“ Be well behaved everytime” - Every Parent.
We all are habituated to listening about manners, like how to behave, how to talk, how to walk , how to talk to elders and what not. We are taught to be well mannered right from childhood, right? Every parent wants their child to be equipped with good manners. Now when you are interviewing for a position, get all those manners into place. Make a checklist before entering the meeting link. A well mannered person is considered to be organised and responsible whereas a person with zero soft skills and bad manners would not be taken into consideration. The interview panel does not know the candidate personally (at least in most cases) therefore it is impossible for them to know what kind of person you are outside that online meeting. They just see the way you behave during the interview. It may sound silly but yeah people tend to make mistakes without realising that they are making a mistake. Few things might look normal but are not normal at all when it comes to professional interviews. It is a video call but certainly not with your friend. The interviewers will just see the way you behave and the skills you have during the interview, they would not consider the kind of person you are outside that meeting link. It is very important to look professional and act professionally when it comes to interviews. Every other thing can wait for sometime , you can attend to them later but these 30 minutes would not really come back in your life. Interviewers get attracted to people who behave professionally because they want professionals for their organisation. one mistake might change everything! So ,start making a difference within yourself to increase the chances of getting hired.
STATISTICS
- 67 percent of people answer phone calls or answer text messages during interviews.
- Around 59 percent of candidates appear to be arrogant.
- 48 percent of people tend to say negative things about their previous employer.
- 45 percent interviewees do not know anything about the job position or the company.
- 43 percent of people have unprofessional body language.
- 38 percent of job seekers fail to pass a formal smile.
- Almost 68 percent of candidates fail to maintain eye contact with the employer, thereby losing connection from the interviewer.
- 32 percent candidates move from their seat as they change their position a lot or they start playing with the chair instead.
- People also start playing or fidgeting with their things on their table. Yes, 32 percent of people do this.
- 31 percent of candidates tend to have a bad posture.
- 31 percent candidates sit with their arms crossed over their chest.
- 26 percent of interviewees play with their hair or touch their face continuously.
- 13 percent of candidates use too many hand gestures.
Why are interview manners important?
- Behave well at all times - A person’s behaviour tells a lot about a person. How the person is in general and his behaviour is because it is very important to select a person with good behaviours and professional manners to fit an organisation, to coordinate with a team and work with a leader without being arrogant.
- A candidate should not be ill mannered - If a person is not well behaved then it can be a problem for the other members in the organisation and organisation’s reputation. Now these situations come after getting hired , right? How will the interviewer get to know about the interviewee? They notice minute details amidst the interviews.
- Don’t violate any basic manners - Every time we violate any basic manners , we fail to impress them. That confidence in face matters but yes a flash of arrogance ruins the entire game. Therefore, maintaining a balance is necessary. Other than learning about common questions about the company and the position you are interviewing for , you should also know basic interview manners.
- Impress the Interviewers - Do you want that job? You think you are qualified for that job? There’s just one thing to do. Impress the interviewers. Yes, right. When we say impress , we mean be confident and avoid every unusual thing you can even think of, to increase the chances of getting hired. First impressions are always important. When a person sees you for the first time , they will know you for the person you will present in front of them. It works like, they see the way you behave. It all depends upon the art of self advertising.
- Keep every little thing in mind - One should keep a variety of things in mind when it comes to interview manners. Even a small thing can create a huge difference in the hiring process. A perfect guide to interview manners might help you get hired for your most desired position! What are you waiting for!
“ The test of good manners is to be able to put up pleasantly with the bad ones” - Wendell Willkie.
Tips to maintain good interview manners -
- Make arrangements to open the site early to enter the link on time - It is advised to join the meeting on time but keeping other difficulties in mind, like checking webcam and mic, also network connections one might consume time in checking all these before the interview. Therefore one must check everything and include this technical checklist at joining time.
- Mute every device around you - Before entering the link, always remember to mute mute every device around you and let not any buzz create disturbance.
- Maintain eye contact - Do not forget to maintain eye contact with your interviewers. Do not move your eyes away and look here and there. It is a sign of not being confident or absent minded.
- Greet First - Once you enter the meeting link and after making sure you are clearly audible and visible or not, greet first. Do not wait for them to greet you.
- Don’t be invisible all of a sudden - Do not switch off the video all of a sudden. Let them know if you are facing any network error.
- Unmute when you need to - Unmute yourself when you need to answer, and do not cut their words in between. If they ask to keep yourself audible at all times then make sure to unmute yourself at all times.
- Sit in a room alone - Sit alone in the room from where you are applying for the interview. Extra disturbance might affect the interview.
- Location matters - Have a decent background. A solid wall or any other clean area of your home is fine. Make sure that the area you are sitting in is not messed up.
- Sit in a proper manner - Maintain a good posture. Slouching or sitting with hands crossed over the chest is not the way to sit. Candidates should sit straight and not move here and there.
- Smiling is the key - Make sure to smile. A confident smile gives a good vibe and has positive thoughts in the virtual meeting room. A smile can do wonders because there is absence of any other kind of gestures.
- Don’t move your hands too much - Do not make too many hand gestures or sit with your arms crossed over your chest.
- Avoid casual talks - Do not take a casual tone. Interviews are supposed to be professional and not too casual.
- Choose confidence over arrogance - Do not appear to be too arrogant , you might know many things, but remember that they are taking your interview for a reason, their experience in the field is much more than you have. Also, you still need to pass through the interview to get to that position, so being confident is the only thing you can have.
- Respect the panel - Do not disrespect them. Keep calm until the end of the interview even if you don’t like certain things.
- Avoid answering calls - Do not answer phone calls every now and then. Keep everything aside. Answering calls will cut the flow of the conversation and would affect your chances of selection. Answering calls also indicates that you do not value others' time. If they aren’t using cell phones, respect and do not answer any calls.
- Make sure to do a video preview - Before entering the meeting you would not know if they expect you to keep your video on or off but you have to dress up and be ready. In order to check the camera angle to keep the background and every other thing visible on camera, do a video preview before entering the meeting.
- The location should be well lit - this doesn't mean that we need to have a shooting setup with us. The place can be lit with natural light, tubelight or any other light source with light coming from front. Just make sure that you are visible. If you are not visible, the interviewer might think that you are not okay with showing your face or you might not have a knowledge on how to switch on a proper light. To avoid this, have a good light on.
- Avoid eating anything during the interview - If you want water , food or snacks , get everything before the interview. Keep a bottle handy but do not drink water until and unless it is really necessary. Eating something is not a part of good interview manners.
- Inform others about interview date and time - Inform other members of the family about the interview such that they can keep calm during the process and not call you for anything. If possible, let them know where you're gonna sit, such that they can take things from that room beforehand if they need anything.
“Good Manners will open doors that the best education cannot” - Clarence Thomas
Do you want to repeat the mistakes? If not ,What are you waiting for! Go through these tips and get ready to shine out in your next interview. Don‘t forget to make your own checklist! It is your chance to get hired this time. Your best moments start now!
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