“Uh, Hi. Um, I’m here for an interview”—Are You Communicating Well?

How well do you communicate in an interview? Do you hem and haw, add a few “ums” and leave “pregnant” pauses that leave you wondering afterward how you did? For people who are not public speakers or used to talking about themselves, an interview can be full of trepidation before, during and after they speak their first word.

There are various techniques for preparing for an interview that will help you overcome the heebie jeebies. First, you need to know yourself. Make notes and write up some of your recent best successes that show why you should be hired, ones that could easily translate into business success for your potential new employer. Be sure to include relevant, meaningful key words that suit your line of work. Keep in mind who’s going to be listening.

Then rehearse talking about these successes, either by yourself, with a friend, on video or in front of a mirror. There are plenty of lists of interview questions on the web that you can practice answering, including that proverbial one, "Tell me about yourself and why I should hire you."

You don’t want your answers to be over-rehearsed so they sound canned or inauthentic. You just want to be comfortable enough with talking about yourself, what you’ve done and what you offer an employer that you speak in smooth, clear and logical sentences. Think of it as telling your story in a conversational way.

Take notes, or have someone do it for you, of how many times you say “um” or “er” or the like, and of your eye contact. Try pausing briefly to breathe instead of inserting one of these non-words. If you are using a mirror, notice the expression on your face. Is it earnest, friendly, thoughtful, worried or intense? Try to adjust your facial expression to keep any anxiety from showing.

Then try it all over again, modifying what you did wrong before. And do it again, and again. In fact, you should practice until you can tell your story like it’s one you’ve been telling all your life and so it comes across as if you are telling it for the first time.

Here’s an interesting self-assessment tool from Mind Tools to evaluate your communication skills.

Text and word art: Copyright 2010, Cynthia C. Rosso