In the past week two of my coaching clients were successful in securing promotions, something they had both worked hard for, and which is well deserved. They have had to overcome many a challenge to get there, but they’ve done it and I am very happy for them.
There are some challenges that I frequently see amongst some introverted women going for interviews for senior leadership roles. These make interviews an unpleasant experience and hinder them being at their best.
Here are a few suggestions on how to overcome them which will help you to win the interview panel over:
1. Leading up to the interview
Because of the way in which interviews are generally conducted, there is often a lack of the thinking time that people who are introverted need. You are asked a question and expected to respond on the spot. This is something which tends not to come naturally for introverts who have a preference for thinking, reflecting, and processing the information before speaking.
This is why preparing adequately for the interview is so important. There have been many occasions where I have broken down their previous interview experiences with clients, only to find that they had not adequately prepared for them.
This is not an exhaustive list, but things that help when preparing include:
- Understanding how the role you are applying for fits into the bigger picture
- Reading the organisation’s strategic plan and recent reports to gain an understanding of the priorities
- Looking at performance figures and identifying where they are performing well and where they aren’t (where performance is not good, give thought to what you would do to improve it)
- Recollecting examples from your experience that demonstrate you meet the criteria
- Thinking about how you can interweave what you have picked up whilst doing your preparation into the interview, and questions to ask
2. Feeling calm and confident before you step in the room
If you have to travel for the interview, give yourself plenty of time to allow for any travel disruptions. If the interview is in the building you work in, if possible, take time off before the interview. If this isn’t possible, keep your calendar light leading up to it.
Sometimes the interview can start before you enter the room, in that the panel get feedback from reception (and other staff you may encounter) about how the interviewee has interacted with them. So be on your best behaviour at all times.
If you are feeling anxious and worrying about the interview, it is likely that this will hinder your performance. You may find it difficult to think clearly and have irrational thoughts, as well as ruminate over what you are worrying about.
If you are stressed and anxious, you may speed up what you’re saying because you want to get it over and done with and end up talking too fast. Doing breathing exercises can help with this.
Rationalising your thoughts and beliefs about yourself and the interview before you go in can help to ease interview anxiety.
3. What to do if you’re greeted by a ‘cold’ panel
I have had many clients tell me that if the panel is warm and welcoming, and tries to put them at ease, it is so much easier for them. When the panel is cold and doesn’t make them feel at ease, they often imagine the worst.
They think that the panel already knows who they want to give the role to, but they’re just going through the motions of interviewing as a tick box exercise. Or it’s because they are a woman, or it’s the colour of their skin, or it’s because they are introverted, or whatever their situation is.
Whilst this may be the case in some situations, it is not all the time. But if you have already written yourself off in this way before being interviewed, it can negatively affect how you perform.
Challenge your thinking about why an interview panel may seem cold towards you. There could be many reasons for this, so don’t automatically think it’s because they don’t like you or think that you are not good enough.
4. Building rapport
If you want to win the panel over, build rapport with them. Not only will it help you to feel calm, but it will also help the panel to feel like there is a connection with you. This will make it easier for you to feel at ease and be at your best.
Research suggests that the impression gained from the initial rapport building part of an interview, can influence the outcome. One study found that the initial impressions of interviewees influenced the result of who to appoint.
The results showed that the initial impressions of the interviewers predicted their ratings for the responses to the structured questions that were asked. And not only that, to the actual employment decisions that were made.
Don’t just expect the interviewers to be the ones to develop rapport with you, you also do your bit to develop a rapport with them. This may be easier for someone who is naturally more sociable, but even if you’re not, make the effort (doing it in an authentic way), because first impressions count.
5. Remember to self-promote
One of the things that has often previously let the women I work with down, is their lack of self-promotion. The interview is your opportunity to show what value you can bring to the role, and you need to be able to satisfy the panel that you can perform at that level and are the best person for it.
In a study looking at why impression management positively influences interview ratings, the findings suggested that ‘in order to fare better in interviews, interviewees should attempt to appear more competent by using honest verbal self‐promotion tactics, such as recounting areas of expertise and explaining positive qualities and traits.’
If you find it uncomfortable putting the spotlight on yourself, put the focus on the results you have achieved and the difference that it has made, emphasising the role you played in it. I regularly come across women who focus on the ‘we’ (the team effort), rather than the role that they played. Whilst it is good to acknowledge the team effort, don’t undersell yourself by not getting across the value that YOU added.
6. Don’t let your mind race ahead so you start worrying and become anxious
It is easy in an interview to let your mind race ahead worrying about the worst possible outcome. When this happens, it is likely to make you feel anxious, and if you’re feeling anxious, not think clearly.
If this happens and you start to worry, acknowledge it, and tell yourself you haven’t got time to think about that at the moment and that you will worry about it when you get home. Right now, you are focused on getting through the interview. Bring your mind back to the present and be in the moment when your mind starts racing ahead.
One client told me that sometimes she would start to give a response, then find herself waffling, because she hadn’t really understood what had been asked. Knowing she was waffling made her feel anxious. This in turn affected her interview performance.
If the panel asks you a question you are not sure of, or you need a bit more time to process what has been asked, ask them to repeat the question, or seek clarification.
If you get anxious about job interviews, putting these 5 things into practice will help to make it a better experience for you, making it easier for you to perform at your best, and increasing the possibility of you acing the interview.
What are the biggest challenges you have about job interviews?
First published on LinkedIn.
If you are an introverted woman and a senior leader and want to increase your confidence, influence and impact, take my free assessment and get a report identifying areas to develop. You can take the assessment here.