Wrecking an Interview in the First Few Minutes

HR managers, recruiters and supervisors form an opinion about a candidate within the first few minutes of a job interview. Once you reach the interview phase of a job search, everything is on the line. Nothing else matters except the face time you get with the people in front of you, and your resume simply becomes a document you can refer to later.

Preparation is the key to preventing a train wreck in the first five minutes of a job interview. First impressions can overcome any doubts a person has about your abilities, skills and qualifications on paper. You already expect questions about your weaknesses, hypothetical situations, your past employers, how you handle certain psychological conundrums and what you bring to the position. What you may not anticipate is an honest and frank conversation with a prospective employer.

It is important to tailor your job interview responses to the position at hand. After all, you applied for one position within the company, you mined the job description to place keywords on the resume and you made sure your skills lined up with the position. Your focus, and that of HR, should be the position and how you are the perfect fit as opposed to any hypothetical questions. This is why each and every one of your responses to questions — especially in the first five minutes — should revolve around the specific position for which you applied.

How you react to what interviewers say is crucial to how the other people in the room perceive you. When someone asks you to describe the climate for the company, give that person an honest appraisal. Do not be surprised if a job interview starts with your questions first rather than HR asking you about the skills you bring to the table. The types of questions you ask determine what you know about the company, how much you understand the position and why you want the job. The people in front of you have done this before, and they can spot someone who knows what he is talking about. Do not destroy your chances by winging it and giving useless information.

Questions from the interviewee to the interviewers start the conversation. The job interview then goes from there, even without a script, and everyone gets to know the applicant. The first few minutes set the tone for the interview, so come prepared with your questions in mind. Make sure the answers to the questions cannot be found by normal means, such as through an Internet search or by researching the company in depth. These questions should show you have more insight than other applicants. Do not wreck the interview with mundane queries.

Nonverbal cues at the beginning of the interview are also key to the interviewer's first impression of you. Smile warmly, maintain eye contact, know your resume backwards and forwards, and keep your energy level as high as possible. Use your body language properly by sitting up straight and paying attention. Your attitude is just as important as your information.

You have plenty of opportunities to fail in your quest to earn your perfect job. Luckily, by the time you reach the job interview, you already know a few things. Do not wreck your chances by leaving a bad first impression.

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