The KEY to Active listening - Interviewee: Interviewer

The interview, is the key to open your door to employment.

You need to make sure that you don't give back the key to the recruiter and throw your chances of landing yourself a job. While there are many things that need to be considered for an interview preparation, I'd like to emphasize on one thing " Active Listening".

The recruiter starts assessing you from the minute, you walk in for an interview.

Some of them tend to make you wait for sometime, just to check your level of patience. Imagine if you have to deal with old age customer’s or many irate customer's once you start working there. So be patient and take in the atmosphere around you and once you're with the interviewer , you need to starting listening actively.

Remember , that you have the KEY;

The KEY to listening consists of three major things:

• Pay Keen attention to what is being said
• Engage yourself in the listening process with verbal and non – verbal nods
• Yield tips on what you are going to say next, based on the what the recruiter has to say.

By doing this you show that you are interested in the conversation and this is how you will be, when it comes to your work.

 Well I'm sure you’re going to say “I have to listen while I am at an interview , do I have any other choice ”, You need to understand see that there’s a difference between hearing what’s being said and active listening.

Active listening means acknowledging and showing your presence to what's happening during the interview. You need to show that you’re involved in the conversation. You don’t want the recruiter to think, that you can’t understand what is being said.

I know they say interviews have a 80:20 (You: Recruiter) Ratio when it comes to the conversation part. And, the recruiter might have planned to get that 80% from the conversation with you.

But why not think like this. You keep your target as 60:40 so that , the 40 % that you deliver is more than enough to get you through the interview. As to much of information given will also damage the interview process.(I'll explain about this in my next post)

Try asking the recruiter some questions about the job that will enable you to perform better during the interview. You can also mention examples of your past job, where you have utilised a particular skill that is required for the current job. Elaborating on how you accomplished a task in your last job can leave an indelible mark in the recruiter’s mind. Imagine the recruiter thinking about how you performed during the interview, even after you have left, that increases your chances of getting the job even if there are certain criteria's that may hinder your  job application.

So ensure that during the interview you use all your Active Listening and preparation skills to the fullest.

Remember the KEY is in your hands.

All the Best

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I am a person who loves life and lives to enjoy every single minute given to me. I love to write and have got an opportunity to do so now. 

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