Managing the first 20 seconds

info@cbl-global.com IIIIIIII www.cbl-global.com

You have 20 seconds or less to impress
upon an employer
whether or not she should consider
hiring you. From the moment
you walk into her office to the moment
you sit down in a chair,
thousands of neurons will be firing in
the interviewer’s brain asking
one of two things:
“Is this person friend or foe?”
If you want the interviewer’s initial
response to be “this is a friend” rather
than the opposite, you should follow a
few seemingly simple instructions.

Wear a smile, no matter how you
feel. A smile conveys
confidence, high self-esteem,
competence, warmth,
and enthusiasm.
A smile is not just another facial
expression. It’s a signal
to that primitive part of the brain
that makes the split-second
assessment of friend or foe. It
says, “I’m on your side. I will not
harm you.”

Wear clothes that are appropriate
to the occasion. It is not so much
the color of your suit or the
pattern on
your tie that matters. It is the
respect you show to the
interviewer by indicating,
indirectly, that the interview
is an important occasion to you
and that you value the
interviewer’s time so much that
you have put serious
consideration into your
appearance Before you get the job,
take the time to be more
formal and more
conservative than you
would normally be.

• A firm handshake, using the
whole hand in the other
person’s hand, is an
appropriate business
handshake.
• There is no reason to shake a
woman’s hand any differently
than you would shake a man’s
hand. Firm and businesslike
is the rule to remember.
A handshake that is firm with one, two, or three “pumps” of
the elbow is an appropriate business greeting, signaling to
the employer, “Let’s get down to business.”

Address the interviewer as Ms.
or Mr. ________________
until you’re invited to call him
or her by a first name.
Again, this greeting is part of
being respectful of the
interviewer’s time and
authority.
Do not sit down until the interviewer suggests that you do.
Do not, at any time during interview, put anything on the
interviewer’s desk.
Turn your pager and cell phone off!

You might even think of it this
way:
You are hiring a new boss!
Do you want to work for this
person? Would you like to be
around this person almost 40
hours a week? Would you like
to be a part of this
organization?
When you think about it,
the power belongs not only
to the interviewer
but also to you!.

Another thing to remember
about your attitude is that you
are interviewing the company,
just as the company is
interviewing
you.
• Do you like the general tone
of the company?
• Do you feel respected?
• Do you feel you’re being
listened to?
• Are your questions and
answers being taken seriously?

You Passed the Test!
That’s it! You’ve
passed the audition!
Congratulations!

Managing the first 20 seconds

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

More from Consultants for Business Leaders

More from Consultants for Business Leaders (10)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Managing the first 20 seconds