6 Things Interviewers Notice About You

What happens when you leave the interview room sure that you got the job only to be told you did not? What could have gone wrong when you answered all the questions asked? What did you do? What didn’t you do?

Truth is, a job interview doesn’t start with the first question. Employers begin to assess you from the moment you arrive.

The good news is, there are certain things you can do in a job interview that will make a great impression on any interviewer.

1. Your communication skills

Do you speak with your hands? Are you talking fast or using lots of verbal fillers? The way you talk suggests a lot about you. Although you may be nervous, try and listen to the interviewer. Try and engage them in conversation and make an impression.

The trick is, try and mirror your interviewer’s way of speaking to make them warm to you more.

2. What your body language is

Your body language communicates what you are really feeling. Whether you know it or not, your interviewer is studying you and will notice the visual clues about how you’re acting or what you’re feeling without you even knowing you’re giving them away.

The information exchanged during your interview is equally as important as your mood. Emotions and how you convey them directly influence your interviewer. Make sure you look alert and powerful.

3. How you answer difficult questions 

Sometimes, a difficult question demands an answer. It’s tempting to work through it out loud or try to change the subject, but there’s a reason those tricky questions are thrown in. If you don’t know the answer, employers want to know how you communicate that.

Sometimes, a candidate who stays silent after being asked a tough question scores bonus points because they didn’t jump to give an answer. Their silence and reflection communicated maturity and confidence, more so than anyone who tried to answer quickly.

4. Whether you match the job description 

You can be great on paper, but it almost never works out. The job description is a loose guide, what you bring to the table that’s separate from that is a bonus.

The hidden criteria that decides whether you get the job or not is your personability, how you engage with your interviewer and the preparation you’ve done beforehand. Honesty and clarity about every area of your expertise will get you far.

5. What you do next 

The etiquette on following up after the interview is a difficult one. Should you ignore them and forget about the job? Do you send them a thank you note afterward?

Most employers say people who send thank you notes stand out in their mind more clearly than those that don’t.

Just a quick message thanking them for their time and repeating a fact you learned about the company during the interview will show the employer you were engaged and that you’re passionate about the company culture. You don’t have to put in emotional catchphrases like ‘hope to hear from you soon’, or ‘fingers crossed’, the only purpose of this is to thank them for their time and let them know you learned something from your conversation.

Do you want to have a lasting impression during your next interview? Book a mock interview session and stand out!

33 Comments

  9. Hello Emmanuel,

    So many candidates share the same experience as you do. We are glad that you have learned from this. All the best

  16. Am building up confidence through your articles Soo informative and a great piece.
    Rejection is redirection!

  18. This as a great lesson learned, once I attended interview where i was drilled for almost 1hr 30min I don’t know why I dint get the job, although my experience was a bit low, I saw everyone making it less than an hour in the interview room

  23. Great insights for implementation as candidates prepare and undertake interviews. Thank you!

  30. This was good have learned alot on how to present my self in an interview. Thank you

  31. Can you help get a job then, last week I went for interview and the job description was exactly in line with my career. But I didn’t get the job. It was an online interview.

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