I've Conducted Over 1,000 Job Interviews — The 7 Techniques That Will Get You Hired
These are techniques anyone can master.
PH888 | Shutterstock I've conducted more than 1,000 interviews and interrogations. Over time, I learned that rapport building and establishing trust are critical to successful interviewing, whether you’re interviewing or being interviewed. Gaining trust is easy, assuming you’re trustworthy and have plenty of time. But what if you don’t have much time?
Researchers have found the importance of reciprocity in building trust, as perceptions of reciprocity were shown to facilitate the source’s positive affective and cognitive trust evaluations of the interviewer, which, in turn, increased their cooperation and disclosure of critical information. This study further demonstrated that reciprocity can be successfully engaged by the interviewer, demonstrating their trustworthiness and demonstrating their willingness to trust.
What if you’re in a job interview and get one hour with another person? What if you’re a creator or entrepreneur who jumps on a call with a client and gets 30 minutes to pitch a service and build trust with a stranger? The techniques I list below are the ones I’ve used hundreds of times. Regardless of your role, the methods for establishing trust stay the same.
Here are 7 job interview techniques that will get you hired:
1. Absorb what the interviewer is saying
Notice I didn’t say listen. Take in each word when the other person is talking. You can nod, smile, or do anything else that shows them you’re engaged. This is not the time to check your phone.
Make the other person feel heard. As a detective, I’d make sure the person I was talking to knew I wanted to listen to their story even if they didn’t like me. I didn’t talk over them, correct them, take notes, or interrupt.
I absorbed what they had to say, even if it wasn’t truthful. At that early point in the conversation, the goal wasn’t necessarily to get the truth. The goal was to send the message that I’m here to take in whatever you want to share.
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2. Pause before answering
When the average person engages in a conversation, there is often no gap between when one person finishes talking and the other starts. That’s fine for old friends. But when you speak with someone you don’t know, there is a better way. When they ask you a question, pause briefly before you answer.
That pause is important. It sends a message that you are not just blurting out words or giving an answer you’ve already rehearsed. It shows that you are thinking about what was said to you and actively formulating an answer.
3. Slow down the speed of your speaking
Speaking slowly and deliberately has an immediate, positive psychological effect on people. It conveys calm and confidence. We tend to talk fast and in a slightly higher pitch when we are nervous. When we are angry, our pitch increases, and we talk faster.
The brain tends to associate slow and clear speech with truth. If you struggle with speaking slowly and deliberately, try focusing on breathing. Deep breathing helps to naturally relax the mind and body, slowing speech.
4. Admit when you don't know something
People often struggle to admit that they don’t know something or have an answer to a question. It’s not uncommon for them to guess or change the subject when that happens. Instead, use that as an opportunity to build trust. Don’t be afraid to admit that you don’t know something.
You can always say, “I don’t know, but after we talk, I’ll find the answer and get back to you.” That’s an honest answer, and it naturally creates an opportunity to build more trust when you follow through, find the answer, and get back to them. Admitting you don’t have an answer also signals other traits like humility and confidence.
5. Avoid toxic positivity
The methods you use to build trust are important, but what you choose to avoid is even more crucial. Toxic positivity and people-pleasing tend to destroy credibility.
No one wants to hear “everything will be just fine” when you cannot know an outcome. It’s unreasonable to think another person will agree with you on all topics. Candor frankness builds trust, even if it offends at the moment.
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6. Address hard topics
Take advantage of hard topics or tough conversations. Skipping difficult conversations sends the message that if you have to choose between honesty and comfort, you’ll choose comfort. Choosing comfort is self-serving, and self-serving is a death sentence for trust-building. If there is bad news to give, give it.
Delaying bad news or attempting to spin it never works to your benefit. If you don’t see a topic the same way as the other person, acknowledge that difference while seeking to see the issue from the other person’s point of view. You don’t need to agree, but you do need to seek to understand.
7. Ask for the interviewer's thoughts or opinions
Ask for help. Humans are conditioned to want to help others, although we often don’t like to ask for it. It feels good when someone asks you for something you can quickly provide. The key is that it has to be something simple and fast.
You can do this with anyone. Ask the other person for their thoughts on a problem or their opinion on a solution. The answer doesn’t matter; what matters is the message you sent. That message is that you trust them.
People are going to judge you, and they’ll do it quickly. You don’t get any say in that. The good news is that you get a say in whether or not they trust you and how quickly that happens. The beauty of all the skills listed here is that they can be practiced daily in conversations.
According to research from The Australian Journal of Psychology, trust is the bedrock for many employee outcomes, such as job performance and satisfaction, organizational commitment, organizational citizenship behavior, and psychological safety. Yet, historically, trust has been given multiple definitions, and the literature considers it a trait, a state, and a cognitive process.
The ability to rapidly build trust might mean getting the job you are applying for or the promotion you want. If you’re an entrepreneur, it could mean landing a client. People need to trust you to hand you their money for a service. In the end, it’s not just about landing a job or a client — it’s about building a reputation as someone others can rely on.
Joshua Mason is a former police detective and public safety leader turned writer. His weekly stories on Medium are dedicated to change, leadership, and life lessons.