A friend of a friend once told me that he liked to go to job interviews just for the fun of it. He not only likes to talk about himself for an hour to a willing audience, but he enjoys psychoanalysing his work methods, and boasting about his achievements in and out of the workplace.
For us introverts, however, job interviews aren’t such a pleasant and exciting experience.
So, how do you know if you’re an introvert when it comes to job interviews? Answer yes to any of the following questions and you probably are:
- Do you lose sleep wondering about the questions they might ask?
- Do you intentionally style your hair to have more across your face than usual to lessen
- the likelihood of them seeing your red face?
Do you know you’ll most definitely forget the interviewees names because you’ll be too preoccupied with not trying to fall over the table as you walk into the room?
If you answered no to every one of those questions, it’s in your best interest to not read any further. Otherwise, please enjoy ‘The Introverts Guide to Job Interviews’.
1. Straight out tell the interviewees that you’re a little nervous
People like honesty, they respond to honesty. They’ll be more understanding of your stutters and your long pauses. And you never know, they may just let you know that they are a fellow introvert, which will work wonders for their assessment of you!
2. Talk slowly, take pauses when necessary
Sometimes when we’re nervous, we say things without thinking. It’s important to slow down our speech and make sure we are conscious of the words coming out of our mouth.
3. Ask questions!
The easiest way to get out of having to do all the talking is to become the one who asks all the questions. Pre-plan some good ones before you go in- it will show your interest in the business and will take the focus off you for a minute.
4. Always carry some kind of folder and briefcase
Not only will this make you look mysterious, it’s something to put down on the table when you walk awkwardly into the meeting room.
5. Be sure to bring a book with you
You can read this in the lobby when they awkwardly make you wait. It’s better than scrolling through Facebook!
6. Have something exciting planned to look forward to afterwards
Give yourself something to look forward to after a hard day of having to socialise with other people. Maybe Netflix and UberEats?
Good luck to my fellow introverts! If I can do it, you can do it!
Author’s Bio
Daniella Iljon is a ICT Business Analyst at LiveHire (ASX:LVH), the technology company behind the Live Talent Ecosystem, where people privately connect with Live Talent Communities of the best brands. LiveHire’s vision is to empower the flow of the world’s talent, to create a more agile, open and awesome working world.