Before staring the interview, put the applicant at

ease by using ice-breakers, i.e. comments and

questions that have no direct bearing on the job.

Did you have a smooth commute?
Hope we didnt keep you waiting for long, ....
When using ice-breakers, avoid political, religious or such
other topics that may skew the interviewers view of the
applicants job suitability.

It is always a good practice to integrate the topic
of your ice-breaker into transitional statement to
get the interview started.

I am glad you didnt have any trouble getting here,
you must be excited about the opportunity so lets
get started.
This type of transitional statement creates a bridge between
one stage of the interview to another, thereby eliminating the
awkward silence or stammering that can easily occur.
Balance the amount of talking with listening.
Talking more does not mean that the interviewer is
in control of the interview.

25% time should be devoted to your talking
75% time should be devoted to active listening

Active listening requires the listener to feed back what they
hear to the speaker, by way of re-stating or paraphrasing
what they have heard in their own words, to confirm the
understanding of both parties.

Listen for connecting themes/ideas relevant to
the job
Summarize periodically
Filter out distractions
Screen out personal biases
Acknowledge any emotional states
Nonverbal messages may be as important as the
verbal messages communicated by an applicant.

Body Language (body movements, gestures, vocal tone,
pitch, speech rate, pauses in speech etc.)
Eye Contact
Expressions
Personal space
Amount of time between verbal exchanges


Nonverbal messages may not be interpreted the
same cross-culturally.

Some people smile to mask embarrassment (Thailand)
whereas other may smile when confused (Japan)
Shaking head up & down means yes in Pakistan whereas
the same gesture means no in Bulgaria
In US, closed eyes signify boredom or sleep whereas in
Japan, it may mean the listener is concentrating deeply







Nonverbal Messages Typical Interpretation
Direct Eye Contact
Friendly, sincere, self-confident,
assertive
Avoiding Eye Contact
Cold, evasive, insecure, nervous,
indifferent
Biting the Lip Nervous, uneasy, fearful
Folding Arms
Angry, disapproving, defensive,
aggressive
Slouching in seat Bored, relaxed
Shifting in seat Restless, bored, nervous
Leaning Forward Attentive, interested
Narrowing Eyes Disagreeing, angry, disapproving
1. Use Repetition
2. Summarize
3. Ask close-ended questions
4. Employ certain phrases to encourage them to
continue talking
5. Use encouraging body language
6. Try silence


The process by which people translate sensory
impressions into a coherent and unified view of the
world around them.

Avoid the following perceptions:
1. First Impressions
2. Information from Others
3. Single Statement
4. Ethnocentrism (Applying own values, standards and beliefs to judge
or evaluate others)

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