5 Ways to Increase Your Odds of Getting Hired

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By Jack Schafer, Ph.D. and Tom Meloni, Ph..D.

Job seekers seldom look at a job interview through the eyes of their future employers because job seekers are too focused on their own performances. Employers have unspoken questions that may be inappropriate to ask in an interview. Nonetheless, those questions seek answers. Some of the unasked questions are “Will I like this person?”; "Will this person get along with the other staff?”; “Will this person be disruptive?”; "Is this person committed to the organization?”; and “Am I making the right decision to hire this person.” Addressing these unasked questions will increase the probability of you getting hired. As you answer each of the unasked questions, look for nonverbal and verbal “like signals” that indicate that you and your future employer are hitting it off. Like signals include eyebrow flashes, smiles, head tilts, and nods.

1. Seek Common Ground

When you walk into your future employer’s office, scan the room for pictures, trinkets, sports paraphernalia, hobbies, or anything you can use to find common ground. Common ground is the quickest way to build rapport. The three ways to establish common ground are contemporaneous, temporal, and vicarious. Contemporaneous means that you and your future employer share the same interests at the same time. If your future employer displays the logo of a sports team and you are a fan of the same team, you have contemporaneous common ground. Temporal common ground is established when you and your future employer share interests across time. If your future employer has a picture of his or her children or their works of refrigerator art pinned to the wall, and you have grown children or you plan to have children, you experience common ground across time, either past or future. Vicarious common ground is established when you and your future employer share a common interest through a third person. If your future employer displays a Chicago White Sox logo and you are not a Sox fan, all is not lost. If a relative or friend is a Sox fan, make a comment to the effect, “Oh, my brother is a real Sox fan.” By mentioning this, you and your future employer share common ground through your brother. If you don’t know anybody who is a Sox fan, talk about a person you know who likes baseball in general. Getting your future employer to like you is the first step in the hiring process. Your expression of common interest must be sincere. Do not try to fake it. Employers do not want to hire phonies. Employers seek men and women of good character.

2. Make your future boss feel good about himself or herself

The Golden Rule of Friendship states: If you want people to like you, make them feel good about themselves. Flatter your future employer, but not directly. Direct flattery often sounds patronizing in a job interview. The best way to flatter people is to allow them to flatter themselves. Few people will pass up an opportunity to flatter themselves. Make a well-placed comment such as “I noticed that everyone in the office looks happy. That’s a sign of good management.” Since your future employer manages the people you saw, watch for a faint smile as your future employer silently compliments himself or herself for being a good manager. Allowing your future employer to flatter himself or herself is a far better way to get him or her to like you than direct flattery. Building quick rapport with your future employer increases your chances of getting hired because employers tend to hire people that they like and can get along with.

3. Articulate Short-term and Long-term Goals

Few job seekers look beyond the job interview. Employers not only want to know how newly hired employees will fit into the organization, but employers also want to know how newly hired employees will grow with the organization. Job seekers with vision telegraph that they intend to be with the organization for the long haul. The last thing employers want to do is to go through the hiring and training processes every couple of years. Job seekers can alleviate these concerns by stating their short-term and long-term goals. Make realistic short-term goals. For example, “My short-term goals are to orient myself as to how the organization functions, start from the bottom and learn the ropes, and, if relocation is involved, seek suitable housing.” Long-term goals should be based on common sense. For example, “My long-term goal is to take on more important responsibilities as I grow with the company.” These goals demonstrate that you thought about the position you are seeking, that you are willing to start at the bottom, and that you expect to take on more responsibilities as you acquire new skills. This technique also works for experienced job seekers as well. Every organization has different expectations. Even the most experienced job seekers must not only learn how the new organization functions, but they must also develop strategies to integrate into the existing organizational culture before they can take on larger responsibilities.

4. Look at your interview through the perspective of your future employer

Employers hire people who are not only qualified but people who employers think will not cause problems in the future. Employers hire people who they think will get along with the rest of the team. Employers often ask themselves, “If I hire this person, will I be making the right decision?” You should make statements that will help your future employers envision what it would be like for them if they hired you. You should sprinkle your responses with comments such as “As an employee here, I will…” to draw a visual picture or mental image of you performing your duties as an existing employee. Visual imagery encourages your future employer to visualize you as an employee and reassures your future employer that he or she “made” the right decision to hire you before you actually get hired. As you respond, look for friend signals to ensure that your message resonated.

5. Make a Commitment

Employers want to know that they made the right decision when they hire someone. This reaction is similar to buyer’s remorse. After making a big purchase, buyers tend to second guess themselves as to whether they made the right decision or not. Buyer’s remorse can cause untold anxiety. You should reassure your future employer that he or she is making the right decision to hire you by making one or more commitment statements at the close of your interview or meeting. For example, “I promise to work hard and be on time every day”; “I promise to work to my fullest ability”; or “I promise I will not do anything to embarrass this organization.” Make commitments and live up to the commitments you make. What more could an employer say but, “Your hired!”

For more tips and techniques to detect deception refer to The Like Switch: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Influencing, Attracting, and Winning People Over.