Jengo's Job Search Tips

Tip #11: Three keys to inspiring your listeners in an interview

Communication is the most important skill for any job candidate to master. Being a good communicator during an interview means inspiring your listener by speaking with passion, clarity, and conciseness.

Passion
No one wants to hire someone who is lukewarm or halfhearted about the company's values, product, or service. Spend time truly identifying what fires you up about working for a particular company or organization, because you want your enthusiasm to come across as genuine. Even if you don't have a naturally bubbly personality, you can find ways to show genuine interest and positive energy.

Clarity
If you can't explain yourself clearly, you'll have a problem in an interview. Practice answering interview questions in a way that is as clear as possible. Rambling on and on, or hiding behind jargon is a clear sign that you are either trying too hard or don't know what you are talking about. It is always good to have a few "stories" to illustrate your comments, as long as they are short.

Conciseness
Even though you don't want to speak in short sound-bites, you should work at keeping your answers brief yet thorough. Practice can help you find ways to take a three-minute answer to 45 seconds without losing any important content. Using the S.T.A.R. method of organizing your answers can be a big help. (See Jengo Tip #11).

Remember that lifeless, convoluted and verbose doesn't make it. The candidate who is passionate, clear, and concise is the one who gets the job.