Being able to interview well is an essential part of advancing professionally. No matter how strong your qualifications, if you aren’t able to get past the interview, you may never have the opportunity to show off your skills. Acing an interview involves a lot more than simply letting your interviewer know that you have the experience and knowledge to do the job well. Interviewers are also looking for the candidate that comes across as the most capable, confident, and professional. This is where strong communication skills can make or break an interview. Take a look at our three tips below to help you land your dream job:
- Watch Your Tone: Your tone of voice can significantly impact the impression you make. One particularly damaging tonal pattern is “upspeak”, the habit of continually raising your tone at the end of a sentence as though you were asking a question. Upspeak can make you seem inexperienced and unsure of yourself. A monotone may lead the interviewer to think you are disinterested in the job. Pay attention to your typical tonal patterns to make sure you come across as professional and authoritative.
- Slow Down: Being nervous often makes people speak more quickly than they normally would. Rushing your words not only betrays the fact that you are nervous, it makes it much more difficult for the interviewer to understand your speech and follow your message. Take your time, and pause in between important thoughts.
- Articulate: Sloppy speech can make you appear unprofessional and even unintelligent. Crisp, clear speech automatically gives others the impression that you are collected and confident. Pronounce all of the letters in each and every word. Pay special attention to the sounds at the ends of words; this is where people are often sloppy, but the ends of words often carry crucial information that can cause misunderstandings if not heard.
Want to learn more? Take a look at the following video and hear Corporate Speech Solutions president and founder, Jayne Latz, give more great tips for acing the interview!
Are you ready to transform your speech into your most powerful professional tool? You may benefit from the services of a corporate speech-language pathologist! 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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