Help me build rapport when interviewing

Hey Wozza
Q. Why is it I seem to get on better with some candidates better than others - is there something I can do?

A. Interviewing can be a delight or a strain, but the strange thing about interviewing is that for even the best recruiters we all have bad days at the office, don’t we? When try as you might you never get past first base in terms of trying to open up the candidate and gaining so much needed rapport. It is at times like these when you are struggling it is worth reminding yourself of two very simple basics of interviewing and it would be true to say of any communication. First, use the same language as the person you are speaking to. Secondly, it is not what you say but how you say it.

Let us discuss the first point: using the same language. There are two things you can consider there. People buy from people who are like themselves. That means in the sense of language the unconscious process of accepting people who talk the same language and by that in its simplest form, using the same words that your candidate uses. So if he or she uses words such as blue-chip, corporate, CEO, MD, sales strategy or whatever, when you ask them questions or clarify statements you use the words blue-chip, corporate, CEO, MD, sales strategy.

Next consider whether this person is an auditory, visual or tactile person. Listen for a language pattern that homes in on a preference for one of these. As examples auditory people use words such as: listen, hear, speak and tell more often than a visual person who will use: look, view, see and a tactile who will prefer: touch, feel, comfortable.

The easiest way to start to gain rapport if you feel that by the sound of things the situation is looking grim is just to start saying some of the points the interviewee is saying back to them using their language and words. So if he or she says ‘I raised overall sales by 10% last quarter’ you say ‘so you raised overall sales by 10% last quarter that is interesting, tell me more’.

Let us now talk about point two: it is not what you say, but how you say it. I am sure you all be aware that effective communication is made up of 55% body language, 38% of how you say it and just 7% of what you say. Believe me if you are not interested in the conversation, your interviewee will pick up on that very quickly. By the same token if you do not put feeling and enthusiasm behind describing your client opportunity, then do not be surprised when they say no.

Do not get caught out by your candidates, remember it is not what you say to your candidates but how you say it.


Take a look at http://www.recruitmentmatters.com they have plenty recruitment tips.

How do I become a top recruiter?

How to become an ‘ACE’ recruiter

If there is a particular topic on recruiting that I have been asked about over the years more than any other, it is on the subject of: what attributes/personality/skills makes for a good recruiter and what stands the great recruiters apart from the rest?

To help us start to come close to an answer I would first of all like to ask you a question or two. Why do some of the world’s technically best sports men and women never break into even the top 50 in their field? Why do some of the less gifted punch consistently above their weight (no pun intended) and why do some of the most technically gifted and best athletes who are at the top of their game start underperforming by their own extremely high standards?

We all know that the right amount of knowledge and skills when combined with appropriate personality traits will make a big difference as to whether someone is technically & emotionally capable of doing any given job. So when we take the role of the recruiter, on paper you should be able to hire someone who will be able to perform to an agreed minimum acceptable standard time in and time out. But will they all? No of course not.

So is there something else that can make the difference? Something that can help us make less poor hires? Something that can help us perform better? The answer I believe is yes and it’s not just one thing but three that will make the difference. Number one is attitude. Number two is consistency. Number three is environment. (ACE)

All three need to be right for people and organisations to prosper. There are numerous examples of great recruiters flopping when they moved organisations. There are scores of examples of underperforming recruiters positively thriving in a different environment. Similarly many recruiters have good weeks and then bad weeks, perhaps a great quarter and then a bad quarter. That comes down to consistency and not just that of their own performance. And we all know just what a difference the right attitude can make (from employer and employee) to any given outcome.

So if you are a recruiter and want to be the very best: consistently show the right attitude in an environment that works for you. Find an organisation that matches your outlook on life -not necessarily for life - but for long enough so you can get where you want to be on your ladder for success. If that ends up being the same organisation for the rest of your career, then all the better.

If you are an employer or manager then as well as making sure you do the above for yourself, hire people who will positively thrive in the environment you create. Make them fully aware of what life will be like working for and with you and what will be expected of them. Be as sure as you can that you and the employee are right for each other. When they leave you wish them well knowing you have taken them as far as you can. Be far more concerned about them performing consistently well while they are with you – that way they will be a lot less likely to leave you!

Are there any questions I should avoid asking a potential employee in the interview?

‘Questions are never indiscreet. Answers sometimes are’. Oscar Wilde

In a recent survey the five most popular interview questions asked were:
• So why do you want to work there/here?
• What are your weaknesses?
• Why should they/we hire you?
• Why are you leaving/have you left your job?
• Where do you want to be in five years time?Oh come on..... Is that really the best we can do?

If they are the top five, then most candidates will get asked them, time after time. So these are the questions they are most polished at answering and we end up hearing what they want us to hear. The end result is we put forward/hire the most polished interviewee not the best person for the job. Go on, shake up your interview questions to find out the real person behind the answers.

If you have any questions you want answers to email askwozza@recruitmentmatters.com

Any tips on interviewing candidates body language wozza?

'I speak two languages, Body and English’. Mae West

Sometimes what a candidate says can tell you one thing and their body language something quite different. Is it possible to read someone’s body language accurately? The answer is probably no if you are simply looking for text book “arms crossed - defensive”, “hand over mouth - lying” type movements. The vast majority of those ideas are gross generalisations. What if the cross armed person was simply feeling chilly or the mouth covering person was disguising a cold sore?

Well that’s those theories out of the window then!

Reading body language has got far more to do with observing changes in someone’s body posture & behaviour. Spend five minutes at the start of an interview making the person feel relaxed when talking about something in their comfort zone. Test what they look like when discussing things they are passionate and knowledgeable about. Thereafter, you can compare their relaxed, confident and open state with changes further into the conversation. We all know that it is what someone says plus how they say it and their body language that paints the full picture. So watch their body language, listen carefully to their answers and get a feel for how they says things (tonality, pitch, volume, speed) and the changes along the way and you will have a far more accurate assessment of a candidate’s suitability.

I hope this answered your question. If you want to post a question send it to askwozza@recruitmentmatters.com