How confident are you in your interview skills? Last week, we talked about ways to improve your interview skills to help you land your dream job. Today, we’ll take a look at the issue from the other side of the coin: what not to do during a job interview.
- Upspeak: Have you ever spoken with someone who sounds like they’re asking a question, even with they’re making a statement? Upspeak, the habit of continually raising your tone at the end of a sentence is to blame. Using upspeak can make you seem inexperienced and unsure of yourself, and can undermine your professional authority. Take care to monitor your tone when you speak to sound professional and authoritative.
- Rushing: Many people speak more quickly than usual when they’re nervous, which is often the case during a job interview. Rushing your speech not only makes it difficult to seem collected and together, but also makes your words much more difficult to understand. Slow down, and pace yourself as you answer interview questions. It doesn’t matter how strong your interview is, if your interviewer can’t understand your speech.
- Speaking Too Softly: Some people tend to speak more quietly and hesitantly when addressing authority figures in an attempt to sound polite and deferent. However, it can actually give the impression that you’re unsure of what you have to say, or that you lack confidence when speaking with others. Make sure to breathe deeply and use a strong, confident speaking voice during your interview.
- Using Slang: This can be a particular problem for young professionals or recent graduates new to the working world. Many phrases and words which seem natural may be completely inappropriate for the workplace. Take some time to take stock of your vocabulary and see which slang words and phrases you use most often. It may be helpful to enlist the help of a friend or colleague, as you may not even notice some of the slang you use!
Want more great strategies for acing the interview? A corporate speech-language pathologist can help! For information on the New York Based Speech and Accent Reduction services offered by Corporate Speech Solutions please give us a call at 212-308-7725 or visit us on the web at www.corporatespeechsolutions.com. Not in NYC? No problem! We also provide Skype and video conferencing services.
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