Interview Soft Skills

So you have gotten past the HR algorithms and have been invited for your first interview with the company! You’ve been rehearsing your answers to common interview questions so you can be prepared when they ask you about your greatest weakness and what you offer the company. You may also be very keen to show off all the skills you’ve developed throughout your career to let them know you’re qualified. 

Those are all essential things to think about before an interview. However, it’s equally important to show off some soft skills in addition to tangible experience. An interview is your potential employer's chance to get to know you on a personal level. You want to make the best impression possible, right? And this taps into who you are as a person: your beliefs, values, and emotional intelligence.

In the age of AI, showcasing your HUMAN elements is where you will shine the brightest.

Let’s cover some of the key soft skills you should have when going into an interview:

Communication

Above all, communication is probably the most essential soft skill you can have. It’s often listed as the number 1 skill employers are looking for in candidates. Communication is needed in all aspects of our lives, both personal and professional. The interview is the perfect opportunity to show how well you can communicate. 

Firstly, you’ll want to prioritize a lot of the basics of communication. Showing interest in the other person and their organization is key, and something that can be surprisingly easy to forget in an interview, since the focus is on you. While they will inevitably be guiding the conversation, take time to ask them questions back, especially at the end, and leave room for them to include comments and have a back and forth with you. 

In addition to this, one of the things that can guide your communication is having understanding of the organization itself. While preparing, be sure to look at their mission statement or values section on their website. What tone do they use? What qualities are most important to them? 

This gives you insight into their brand and the attitude they’re looking for in a candidate. Try to reflect or reference these insights in your conversation. This might include using language and specific words that they stress are their values. Make sure this is subtle and organic, it can look forced if you overdo it. 

Preparing your answers

It’s always good to be prepared, and that’s especially true when it comes to interview questions. While you can’t predict every question they’ll ask you, you can generally prepare for common interview questions, both in your field and across fields. You can also prepare stories that you can use in many answers. 

Storytelling is a powerful skill, and while it may not be directly tied to your job, it can be very useful in an interview. Think back to notable moments in your career. What was a time you excelled? What was a time you needed help? What was a time you failed and how did you fix your mistake?

Then consider how best to put these events into stories. Every story needs a beginning, middle and end with a compelling conflict to follow. How can you introduce the issue, explain what you did and what your thought process was, and show the results of your actions? If you can answer those questions, you’ll be well on your way to constructing a compelling narrative in your answers.

Remaining Level headed and relaxed

It can be overwhelming to keep all of the advice in your head when you go into the interview. You may be consciously worrying about how to make the right amount of eye contact, structure your body language correctly, and remember all the stories you prepared. This is a natural side effect of being nervous doing something new. In time, these feelings will hopefully diminish and you'll find each of these steps to be more natural. 

Practice can make you feel more confident. Having good answers prepared takes a lot of pressure away, as you know you have something to fall back on. It also helps to just have practice runs. See if you can find a local career services center in your area. They can offer mock interviews to help you practice. 

Lastly, while it’s easy to worry about how you’ll incorporate all the advice you hear, the most important thing is to just find a way to relax. I started out getting incredibly nervous in interviews and other professional meetings, and still do from time to time. But once you can find a way to relax, everything just kind of falls into place. The conversation flows well, you strike the right balance of asking and answering questions, and you adopt friendly and receptive mannerisms. 

Prepare for You Interviews With Coaching Program

Want to excel in your interviews and leave the best impression possible? Our coaching program at Mindset City Co can help you do just that with individual sessions that help review CVs, mock interview preparations, and diving into your human side so you get the insight you need to shine. Get closer to your next position today!