So what can you do to ensure you are keeping the attention of the person on the other side of the desk or the table? We will assume you all know how to keep good eye contact, maintain proper posture, and not stammer through answers like a nervous Nelly on a first date with someone that is not in your league. So let's move onto the items that may be a little bit more difficult to define.
1) Ask the interviewer what they like about working for the company. If they brush off the question and say they are quarantined in HR or Talent Acquisition, dig a little deeper and ask what they think someone would say if asked that question after their first 90 days. Or perhaps after their first two years. This is a more creative way to ask about the culture of the company. If you come right out and as about the culture, they will likely point to their website or a mission statement that is too generic to help you at all. If you are going to work there some day, you really want to know what a daily routine may look like.
2) End your answers with a follow-up question back to the interviewer. You may not want to do this every time to show your hand, but it can apply to just about any question if you think about it long enough. Salary, job description, your past work history, motivation to make a move, the list could go on and on. This is especially effective if your answers are concise and to the point. If you blather on and on about your past three job changes and then ask a question related to how often the position you are considering undergoes turnover, you have likely already lost the person's attention. It is all about timing.
3) Ask something personal without it being too obvious. Anyone can look around an office or cubicle to find pictures of family, or a recent vacation, or perhaps a diploma to know where someone went to college. There is nothing wrong with asking those questions, but again you're trying to keep the attention of the interviewer. Try to ask a subtle question early in the interview about something personal, and then come back to it later. This can even be done on the phone. If I am speaking with a candidate for 10-15 minutes and they told me about a weekend adventure coming up in the first two minutes, I usually tell them at the end of the conversation to have a good adventure. Most people seem surprised that I remembered that detail from earlier in the conversation.
4) Be memorable. I know this sounds esoteric, but it is also fairly basic. If an interviewer speaks/meets with 10-12 people a day, you want to be sure you're at the very least in the top quartile. Make them remember SOMETHING about you so that they can associate your background with the resume sitting in a pile of resumes on their desk. But don't try too hard. Back in the day it was common to put "hobbies" or "interests" at the bottom of your resume. Nothing wrong with that in theory, but it isn't awe-inspiring, and you better hope the person reading your resume has the same hobbies. Otherwise you're in trouble. Instead try to find out what the interviewer's hobbies/interests are and ask some questions of them. Or find a way to insert one of your personal life experiences into the conversation if you think it could resonate with the interviewer.
Bottom line is that you only have one chance to make a first impression. If you don't think about that before you enter the interview, you are already behind the eight ball.
What other tricks of the trade have you learned over the years that could be good for others to hear to keep the attention span of an interview alive and well?
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