When you’re going for a job interview, the employer is aiming to figure out three important things:
- They look to see if you have the necessary skills for the job.
- They try to figure out whether you’d be able to fit in with the team.
- They strive to understand if you’re driven to contribute to the success of the company.
The best way to deal with these three matters is to be honest. Aside from that, you should display your personality and take advantage of it. Introvert or extrovert, there are some universal rules that always apply.
Let’s first talk about what introverts and extroverts actually are. Many people believe that introvert equals shy, while extrovert means social. In fact, that’s a wrong assumption to make.
Introverts are persons that more oriented towards their internal environment, while extroverts refer more to their external environment.
Here’s a good example:
When an extrovert breaks up with his girlfriend, he’s finding counseling in his friends. Drinking, smoking, and hooking up will make things better. Introverts, though, they find better feelings while talking a walk by the beach alone with their thoughts.
During today’s article, you’re going to learn a few strategies that will be easy to apply in your next interview. The strategies go for both introverts and extroverts
Tips for Extroverts
Here are some tips in case you’re an extrovert. Pay close attention and apply what you hear now.
Avoid Excessive Chit-Chat
Extroverts tend to talk much. They are very comfortable around people, and they tend to express themselves through words, stories, and lots of chit-chats. Well, in the case of an interview, things look quite different.
The interviewer is not the person that’s going to like your chit-chat. Every recruiter and interviewer that works within a respectable company is a professional. That means that he’s keeping his private talks and personal life out of the interview, and he expects you to do the same.
Keep your responses short and concise. Speak only things that are relevant to the interview and be patient. Be aware of your tendency to speak more, and keep it under control.
Listen to the Recruiter
Extroverted people often get involved in a discussion in such a way that they no longer listen. They’re excited to engage as much as possible, therefore forgetting the needs of the speaker. This shouldn’t happen in an interview.
Remember, you are the one who’s being interviewed, not the other way around. Listen closely to your interviewer’s questions. After all, you don’t want to miss any important details and expectations. If you forget about these important details, you could possibly damage your reputation later on.
How to Deal with Interviews as an Introvert
Here’s how to deal with interviews if you are an introverted individual:
Get Yourself Prepared for Small Talk
Small-talk is often inevitable. It is in these situations when introverts panic and start to show it through their body language. When they realize that their body betrayed them, they start blaming themselves for the wrong impression that they’ve given.
In order to avoid that, prepare yourself mentally for small-talk. Think about a few answers for any common small-talk question that could appear. You should also ask the interviewer a few small-talk questions.
Mention that You’re an Introvert
Why would you be afraid of who and what you are?
No one says that being an introvert is bad! On the contrary…introverts tend to be more complex individuals that could perceive more of this life than most extroverts possibly could.
During the interview, mention the fact that you’re an introvert. Make sure that you emphasize the qualities and strengths that result from your condition. Also, make sure to let the employer know how you’re dealing with certain introvert problems – how you’re overcoming them.
[Extra] Mirror the Interviewer – For Both Introverts and Extroverts
This is a universal advice. Both introverts and extroverts should mirror the interviewer. This strategy brings so many benefits that can’t be described in many words (especially not within this article). Here’s a brief explanation:
When you mirror your interviewer’s body language, tone, and eye movements, you get some chances of building a rapport with that person.
When a rapport is initiated between two persons, the one who got the rapport in an unconscious way (the interviewer) will feel that the person he’s speaking to is “just like him”. This gives you many advantages in a job interview!
Conclusion
Introvert or extrovert, doing well on interviews is a matter of preparing. If you do your homework well enough and prepare yourself mentally for the event, you’ll likely land a good job. Otherwise, expecting to do well and missing out the preparation will lead you to failure.
Then, you’ll be blaming your introvert/extrovert personality for not winning that job position. That’s not the way things go. Start preparing, and you’ll witness success no matter what.
