Picture by Muhammad Mustain
Instead, develop and use eight key tactics.
Even with a soaring economy and with America enjoying full-employment status, some job seekers struggle to get a job. Unfortunately, some use a technique to mirror the demeanor of interviewers.
However, psychological research confirms the people-pleasing tactic of mimicking interviewers – in posture or gestures – is a bad idea. Don’t copycat the interviewer. Your reputation will suffer.
Mirroring is an unproductive strategy, especially in front of two or more interviewers. That’s the advice from a 2011 University of California, San Diego study.
“Mimicry is a crucial part of social intelligence,” says the study’s co-author, psychological scientist Piotr Winkielman. “But it is not enough to simply know how to mimic. It’s also important to know when and when not to.”
His research colleagues included psychological scientist Liam-Kavanagh, and philosophers Chris Suhler and Patricia Churchland.
They conducted videotaped experiments of interviews. As a result, observers concluded the mirroring interviewees were incompetent, untrustworthy and unlikable.
Professor Winkielman acknowledges mimicry is considered acceptable in certain social settings. But not in the workplace.
Professor Winkielman acknowledges mimicry is considered acceptable in certain social settings. But not in the workplace.
“…it’s good to have the capacity to mimic, but an important part of social intelligence is knowing how to deploy this capacity in a selective, intelligent, context-dependent manner,” he explains. “Sometimes the socially intelligent thing to do is not to imitate.”
Job hunters need to develop and use eight key tactics:
- Research your prospective employers to see what they care about, and the verbage used in their job posts
- To pass screening software, use LinkedIn Profile Optimization (the only ideal time for mirroring)
- Be transparent in your answers
- Demonstrate value, and in some situations remember employers want critical thinkers
- Show your soft skills, and flexibility
- Act with professional confidence, including strong eye contact
- Dress professionally
- Smile
Good luck!
From the Coach’s Corner, here are five job-hunting resource links:
Discouraged in Job Hunting? Powerful Tips for the Best Job — Whether unemployed or under-employed, a person needs two things: A sense of hope and the right tools to negotiate a job. Here are both.
Study: Best Way to Get a Job Isn’t by Networking — Job experience counts more than whom you know, according to a nationwide survey of job hunters by Beyond.com. Networking with contacts was cited as most-important by fewer than 20 percent of the respondents.
Career Advice — An Alternative to Applying for Jobs Online — As a job-hunter you know that a significant number of companies, nonprofits and public-sector agencies use an online tracking system to accept applications and screen out applicants.
Multiple Job Offers? Ask the Right Questions to Win in Your Career — The words every job seeker wants to hear: “We want you.” You’re no exception. You’ve been on a nerve-racking job hunt, and at long last the search is over. Suddenly, you’ve got choices — several companies have said “We want to hire you.” It’s an enviable situation, but now your real work begins.
“Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure.”
–Norman Vincent Peale
__________
