Are Your Communication Skills Killing Your Chances of Landing a New Job?

Let’s face it, we would be the first to agree that there are lots of nuances that play into a candidate conducting a great interview.

As a major executive recruiting firm, Key Corporate Services specialists certainly advise each candidate they schedule for client interviews to make that strong first impression with everyone they meet at the company. It’s been said before but warrants repeating here; the first 30 seconds of an interview are critical! For, in that small amount of time, the interviewer has already formed an impression about the candidate.

Subliminal messages are conveyed by body language to the hiring manager. A strong handshake, a pleasant smile, and maintaining direct eye contact all contribute to an impression that can ultimately weight as heavy as any skills or experience when deciding whether or not to ultimately make a job offer.

Just as important is the overall communication skills of the candidate. These skills can make or break the candidate’s chances of landing the job.

Online job site the Ladders.com listed tips a candidate must follow to clearer speech and more effective communication with hiring managers. Anyone wanting advance their career within an existing company or beyond, should contemplate the strength of their own communication skills as reflected by their peers. Do colleagues frequently ask you to repeat what you have just said? Do they ask you to speak louder?

Practice these tips to improve your own communication skills:

Become a great listener.

Great listening is simply maintaining a focus on what’s being said. But, as easy as that is to say, it is difficult for some people to be great listeners. Staying focused on what an interviewer is saying requires not allowing the mind to wonder or be thinking ahead to your next question. Sitting straight, having direct eye contact, and not interrupting tell the hiring manager you are really listening.

Slow your rate of speech.

If your speech pattern is rapid, consider recording yourself talking and answering questions so you can identify ways to be more conversational. This may take practice.

Enunciate complete words.

A benefit of practicing before an interview involves preparing concise, complete answers to those expected questions. It will help you avoiding “sloppy” speech that comes from incomplete sentences and words. Speaking clearly helps the interviewer to easily understand you.

The telephone requires special attention to ensure clear speech.

We are all attached to our phones. With many of our meetings now conducted through this medium, it is critical to learn to speak clearly. Remember, listeners cannot see your body language. Instead, the communication is fully dependent on the power of your speech. Then, too, some high-frequency sounds can be lost if you don’t speak clearly.

Communicating clearly may take some practice, but learning to excel at it will pay off in that next interview and throughout your life.