Stand out in an interview in 5 seconds

What's the first question you're asked in an interview and how do you answer?

Normally when you have a job interview, the first question asked is not "Tell me about yourself" or "Why are you interested in this role?"

The first question is... "How are you?"

And if you're like most job seekers, your nervous and unsure of yourself and will glibly respond, "Fine" or "Good" or "Doing well, how are you?"

DON'T DO THAT!

This is your first impression at your first impression.

Instead of replying good, share something personal, relatable or insightful as an icebreaker. Here are some of my go-to's:

Something personal - "I am doing well, the weather is starting to get warm here in New York so excited to spend some more time on my bicycle, enjoying the city."

Something relatable, "Other than my allergies acting up a bit, feeling good. Apologize in advance for the sneezes you may hear during this call."

Something insightful, "Great, I just spent some time combing through your earnings call. I can imagine this role will have a huge part in XYZ strategy being rolled out."

What do I just do? I built rapport in about 5 seconds. If you can get the person on the other end of line laughing, talking and engaged right away, you're already off to a strong start.

Remember, you may only have one interview that week but they may have 5, 15 or 30! Make sure you're ready to stand out and separate yourself from the competition.

If you really want to learn how to interview like a Pro, check out our Masterclass, we have 7 modules on interviews alone, including my conversation with a recruiter a 1 Billion Tech Company answering all your questions on what recruiters want in candidates like you.

There is nothing worse than finally snagging an interview and bombing it. Don't let that be you. Prepare yourself now for the job you deserve tomorrow.

Eric

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