Your Secret Interview Weapon
Interview Tips — Your Smile Is a Weapon
You might be surprised when I tell you this, but your smile can be a powerful interview weapon. Yes, you heard me right — your smile.
I know what you’re thinking. What about my experience? My accomplishments? Those are certainly important; they are what got you to the interview. But now that you’re here, you’re competing against other people who also have good experience and impressive accomplishments. If you want to come out on top you need an edge, and your smile could be the edge you need.
A genuine smile has an amazing effect on people. Notice I said a genuine smile. A quickly manufactured, pop-on-your-face type smile won’t do. It has to be the real thing, so if you’re not a natural smiler, start practicing.
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- Have you ever watched a movie and the first 30 minutes were slow and full of plot holes? When that happens to me I start looking for other things wrong.
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- How about trudging through the first few chapters of a book, and spotting a mistake? Suddenly you find yourself searching for typos or misused words.
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- Even vacations aren’t immune to the effects. Have you ever been on the way to the beach and been hit with thunderstorms?
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Things like that put a damper on the rest of your experience. I’m going to let you in on one of my secret interview tips …
Interviews Are No Different
If you walk into the room and shake hands with a member of the interview team while wearing a frown, or even a serious expression, it might not make them view you with a jaded eye but it certainly won’t give you an edge. And you need every edge you can get because the competition for good jobs is fierce.
It’s a fact that most job offers go to the candidate who interviews the best, not the best candidate for the job. Why not start yourself out with an edge — smile. There are no defenses. Once you get the interviewer smiling, you’ll be ahead of the pack, and once you’re there it’s your job to lose.
A Real Smile Can Be Wonderful
There is a lot of wisdom in old quotations and sayings. One of my favorites is, “Laughter is the best medicine.” And now there is scientific proof to support that theory. I’ve included a few facts to consider about smiling — all scientifically proven.
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- Smiling makes you more attractive.
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- Smiling makes you feel better.
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- Smiling is contagious.
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- Smiling relaxes you.
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- Smiling is a drug.
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- Smiling gives you confidence.
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- Smiling lifts your spirits.
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Most important of all — it’s almost impossible for the other person not to smile when someone smiles at them. Even if they don’t smile on the outside, they are smiling on the inside. For the purpose of an interview, that’s even better.
Bottom Line
Now that you know all that a smile can do for you, get in front of the mirror and practice. You can thank me later.