You only have a finite amount of time in an interview to successfully build a rapport with your interviewer. Here are 10 ways to make your interviewer love you. Images: Thinkstock

1. Susie Timlin
Group Head of Talent
Acquisition and Global
Mobility
You only have a finite amount of
time in an interview to successfully
build a rapport with your
interviewer.
Susie Timlin, Group Head of Talent
Acquisition and Global Mobility, shares
10 ways to make your interviewer love
you.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR
INTERVIEWER LOVE YOU
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2. Make a conscious effort to smile
when you are first introduced, when
you say goodbye and regularly
throughout the interview.
This may sound like an obvious
one, but it’s interesting how many
people don’t. Given that nerves will
be a factor, make the effort a
deliberate one.
SMILE
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3. Be the first to extend your hand for
a firm handshake and to greet your
interviewer.
Again, it may sound obvious, but
first impressions really are vital.
SHAKE HANDS
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4. Establish and maintain eye contact
during your meeting. Too much eye
contact is clearly off-putting, so look
away regularly, but keep that
contact.
If you never meet your interviewer’s
gaze, you will come across as
slightly shifty, nervous or
disengaged entirely.
MAINTAIN EYE
CONTACT
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5. Make a conscious effort to
remember the name of your
interviewer (having made sure
you’ve heard it properly), and use it
quite often and as you leave.
It’s an old trick that politicians use
when establishing rapport with
journalists who interview them, and
it’s surprisingly effective!
REMEMBER YOUR
INTERVIEWER’S NAME
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6. Create a 50/50 dialogue in which
you listen as much as you speak,
and don’t save all your questions
until the end of the meeting.
Show you are interested – and
listening – by asking intelligent
questions.
You can also sometimes summarise
or paraphrase something your
interviewer has said, and repeat it
back to them in question form.
Again, it shows you are paying
attention.
CREATE A 50/50
DIALOGUE
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7. Help your brain put things into
perspective and keep those nerves
at bay by remembering that your
interviewer is just another human
being, who may also be feeling
anxious.
This should help you break down the
barriers.
YOUR INTERVIEWER IS
A HUMAN BEING
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8. Do your research on the company,
your interviewer and the role you
are applying for. Nothing helps
flatter and build rapport more than a
little inside knowledge on the
person you’ll be meeting.
Come prepared with some follow
up questions pertaining to the
interviewer to help build a stronger
connection.
MAKE THE
INTERVIEWER FEEL
IMPORTANT
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9. Imitation is the sincerest form of
flattery and mirroring body
language can help the interviewer
envisage you working with them.
Mirroring could be anything from
speech patterns and voice tone to
gestures, but don’t overdo it,
obviously.
Adjusting to the interviewer’s
demeanour and behaviour can also
help you both feel a little more
comfortable.
MIRROR BODY
LANGUAGE
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10. Don’t be afraid to let your personality
shine through to help your
interviewer see who you really are.
Answer questions honestly and
clearly. And remember, an
experienced interviewer can easily
spot the signs of a candidate who is
trying too hard.
BE MEMORABLE –
SHOW THE REAL YOU
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11. Follow up the interview with an
email thanking the interviewer for
their time and reiterate how much
you enjoyed meeting them.
Send this before the interviewer
has a chance to forget you.
FOLLOW UP
AFTERWARDS
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12. ABOUT HAYS
Hays is a leading global
professional recruiting group, the
expert at recruiting qualified,
professional and skilled people
worldwide.
With over 8,748 staff operating from
244 offices in 33 countries across
20 specialism's, last year we placed
around 57,000 candidates into
permanent jobs, and around
212,000 people into temporary
assignments.
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