinking, “I already know this stuff.” This may be true, but I think the purpose of the four “A’s” is to highlight in a very simple way some of the key issues many candidates take for granted. As a result they don’t work on mastering them.
There are a lot of dynamics happening at the same time during the hiring process. The more you can master, the better your chances of getting the green light.
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Tags: Career Mistakes, Interview 1st Impressions, Interview Mistakes, Interview Questions, Interview Techniques, Interview Tips, Interviewing, Interviewing Mistakes, Job Hunting, Job Interviews, Job Search, Job Search Mistakes, Networking Failure, Networking Mistakes, Recruiter Relationships, Recruiters, Recruiting Top Talent, Resume, Resume Mistakes, Resume Techniques, Resume Writing
Face-to-Face Inteviewing, Interview Preparation, Interviewing, Job Search Mistakes, Phone Interviewing | bradremillard October 19, 2009
About the Author
Brad Remillard is a founding Partner of IMPACT Hiring Solutions, co-author of "You're NOT the Person I Hired", and "This is NOT the Position I Accepted". Brad is an award-winning international speaker, retained executive recruiter, and expert on hiring and retaining top talent, and executive job search.
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By Scott Pratt, October 20, 2009 @ 3:15 pm
Another tip you may want to add is…
Try following the “money” VC funding is often raised to hire additional professionals. Track the blogs and articles. Then write a personal note to the CEO focusing on where the company is going and how your skills are a good fit now and into the future.
I’m gathering a list of good blogs that track these growing companies. Will post them soon.
http://ApplyForMe.net – online job application submission services
Thanks!
By Karen Salem, December 13, 2011 @ 7:21 pm
Hey, Brad.
I would like to know your opinion of the voice inflection oddity I see in younger people today – when their voice goes up at the end of a sentence that is not a question. How much of this do you see and what is your perspective?
Thanks,
Karen