I teach in my psychology of interviewing class that first impressions are made in the first 7 secs and hiring decisions are made in the first 45 secs. It’s key to get off on the right foot and build instant rapport with the interviewer to set yourself up for success.
When you have rapport with the interviewer you create the feeling of warmth and safety for them and it enhances your ability to connect with them at a deeper level. If you do it correctly, you might even create the feelings of trust and friendship.
Here is a client testimonial sharing her great story about this experience:
Hi Paul,
I wanted to send my thanks to you! I attended your seminar about interviewing and got the opportunity to try out the things I learned about a week later. And had a job offer the following week. Just accepted a position at Microsoft!
You were right. I could tell that they made the decision in the first 45 seconds. I interviewed on a Friday and on my drive home they called and invited me back for a Monday morning interview and by about 5pm that same day, I got a call from the recruiter letting me know that I was their first choice, but they needed to finalize all the budget details. On Friday afternoon, I got the offer and I start in about a week.
Anyway, I’ve had so many interviews over the past 10 months and this one was different. I was prepared, confident and made an instant connection with the people I interviewed with. It was funny….in my first interview, she said to me….I feel like I know you from somewhere.
So thank you!
Marci Kearney
206.xxx.xxxx
www.linkedin.com/in/marcikearney
www.marcikearney.wordpress.com
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Naomi Ishigaki and Tracy Schultz. Tracy Schultz said: RT @prolango: Do hiring managers really make hiring decisions in the first 45 secs? http://tr.im/B1po – (Great Testimonial!) [...]