1 00:00:05,600 --> 00:00:09,000 Speaker 1: Hello everybody, I'm Jemma Spake and welcome back to the 2 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:12,320 Speaker 1: Psychology of Your Twenties, the podcast where we talk through 3 00:00:12,360 --> 00:00:17,080 Speaker 1: the biggest changes, moments, and transitions of our twenties and 4 00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:26,960 Speaker 1: what they mean for our psychology. Hello everybody, Welcome back 5 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:29,880 Speaker 1: to the show. Welcome back to the podcast. It is 6 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:32,720 Speaker 1: so great to have you here back for another episode 7 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:36,880 Speaker 1: as we of course break down the psychology of our twenties. 8 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:42,320 Speaker 1: You guys know, the entire whole mission of this podcast 9 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:45,920 Speaker 1: is to bring like true research and science and studies 10 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:48,959 Speaker 1: to the experiences that we go through in our twenties 11 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:52,519 Speaker 1: that are challenging, that are annoying, that are confusing. And 12 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:55,959 Speaker 1: the other day I had this realization, an epiphany, if 13 00:00:55,960 --> 00:00:59,800 Speaker 1: you will, that we had never done one on job, 14 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:02,520 Speaker 1: which is wild to me because who hasn't had a 15 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:05,080 Speaker 1: job interview in their twenties. It's actually a huge part 16 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:08,320 Speaker 1: of the job hunting process. And I also know how 17 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:11,319 Speaker 1: deeply psychological it is, and if you don't believe me 18 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:15,399 Speaker 1: that it is probably more psychological than anything. This episode 19 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:17,959 Speaker 1: is going to be a real shocker. We are talking 20 00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:23,960 Speaker 1: about the three biggest psychological hurdles or reasons job interviews 21 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:27,760 Speaker 1: are so daunting the psychology of first impressions and how 22 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:30,319 Speaker 1: to make a good first impression. According to the research, 23 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:33,160 Speaker 1: how to fake confidence in a job interview in a 24 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 1: way that doesn't seem insincere, and your guide to basically 25 00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:43,760 Speaker 1: leveraging everything we know about the brain, personality, social psychology 26 00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 1: to show off your best self and hopefully get the job. 27 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 1: The next time you find yourself back on the job hunt, 28 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:52,760 Speaker 1: it is a big episode. I don't want to waste 29 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:55,560 Speaker 1: any more time on our intro. Let's get into the 30 00:01:55,600 --> 00:02:03,320 Speaker 1: psychology of job interviews. So first things first, why do 31 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:08,200 Speaker 1: job interviews make us so nervous? I think it's three factors, 32 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:12,720 Speaker 1: kind of all combining at one critical moment. It's our 33 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:17,839 Speaker 1: need for social approval. For one, especially from somebody with authority. 34 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:23,880 Speaker 1: It's our fear of being evaluated. Second, and finally, it's 35 00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:27,079 Speaker 1: that doing well in this interview is going to determine 36 00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:29,960 Speaker 1: other factors that are really important to us, like income, 37 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:35,679 Speaker 1: job security, even identity. Basically, the stakes are psychologically, emotionally, 38 00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:38,720 Speaker 1: physically very very high. Let's talk about each of these 39 00:02:39,639 --> 00:02:41,800 Speaker 1: kind of factors one by one and how they contribute 40 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:45,639 Speaker 1: to our nerves. Firstly, when we go for a job interview, 41 00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:49,679 Speaker 1: it can feel as if our whole life, our whole personhood, 42 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:52,360 Speaker 1: is being assessed and scrutinized in a way that is 43 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 1: very unnatural. It's very nerve racking, particularly because it requires 44 00:02:56,680 --> 00:02:59,080 Speaker 1: us to give up a lot of control and to 45 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:04,200 Speaker 1: be okay with someone perceiving us incorrectly on things that 46 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:08,440 Speaker 1: feel very important to us, like our intelligence, like our personality, 47 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:12,400 Speaker 1: like our work ethic, like our likability. We know that 48 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:14,720 Speaker 1: at the end of the day, first impressions are about 49 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:18,799 Speaker 1: forty percent us sixty percent the other person's attitude, experiences, 50 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:22,040 Speaker 1: and beliefs, and this can tap into core wounds around 51 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:25,520 Speaker 1: the possibility of being judged or rejected or compared. It 52 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:28,440 Speaker 1: also makes us very aware of the social hierarchy that 53 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:31,160 Speaker 1: kind of surrounds us at all time, but it comes 54 00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:34,639 Speaker 1: into focus very clearly, all at once. This person can 55 00:03:34,639 --> 00:03:37,160 Speaker 1: determine a lot about our future and our life because 56 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:40,200 Speaker 1: they have power and in that moment we don't. So 57 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:43,320 Speaker 1: it's not a very nice feeling. This is only natural, 58 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:46,440 Speaker 1: I think, to have this sense of stress. In many ways, 59 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:50,480 Speaker 1: we rely on social approval to strengthen our identities. This 60 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:54,680 Speaker 1: is called self verification theory. We want others to see 61 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:57,440 Speaker 1: us the way that we see ourselves, and in a 62 00:03:57,520 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 1: job interview, that doesn't always feel easy to control. Part 63 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:06,080 Speaker 1: of our attempt to garner social approval includes practicing impression management, 64 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 1: where we anticipate which behaviors will provoke which reactions in 65 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:13,920 Speaker 1: our social environment, and we exhibit the behavior that seems 66 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:18,400 Speaker 1: to offer us the best social feedback. That impression management 67 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:22,760 Speaker 1: instinct is like a thousand times more intense during a 68 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:27,080 Speaker 1: job interview, and therefore the mental load is more exhausting. 69 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:29,080 Speaker 1: When you're in front of somebody who is in a 70 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:33,440 Speaker 1: position of power, the interviewer or the interviewees, like they 71 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:35,880 Speaker 1: have a direct say over whether you're hired or not. 72 00:04:35,960 --> 00:04:39,200 Speaker 1: That creates a lot of social anxiety. I think what's 73 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:42,719 Speaker 1: more on a very fundamental level, like we really need 74 00:04:43,080 --> 00:04:45,720 Speaker 1: a job. We need the money that is that it 75 00:04:46,080 --> 00:04:49,240 Speaker 1: provides us. It's not just for fun, right, So when 76 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:51,720 Speaker 1: our future financial security is in the hands of this 77 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:54,800 Speaker 1: personal person's and it's in the hands of how we 78 00:04:54,839 --> 00:04:57,960 Speaker 1: perform in this situation, it can feel extremely helpless if 79 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:00,560 Speaker 1: things start to get away from us, even if it's 80 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:02,800 Speaker 1: not the money, but it's the desire for a new 81 00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:06,200 Speaker 1: challenge or a more fulfilling workplace, Even if it's not 82 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:09,600 Speaker 1: about finances, there is part of us that wants to 83 00:05:09,640 --> 00:05:12,760 Speaker 1: do well and that wants to be fulfilled because we're 84 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:15,800 Speaker 1: going for this job for some reason, For whatever reason, 85 00:05:16,680 --> 00:05:19,560 Speaker 1: getting the job is also deeply tied to our self confidence, 86 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:22,960 Speaker 1: our self esteem when we place our self belief and 87 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:26,200 Speaker 1: our confidence in external things, which is only natural, by 88 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:29,080 Speaker 1: the way, if they go wrong, if this job interview 89 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:32,720 Speaker 1: goes wrong, it's harder to recover from that. The unfortunate 90 00:05:32,760 --> 00:05:36,440 Speaker 1: thing is when we're under pressure and know that our 91 00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:40,520 Speaker 1: performance is being evaluated, we often are more likely to 92 00:05:40,520 --> 00:05:44,360 Speaker 1: perform worse, more likely to stumble, say the wrong thing, 93 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:48,400 Speaker 1: answer questions in a way we don't want to. This 94 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:51,560 Speaker 1: doesn't just relate to job interview performance alone. There are 95 00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:56,880 Speaker 1: countless examples of this. You know, for example, sports people, musicians, 96 00:05:57,040 --> 00:06:01,000 Speaker 1: TV presenters who choke at the last even when they're 97 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:05,800 Speaker 1: doing something that they've done a thousand times because of 98 00:06:06,560 --> 00:06:11,280 Speaker 1: the pressure and the counterintuitive influence of wanting to do well. 99 00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:13,360 Speaker 1: We think wanting to do well makes us perform better. 100 00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:16,040 Speaker 1: It actually makes us perform worse. When it gets to 101 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:20,960 Speaker 1: a point of almost being overwhelming. There is psychological evidence 102 00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:23,839 Speaker 1: for this reaction as well. A study from two thousand 103 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:28,279 Speaker 1: and one split sixty undergraduate students into two groups. Both 104 00:06:28,320 --> 00:06:31,320 Speaker 1: groups were asked to complete a golf putting task that 105 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:34,680 Speaker 1: they'd already practiced. One group were put under the low 106 00:06:34,839 --> 00:06:38,040 Speaker 1: pressure condition. They were basically just told to have fun 107 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:41,640 Speaker 1: to like complete the task normally. The other group was 108 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:46,599 Speaker 1: told that their performance would be evaluated, they were offered 109 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:50,600 Speaker 1: a financial incentive for doing well, and in some versions 110 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:53,400 Speaker 1: of this experiment, they were even told that, you know, 111 00:06:53,440 --> 00:06:56,160 Speaker 1: their result was going to affect their friends and was 112 00:06:56,200 --> 00:06:58,760 Speaker 1: going to affect the person they were partnered up with, 113 00:06:58,839 --> 00:07:01,960 Speaker 1: so that added some social pressure. Probably not going to 114 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:05,520 Speaker 1: surprise you here. The group who operated under the high 115 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:09,440 Speaker 1: pressure conditions, which mimicked a lot of the conditions of 116 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:16,240 Speaker 1: a job interview, performed significantly worse. Their accuracy dropped, and interestingly, 117 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:20,480 Speaker 1: the decline inability was most significant in those who had 118 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:25,320 Speaker 1: previously been the more skilled of the group. Under pressure, 119 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:30,400 Speaker 1: the participants began to over monitor their movements. They began 120 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:36,239 Speaker 1: to consciously control a skill which they'd practiced that should 121 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:40,560 Speaker 1: have been automatic. The participants who treated the golf putting 122 00:07:40,640 --> 00:07:43,840 Speaker 1: exercise like it was no big deal, treated it like 123 00:07:43,920 --> 00:07:49,440 Speaker 1: it was just fun or enjoyable, or a challenge or exciting. 124 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:54,800 Speaker 1: Their performance flowed easier. So why, despite all of this, 125 00:07:55,040 --> 00:07:58,880 Speaker 1: despite the importance of this moment, does it feel like 126 00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:01,679 Speaker 1: we enter those moments where we choke. We're in this interview, 127 00:08:01,680 --> 00:08:03,880 Speaker 1: we really want to do well. Why does it feel 128 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:06,000 Speaker 1: like our brain works against us when this thing is 129 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:08,920 Speaker 1: so important to us? Here is what we need to know. 130 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:15,040 Speaker 1: Stress and pressure are two distinct things. Pressure refers to 131 00:08:15,080 --> 00:08:20,320 Speaker 1: the external challenge and the demands that require our abilities. Stress, 132 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:23,720 Speaker 1: on the other hand, is our psychological and physiological response 133 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:28,120 Speaker 1: to this pressure. Pressure alone is neither good or bad. 134 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:31,080 Speaker 1: The stress response is what turns it into something that 135 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:34,280 Speaker 1: either aids us or doesn't. When we're under pressure, the 136 00:08:34,360 --> 00:08:38,280 Speaker 1: human brain releases hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which prepare 137 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:41,040 Speaker 1: our body for a fight or flight response, so that 138 00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:44,600 Speaker 1: we are alert. Our pupils are dilated, our reflexes are 139 00:08:44,600 --> 00:08:48,880 Speaker 1: on edge, our hearing is better, our heart is ready 140 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:52,880 Speaker 1: for a quick getaway or quick movement. When our brain 141 00:08:53,280 --> 00:08:58,160 Speaker 1: releases these hormones in moderate amounts, that's a great thing. 142 00:08:58,280 --> 00:09:01,800 Speaker 1: We can improve our memory, we can enhance our problem 143 00:09:01,880 --> 00:09:05,280 Speaker 1: solving skills. We feel more focused, almost like in a 144 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:08,640 Speaker 1: flow state. It's like an electric feeling, and that's when 145 00:09:08,679 --> 00:09:12,640 Speaker 1: we often perform really, really well. However, when the pressure 146 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:15,959 Speaker 1: is sustained for a prolonged period of time, or it's 147 00:09:16,040 --> 00:09:19,080 Speaker 1: too much, or our stress response towards our pressure is 148 00:09:19,080 --> 00:09:22,760 Speaker 1: too much, cortersol can actively impair the functioning of our 149 00:09:22,800 --> 00:09:27,640 Speaker 1: prefrontal cortex, meaning our decision making tanks. This is known 150 00:09:27,679 --> 00:09:31,200 Speaker 1: as the Yerk's Dodson law. The Yerks Dodson law was 151 00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:35,280 Speaker 1: first coined in the nineteen hundreds in this study that 152 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:41,240 Speaker 1: basically states that our performance improves with slight stress, but 153 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:43,960 Speaker 1: only up to a certain level before there is a 154 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:48,480 Speaker 1: ceiling and we crumble. So, going into this job interview, 155 00:09:48,760 --> 00:09:52,160 Speaker 1: your senses are heightened, your problem solving skills might improve 156 00:09:52,200 --> 00:09:55,520 Speaker 1: as you feel the pressure kind of rise. We are 157 00:09:55,520 --> 00:09:58,640 Speaker 1: doing really well, we're flowing well, but once it tips, 158 00:09:59,240 --> 00:10:01,280 Speaker 1: we can't keep up and our performance to clients and 159 00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:04,800 Speaker 1: we start to get really anxious and nervous. Afterwards, it 160 00:10:04,840 --> 00:10:07,960 Speaker 1: can be really rough to think, like, my god, we 161 00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:10,240 Speaker 1: might have we could have done better. Like it's very 162 00:10:10,280 --> 00:10:13,360 Speaker 1: easy to ruminate on all our incorrect answers and our 163 00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:16,800 Speaker 1: delays and our anxiety. But you have to realize that 164 00:10:16,840 --> 00:10:19,040 Speaker 1: the stress of the situation gets the better of us. 165 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:22,760 Speaker 1: The Yerx Dodson law applies to everyone. It is a 166 00:10:22,840 --> 00:10:27,880 Speaker 1: law for all humanity, even the most practiced athletes, public speakers, actors, doctors. 167 00:10:27,880 --> 00:10:33,080 Speaker 1: You experience this when expectation for ourselves in this situation 168 00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:37,199 Speaker 1: becomes unmanageable. Listen, it's normal to ruminate after a job interview, 169 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:41,400 Speaker 1: especially because you are likely having to wait for an answer, 170 00:10:42,080 --> 00:10:45,200 Speaker 1: and that waiting can sometimes be more uncomfortable than the 171 00:10:45,240 --> 00:10:50,160 Speaker 1: interview itself. Psychology tells us that operating in a state 172 00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:53,960 Speaker 1: of uncertainty is actually one of the most psychologically stressful 173 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:57,680 Speaker 1: things we can experience, including when waiting for the answer 174 00:10:57,679 --> 00:11:01,240 Speaker 1: from a big interview. Studies showed that we may even 175 00:11:01,400 --> 00:11:04,840 Speaker 1: prefer a negative outcome over the uncertainty of not knowing. 176 00:11:05,480 --> 00:11:07,960 Speaker 1: That is how much we prefer predictability. We would rather 177 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:09,800 Speaker 1: find out that we didn't get it than wait a 178 00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:12,360 Speaker 1: little bit longer to hear if we did. But you 179 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:15,960 Speaker 1: also can't always trust the thoughts that emerge during this 180 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:20,240 Speaker 1: waiting period, particularly our negative thoughts that would like to 181 00:11:20,280 --> 00:11:24,000 Speaker 1: convince you that this all went terribly in order to 182 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:27,480 Speaker 1: provide a sense of closure. Basically, the truth is your 183 00:11:27,520 --> 00:11:30,640 Speaker 1: brain is looking for any kind of answer, and if 184 00:11:30,640 --> 00:11:33,120 Speaker 1: it can tell you this went bad, the closure of 185 00:11:33,120 --> 00:11:34,960 Speaker 1: that is going to make you feel good. Even if 186 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:38,760 Speaker 1: it's not accurate. Studies show it's probably not. One particular 187 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:43,280 Speaker 1: study from nineteen eighty four conducted experiments on participants related 188 00:11:43,320 --> 00:11:47,560 Speaker 1: to their social judgments basically, do they know can they 189 00:11:47,600 --> 00:11:51,360 Speaker 1: accurately assess themselves? To do this, they had people score 190 00:11:51,960 --> 00:11:54,840 Speaker 1: their own performance and aspects of their life that they 191 00:11:54,880 --> 00:11:56,720 Speaker 1: think or thought they were doing well in or not. 192 00:11:57,360 --> 00:12:00,480 Speaker 1: What they noticed is that when they ask participants how 193 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:03,520 Speaker 1: they came to these conclusions like am I happy? Am 194 00:12:03,559 --> 00:12:05,480 Speaker 1: I doing well? Did I do well in this situation 195 00:12:05,600 --> 00:12:11,760 Speaker 1: or no, their judgments don't actually tap into explicit evidence. Instead, 196 00:12:12,240 --> 00:12:14,720 Speaker 1: they wrote that it's often the case that the judgment 197 00:12:14,800 --> 00:12:18,000 Speaker 1: is developed at the time the question is asked based 198 00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:20,800 Speaker 1: on how they're feeling in that moment. So if you've 199 00:12:20,880 --> 00:12:24,120 Speaker 1: just finished a stressful job interview, or you're waiting for 200 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:29,520 Speaker 1: an email or a callback, the anticipation of that probably 201 00:12:30,080 --> 00:12:33,800 Speaker 1: is impacting your mood, so that your self assessment of 202 00:12:33,840 --> 00:12:37,760 Speaker 1: your performance seems worse than it actually was. That self 203 00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:41,040 Speaker 1: assessment is based on your mood, and your mood is 204 00:12:41,200 --> 00:12:44,000 Speaker 1: probably not going to be the greatest in the aftermath 205 00:12:44,160 --> 00:12:47,040 Speaker 1: of a job interview where you were being socially assessed, 206 00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:49,880 Speaker 1: even if you don't realize it, like maybe you're running 207 00:12:49,880 --> 00:12:53,520 Speaker 1: on adrenaline, maybe like you're anxious, it's so much easier 208 00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:55,800 Speaker 1: for you to think I did so terribly in that moment. 209 00:12:56,240 --> 00:12:58,960 Speaker 1: I'm just asking you to maybe think that maybe that's 210 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:01,559 Speaker 1: not the case. Okay, we're going to take a short 211 00:13:01,559 --> 00:13:05,480 Speaker 1: break here, but when we return, let's talk about what 212 00:13:05,559 --> 00:13:08,880 Speaker 1: you certainly can do to be better in your job 213 00:13:08,880 --> 00:13:12,920 Speaker 1: interviews and some tips for managing confidence, nerves. All those 214 00:13:12,920 --> 00:13:22,679 Speaker 1: things stay with us. So, according to social psychology research, 215 00:13:22,920 --> 00:13:26,959 Speaker 1: what impresses people in job interviews, let's look at that. 216 00:13:27,320 --> 00:13:32,280 Speaker 1: Besides the basic stuff, besides qualifications, competence, past experience, what 217 00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:36,560 Speaker 1: do people actually care about. I want to talk specifically 218 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:40,200 Speaker 1: about the role of first impressions and the role of 219 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:43,960 Speaker 1: confidence and how important those are in job interviews. It's 220 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:47,280 Speaker 1: not going to surprise anybody. First impressions are one of 221 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:51,199 Speaker 1: the most significant factors that influence the outcome of a 222 00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:54,760 Speaker 1: job interview. In fact, the research on it is pretty wild, 223 00:13:54,960 --> 00:13:59,520 Speaker 1: like pretty insane when you really get into it. A 224 00:13:59,559 --> 00:14:03,760 Speaker 1: person will decide if they like you within five seconds 225 00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:05,880 Speaker 1: of meeting you. In fact, there was a study from 226 00:14:05,880 --> 00:14:09,520 Speaker 1: two thousand that had a group of participants observe an 227 00:14:09,520 --> 00:14:13,800 Speaker 1: initial greeting between two interviewers and a candidate at the 228 00:14:13,800 --> 00:14:17,920 Speaker 1: start of fifty nine different job interviews. Then the participants left, 229 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:19,840 Speaker 1: They didn't get to watch any more of the interview, 230 00:14:20,520 --> 00:14:25,000 Speaker 1: and the experimenters got the interviewers afterwards to basically be like, 231 00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:27,640 Speaker 1: would you hire this person? Now? This was a fake 232 00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:29,960 Speaker 1: job interview, but they were like, based on what you 233 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:34,600 Speaker 1: saw professional skills, behavior, what do you think based upon 234 00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:37,120 Speaker 1: these evaluations also fake or not, who do you think 235 00:14:37,120 --> 00:14:41,240 Speaker 1: will get the job? Now, that first group of participants, 236 00:14:41,320 --> 00:14:44,560 Speaker 1: who were only shown a tiny portion of the interview 237 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:47,760 Speaker 1: from the knock on the door to five seconds after 238 00:14:48,880 --> 00:14:55,400 Speaker 1: the candidate sat down, they were able to accurately determine 239 00:14:55,960 --> 00:14:58,720 Speaker 1: whether or not the person they saw got the job 240 00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:06,480 Speaker 1: or not with extreme accuracy, like extreme accuracy. What's incredible 241 00:15:06,560 --> 00:15:11,080 Speaker 1: is that they got everything they needed to know about 242 00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:13,760 Speaker 1: how this person would be assessed or whether they would 243 00:15:13,760 --> 00:15:16,800 Speaker 1: be a good candidate or whether they would get the 244 00:15:16,880 --> 00:15:22,080 Speaker 1: job from such a brief, brief snippet of time. What 245 00:15:22,120 --> 00:15:26,040 Speaker 1: the study is really suggesting is that, particularly in a 246 00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:31,280 Speaker 1: job interview setting, a hiring manager's assessment of an applicant's skills, 247 00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:34,840 Speaker 1: knowledge ability, or just how much they actually like this 248 00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:39,880 Speaker 1: person might be fixed as early as that initial greeting 249 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:45,239 Speaker 1: between the interviewers and the candidate. How you hold yourself 250 00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:50,480 Speaker 1: in those first few moments may just be the most 251 00:15:50,520 --> 00:15:55,080 Speaker 1: important part of the entire conversation. However, what this study 252 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:57,960 Speaker 1: might also say is, and what it might reveal, is 253 00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:01,920 Speaker 1: how biases cause people to make immediate decisions, but not 254 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:06,200 Speaker 1: necessarily the best decisions. As much as first impressions matter, 255 00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:10,760 Speaker 1: research has also revealed that they may actually present a 256 00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:16,560 Speaker 1: very critical limitation to how humans process information and assess others, 257 00:16:16,640 --> 00:16:20,920 Speaker 1: because they a present a confirmation bias and b are 258 00:16:20,920 --> 00:16:25,000 Speaker 1: often based on how familiar or similar people seem to us, 259 00:16:25,160 --> 00:16:27,800 Speaker 1: or similar to somebody that we know, or similar to 260 00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:30,440 Speaker 1: our version or idea of what a good candidate is, 261 00:16:31,160 --> 00:16:35,920 Speaker 1: rather than who would actually make the best candidate. It's 262 00:16:35,960 --> 00:16:38,960 Speaker 1: not based on us, it's based on them. It's based 263 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:41,720 Speaker 1: on the interviewer. Why is that, Why do we unfairly 264 00:16:41,760 --> 00:16:45,000 Speaker 1: rely on first impressions and the false information they may 265 00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:48,440 Speaker 1: or may not provide. It's because we are social animals, right, 266 00:16:48,720 --> 00:16:51,200 Speaker 1: and even in a professional setting, even when we know 267 00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:54,920 Speaker 1: we shouldn't do it, we want to get a read 268 00:16:55,000 --> 00:16:58,240 Speaker 1: on someone rather quickly in order to rapidly anticipate what 269 00:16:58,400 --> 00:17:01,520 Speaker 1: to expect from them. The thing we don't understand our 270 00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:05,159 Speaker 1: biases in that situation. We base these first impressions on 271 00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:10,080 Speaker 1: really small things like microbody language signals, posture, the positions 272 00:17:10,080 --> 00:17:14,360 Speaker 1: of somebody's mouth they're sent, how quickly or slowly they move, 273 00:17:14,840 --> 00:17:20,600 Speaker 1: eye contact tone, and of course general physical appearance, attractiveness, race, 274 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:24,760 Speaker 1: body composition. This means that even if you do well 275 00:17:24,800 --> 00:17:29,040 Speaker 1: in all other ways, sometimes someone unfairly only sees you 276 00:17:29,200 --> 00:17:32,560 Speaker 1: as they want to see you from the very beginning. However, 277 00:17:33,040 --> 00:17:34,840 Speaker 1: I don't want us to despair too much on that. 278 00:17:35,119 --> 00:17:39,600 Speaker 1: We can manipulate this in a job interview by getting 279 00:17:39,840 --> 00:17:42,879 Speaker 1: what is really at the core of somebody's first impressions 280 00:17:42,920 --> 00:17:45,639 Speaker 1: and what they're actually looking for. What they are looking 281 00:17:45,680 --> 00:17:50,359 Speaker 1: for from a psychological perspective is familiarity, and they're looking 282 00:17:50,560 --> 00:17:55,840 Speaker 1: for self assurance. Familiarity can be displayed through warmth, coming 283 00:17:55,840 --> 00:18:00,960 Speaker 1: in with an openness, a friendliness, making eye contact, having 284 00:18:01,480 --> 00:18:03,639 Speaker 1: a slight smile that says you know, hey, I'm not 285 00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:05,720 Speaker 1: a threat. You like me, I can be one of you. 286 00:18:06,359 --> 00:18:09,920 Speaker 1: Study from nineteen eighty one found that the more emotionally 287 00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:13,480 Speaker 1: expressive somebody is through the use of non verbal modes 288 00:18:13,520 --> 00:18:16,920 Speaker 1: of communication, the more likely they are to be perceived 289 00:18:16,960 --> 00:18:23,200 Speaker 1: as peeling, attractive, familiar. Other key things to remember if 290 00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:26,920 Speaker 1: this is applicable, do some research on what people likely 291 00:18:27,359 --> 00:18:29,760 Speaker 1: wear day to day at the company and dress like 292 00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:33,720 Speaker 1: you are already an employee. Once again, you look familiar. 293 00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:36,359 Speaker 1: This signals I already know this person. This person and 294 00:18:36,440 --> 00:18:39,760 Speaker 1: I could already get along. When it comes to job interviews, 295 00:18:39,800 --> 00:18:43,440 Speaker 1: the person assessing you is basically wondering what I want 296 00:18:43,480 --> 00:18:45,720 Speaker 1: to sit next to this person for eight hours? Do 297 00:18:45,760 --> 00:18:49,920 Speaker 1: I feel like I could potentially build psychological and social 298 00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:52,320 Speaker 1: trust with this person? Do we already have a baseline 299 00:18:52,320 --> 00:18:56,280 Speaker 1: of understanding? Do I think they're being this job? It's 300 00:18:56,320 --> 00:19:00,000 Speaker 1: going to benefit me. Small talk in these situations all 301 00:19:00,160 --> 00:19:05,040 Speaker 1: so really really helpful. Just being chatty does wonders, because again, 302 00:19:05,400 --> 00:19:09,840 Speaker 1: it gives these people more about you to be familiar 303 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:12,800 Speaker 1: with and to feel like they know you. Also shows 304 00:19:12,800 --> 00:19:15,280 Speaker 1: the importance of having diverse hiring panels. I will say, 305 00:19:15,359 --> 00:19:19,200 Speaker 1: because one interviewer one of the like, just one person's 306 00:19:19,240 --> 00:19:22,400 Speaker 1: prejudice can spoil everything. I think that's a really critical 307 00:19:22,400 --> 00:19:26,560 Speaker 1: thing to take from this research. Next is self assurance 308 00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:29,680 Speaker 1: or confidence, even the fake kind. This is really important 309 00:19:29,760 --> 00:19:33,200 Speaker 1: in job interviews because research shows that as much as 310 00:19:33,200 --> 00:19:37,760 Speaker 1: people rely on their own so called instinct, they also 311 00:19:37,840 --> 00:19:41,440 Speaker 1: rely on this implicit belief that we obviously know ourselves 312 00:19:41,480 --> 00:19:45,000 Speaker 1: better than them, so they are inclined to trust how 313 00:19:45,040 --> 00:19:49,680 Speaker 1: we present ourselves as accurate. Basically, if you don't feel 314 00:19:49,760 --> 00:19:52,919 Speaker 1: confident or you don't think you know what you're doing, 315 00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:57,200 Speaker 1: fake it, and it's very likely they won't be able 316 00:19:57,200 --> 00:20:00,680 Speaker 1: to tell the difference. This actually comes from research on dating, 317 00:20:00,880 --> 00:20:04,639 Speaker 1: which shows that dating profiles that have no pictures but 318 00:20:04,720 --> 00:20:09,239 Speaker 1: are confidently written will always do better and make an 319 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:13,360 Speaker 1: individual seem more likable because we trust that this person, 320 00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:16,919 Speaker 1: once again has a reason for that confidence that we 321 00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:20,280 Speaker 1: can't see yet, we trust they have an accurate assessment 322 00:20:20,320 --> 00:20:23,919 Speaker 1: of themselves. Walking into a room thinking I know these 323 00:20:23,920 --> 00:20:25,600 Speaker 1: people are going to like me, I know I'm a 324 00:20:25,600 --> 00:20:27,800 Speaker 1: good fit for this job. I know who I am, 325 00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:30,760 Speaker 1: I know what I'm about, I know I'm talented, I 326 00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:35,200 Speaker 1: know I like myself. That expands outwards through small, unconscious 327 00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:38,480 Speaker 1: things you may not even know you're doing that are 328 00:20:38,560 --> 00:20:42,760 Speaker 1: interpreted by the interviewers as self assurance and help form 329 00:20:42,840 --> 00:20:48,200 Speaker 1: their vital first impression. With that in mind, I also 330 00:20:48,280 --> 00:20:52,359 Speaker 1: think a great tip for perfecting a job interview is 331 00:20:52,440 --> 00:20:55,639 Speaker 1: having a bit of a mindfulness confidence exercise that gets 332 00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:58,359 Speaker 1: you into the mind frame of I'm going to do 333 00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:01,160 Speaker 1: well here. I'm going to be confident every single time. 334 00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:04,320 Speaker 1: This is what we call an emotional anchor or an 335 00:21:04,359 --> 00:21:08,720 Speaker 1: emotional north star. Basically, it's self regulation. If you have 336 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:11,359 Speaker 1: something that you do every time that triggers a certain 337 00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:14,560 Speaker 1: state of mind for you, that is amazing. Breathing exercise 338 00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:17,520 Speaker 1: the four four four is a classic. Watching a YouTube 339 00:21:17,560 --> 00:21:19,719 Speaker 1: video that gets you on the zone is also a 340 00:21:19,720 --> 00:21:22,239 Speaker 1: great strategy that is always going to be there and 341 00:21:22,280 --> 00:21:24,760 Speaker 1: you can grasp onto it and it can make you 342 00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:28,360 Speaker 1: feel better. I have a friend who watches Olympic finals 343 00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:31,679 Speaker 1: before she enters into job interviews. Call it a placebo effect, 344 00:21:31,680 --> 00:21:34,080 Speaker 1: if you will. She tells me that it helps her 345 00:21:34,119 --> 00:21:37,280 Speaker 1: do better. It could be a song. It could be 346 00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:40,560 Speaker 1: a routine you have before every interview. I have another 347 00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:44,400 Speaker 1: friend who and I love this one. She pictures all 348 00:21:44,400 --> 00:21:46,880 Speaker 1: the most likable and charismatic people that she's ever met 349 00:21:46,880 --> 00:21:50,640 Speaker 1: and visualizes shaking their hands before she goes into an interview. 350 00:21:51,359 --> 00:21:54,040 Speaker 1: It could be the golden orb method, which we talk 351 00:21:54,040 --> 00:21:56,359 Speaker 1: about on the podcast all the time. While you imagine, 352 00:21:57,240 --> 00:22:00,199 Speaker 1: like with every breath in and out, you're feeding this 353 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:02,800 Speaker 1: golden orb that is coming from your chest, and as 354 00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:06,640 Speaker 1: it gets larger, it surrounds everyone around you with an 355 00:22:06,640 --> 00:22:10,760 Speaker 1: infectious energy that makes them like you and draws them 356 00:22:10,800 --> 00:22:15,159 Speaker 1: into you. It's like this this cruisma bubble, whatever it is. 357 00:22:15,640 --> 00:22:19,480 Speaker 1: These rituals they leverage that emotional anchoring effect. They also 358 00:22:19,560 --> 00:22:22,879 Speaker 1: leverage perceived control. This is a concept that was labored 359 00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:25,399 Speaker 1: by a man called Julian Rotter in the sixties, and 360 00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:29,040 Speaker 1: he basically said, anything we can do that makes us 361 00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:32,119 Speaker 1: feel like we have control over a situation that we 362 00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:35,080 Speaker 1: probably have very little control over or over our destiny. 363 00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:39,679 Speaker 1: Anything that makes us feel like, you know, we have 364 00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:43,879 Speaker 1: a say, will improve performance, such as exercises like this. 365 00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:46,920 Speaker 1: Whether they work or not, it's it really doesn't matter 366 00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:50,080 Speaker 1: if it's placebo, if it is helping you emotionally regulate 367 00:22:50,400 --> 00:22:53,080 Speaker 1: so that you're able to go in with better emotional 368 00:22:53,160 --> 00:22:56,800 Speaker 1: strategies and greater confidence to perform at the level you 369 00:22:56,840 --> 00:23:01,080 Speaker 1: want to. Second, when it comes to the debate, is 370 00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:05,840 Speaker 1: it better to under or over prepare? Always overprepare. There's 371 00:23:05,880 --> 00:23:09,040 Speaker 1: this guy who named Nicholas Rulin. He's the author of 372 00:23:09,119 --> 00:23:11,240 Speaker 1: the book I think it's literally called The Psychology of 373 00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:16,120 Speaker 1: Job Interviews, and he said that sometimes when we are 374 00:23:16,359 --> 00:23:19,280 Speaker 1: interviewed for a job, we treat it like it's a 375 00:23:19,280 --> 00:23:22,160 Speaker 1: police interview, and we treat it like we've done something 376 00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:24,399 Speaker 1: wrong and it's their job to find out what We 377 00:23:24,480 --> 00:23:28,639 Speaker 1: feel like we are being interrogated by the interviewer and 378 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:31,800 Speaker 1: they want to find evidence of problems with our past, 379 00:23:31,960 --> 00:23:35,360 Speaker 1: evidence of why we wouldn't be capable. Like in that situation, 380 00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:38,320 Speaker 1: the interviewer is the powerholder, and we're kind of hoping 381 00:23:38,320 --> 00:23:40,320 Speaker 1: that they're not going to punish us, they're not going 382 00:23:40,359 --> 00:23:43,280 Speaker 1: to discover something bad about us, So we almost feel 383 00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:46,480 Speaker 1: like we enter needing to get our story straight, when 384 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:50,159 Speaker 1: actually we should be preparing to find out what we 385 00:23:50,200 --> 00:23:53,919 Speaker 1: need to know about them, their culture, their recent history, 386 00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:59,399 Speaker 1: their objectives, their workplace environment, recent moments, recent decisions that 387 00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:02,840 Speaker 1: their company is made, whatever it is ruling that same 388 00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:07,160 Speaker 1: author also notes that, on the other hand, some people 389 00:24:07,280 --> 00:24:10,320 Speaker 1: underprepare in job interviews because they think it's going to 390 00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:13,800 Speaker 1: be very casual, and they think that over preparing jinxes 391 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:19,040 Speaker 1: things or you know, get certain answers to set in stone, 392 00:24:19,160 --> 00:24:20,840 Speaker 1: and we also feel like we're going to be let down. 393 00:24:21,280 --> 00:24:25,080 Speaker 1: This means that they're less likely to convey true qualifications 394 00:24:25,119 --> 00:24:27,080 Speaker 1: that they have. They're more likely to come off as 395 00:24:27,119 --> 00:24:30,000 Speaker 1: a little bit relaxed, a little bit flippant. It might 396 00:24:30,040 --> 00:24:32,320 Speaker 1: not be clear that they actually want the job, that 397 00:24:32,359 --> 00:24:37,040 Speaker 1: they actually are in it. What's important is that most 398 00:24:37,080 --> 00:24:40,840 Speaker 1: interviews sit somewhere in between. Right, you're not being interrogated. 399 00:24:40,840 --> 00:24:44,920 Speaker 1: But also this isn't a casual affair. Knowing that it's 400 00:24:44,920 --> 00:24:48,119 Speaker 1: going to sit somewhere in the middle helps you prepare. Firstly, 401 00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:50,240 Speaker 1: you need to realize that nobody is out to get you, 402 00:24:50,920 --> 00:24:53,840 Speaker 1: especially not in a job interview, like it's it's serious, 403 00:24:53,840 --> 00:24:56,560 Speaker 1: but it's not that serious. I think just being in 404 00:24:56,600 --> 00:24:58,959 Speaker 1: the room in the first place is a sign that 405 00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:02,359 Speaker 1: you've already press them, right. I always think this before 406 00:25:02,359 --> 00:25:04,399 Speaker 1: I go into a job interview. They wouldn't waste their 407 00:25:04,440 --> 00:25:07,280 Speaker 1: time if they didn't seriously think you were a good fit. 408 00:25:08,160 --> 00:25:11,880 Speaker 1: Like if that first stage they've already seen something they 409 00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:15,240 Speaker 1: like about you, they're not gonna waste their time. Now 410 00:25:15,680 --> 00:25:18,600 Speaker 1: show them what needs to be known about you. Now 411 00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:20,919 Speaker 1: show them the greater depth, and now it's your turn 412 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:23,560 Speaker 1: to learn about them. Make it clear you know what 413 00:25:23,600 --> 00:25:27,320 Speaker 1: the company actually does. Research exactly what someone in your 414 00:25:27,440 --> 00:25:30,200 Speaker 1: role would be doing. Say what I expect to be doing. 415 00:25:30,280 --> 00:25:31,879 Speaker 1: Say it out loud, like I expect I'll be doing 416 00:25:31,960 --> 00:25:34,480 Speaker 1: lots of this. Give examples of when you've done stuff 417 00:25:34,520 --> 00:25:37,240 Speaker 1: like that in the past. Consume the content that the 418 00:25:37,320 --> 00:25:39,919 Speaker 1: company has made that they're putting out on their LinkedIn, 419 00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:43,560 Speaker 1: on their Instagram. Get a sense of the people who 420 00:25:44,080 --> 00:25:48,400 Speaker 1: makes decisions. How's it grown over time? I think. What's more, 421 00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:51,800 Speaker 1: by researching the company and coming up with a set 422 00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:54,760 Speaker 1: of kind of like conversational narratives that align with what 423 00:25:54,800 --> 00:25:58,280 Speaker 1: they're looking for, you can also situate yourself in the 424 00:25:58,320 --> 00:26:00,800 Speaker 1: interview in a way that is chatty. Incident which we 425 00:26:01,040 --> 00:26:05,480 Speaker 1: already know is important, but conveys you've planned for this 426 00:26:05,840 --> 00:26:09,720 Speaker 1: that like, you know what you're talking about speaking of planning. 427 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:13,200 Speaker 1: If there is one question they are definitely going to 428 00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:17,240 Speaker 1: ask you in every single job interview, it is tell 429 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:20,160 Speaker 1: me a little bit about yourself. You need your answer 430 00:26:20,200 --> 00:26:23,080 Speaker 1: to that question to be tight, to be sustinct, to 431 00:26:23,080 --> 00:26:26,040 Speaker 1: be under two minutes, and luckily for you, there is 432 00:26:26,080 --> 00:26:29,399 Speaker 1: a little bit of a formula. Firstly, talk about education 433 00:26:29,640 --> 00:26:31,919 Speaker 1: where did you go to school? Then the two jobs 434 00:26:31,960 --> 00:26:34,320 Speaker 1: you worked before the one you currently had, or your 435 00:26:34,359 --> 00:26:37,800 Speaker 1: most previous job. Just mention them by name and by title. 436 00:26:38,320 --> 00:26:42,280 Speaker 1: Then go in depth on your most recent experience, including 437 00:26:42,640 --> 00:26:45,399 Speaker 1: how long you've been there. Highlight two major things you 438 00:26:45,440 --> 00:26:48,439 Speaker 1: did in that role that you're proud of and that 439 00:26:48,480 --> 00:26:52,160 Speaker 1: you're capable of. Then where you see yourself going now 440 00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:56,680 Speaker 1: and why that future vision aligns with this job. Also 441 00:26:56,880 --> 00:27:00,840 Speaker 1: what you're interested in outside of work. Once again, that familiarity. 442 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:05,520 Speaker 1: That is literally the equation practice that to death. This 443 00:27:05,680 --> 00:27:08,399 Speaker 1: is also one of the easiest ways to ease your 444 00:27:08,440 --> 00:27:10,760 Speaker 1: nerves because you know they're going to ask you that question, 445 00:27:11,440 --> 00:27:14,200 Speaker 1: and if you have your answer ready to go, you're 446 00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:16,320 Speaker 1: gonna nail it first question out of the gate. You're 447 00:27:16,320 --> 00:27:19,240 Speaker 1: gonna do great. When my boyfriend was applying for jobs. 448 00:27:19,280 --> 00:27:21,040 Speaker 1: At the start of the year. I made him rehearse 449 00:27:21,080 --> 00:27:23,480 Speaker 1: that so many times. I'm sure he got sick of 450 00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:27,000 Speaker 1: me asking, but I think it helped. He's not here 451 00:27:27,000 --> 00:27:29,679 Speaker 1: to confirm or deny. I think it helped because he 452 00:27:29,760 --> 00:27:32,719 Speaker 1: had that question, like ready to go. Okay, we need 453 00:27:32,760 --> 00:27:35,119 Speaker 1: to take one more shot break here, but I promise 454 00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:39,000 Speaker 1: I have more psychological tips for your upcoming job interview 455 00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:47,960 Speaker 1: when we come right back. Okay. We talked about the 456 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:51,879 Speaker 1: importance of having an emotional anchor before the interview, but 457 00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:56,280 Speaker 1: research also shows that people who pause before answering questions 458 00:27:56,400 --> 00:27:59,639 Speaker 1: or have an anchor in the moment, sometimes called a 459 00:27:59,720 --> 00:28:03,520 Speaker 1: power pause. By the way, people who have that notion 460 00:28:03,640 --> 00:28:06,200 Speaker 1: to take a couple of seconds to give a considered 461 00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:11,880 Speaker 1: response come off as more prepared, more calm, and they 462 00:28:11,880 --> 00:28:17,760 Speaker 1: answer questions better. They also use fewer filler words like 463 00:28:17,760 --> 00:28:20,919 Speaker 1: like I guess those kind of things. There has been 464 00:28:20,920 --> 00:28:24,639 Speaker 1: some research, I will say that suggests answering immediately and 465 00:28:24,800 --> 00:28:28,920 Speaker 1: quickly and just like getting just saying something immediately makes 466 00:28:28,920 --> 00:28:32,000 Speaker 1: you seem more truthful. There was one twenty twenty one 467 00:28:32,040 --> 00:28:35,680 Speaker 1: study that was like, oh, maybe if you answer quicker, 468 00:28:35,680 --> 00:28:37,679 Speaker 1: people are gonna like you more because you seem more honest. 469 00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:41,280 Speaker 1: But they were talking about pauses up to ten seconds, 470 00:28:41,720 --> 00:28:43,680 Speaker 1: like if you take ten seconds to answer a question, 471 00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:46,520 Speaker 1: that might be a little bit much. Two seconds, though, 472 00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:49,400 Speaker 1: is not a lot, and two seconds is a lot 473 00:28:49,400 --> 00:28:51,480 Speaker 1: for your brain, though right, two seconds doesn't seem like 474 00:28:51,520 --> 00:28:54,640 Speaker 1: a lot for the interviewer. For you, you're gonna have 475 00:28:54,720 --> 00:28:59,719 Speaker 1: thousands of thoughts subconsciously in that two seconds, and allowing 476 00:28:59,760 --> 00:29:02,200 Speaker 1: yourself yourself a little bit more time to sort through 477 00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:07,600 Speaker 1: them subconsciously means that collecting your thoughts, thinking about it, 478 00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:09,600 Speaker 1: just having a quick plan of how you're going to 479 00:29:09,640 --> 00:29:12,240 Speaker 1: answer means you're going to come off better. You're not 480 00:29:12,280 --> 00:29:14,440 Speaker 1: going to panic and say something that you don't mean 481 00:29:15,120 --> 00:29:16,840 Speaker 1: just to fill the space. You're not going to say 482 00:29:16,840 --> 00:29:20,200 Speaker 1: something you just think the interviewer wants to hear. You're 483 00:29:20,200 --> 00:29:24,880 Speaker 1: going to really be considered, and you're going to also 484 00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:29,400 Speaker 1: show personally by pausing a kind of emotional restraint and 485 00:29:29,440 --> 00:29:33,800 Speaker 1: a caution and a care that people probably want in 486 00:29:33,880 --> 00:29:36,880 Speaker 1: somebody that they're hiring. You're not just showing that you 487 00:29:36,920 --> 00:29:39,560 Speaker 1: are good at answering interview questions. You're showing that if 488 00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:42,640 Speaker 1: you were to get the job, whatever situation you're going 489 00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:45,280 Speaker 1: to be in. You are going to have a considered approach. 490 00:29:45,280 --> 00:29:50,360 Speaker 1: You're going to have that pause, think clearly, strategize mentality. 491 00:29:50,720 --> 00:29:54,200 Speaker 1: So I power pause is such like a girl boss 492 00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:58,600 Speaker 1: like boss babe title name for something, but think of 493 00:29:58,680 --> 00:30:01,880 Speaker 1: it as it's just like that emotional anchor you have 494 00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:05,080 Speaker 1: before you go into the job interview. It is your 495 00:30:05,200 --> 00:30:09,480 Speaker 1: moment to kind of come back into yourself and really think, 496 00:30:09,760 --> 00:30:11,880 Speaker 1: how are we going to put our best foot forward 497 00:30:11,920 --> 00:30:15,520 Speaker 1: here and actually convey what we want to convey rather 498 00:30:15,560 --> 00:30:18,680 Speaker 1: than just what our anxiety wants us to convey. Okay, 499 00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:21,680 Speaker 1: let's get into some rapid fire tips for you to 500 00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:26,120 Speaker 1: finish off this episode, just to leave you feeling prepared 501 00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:29,080 Speaker 1: for what you've got coming up. Things that like just 502 00:30:29,200 --> 00:30:32,880 Speaker 1: very quick you can apply hopefully instantly if you need it. 503 00:30:33,480 --> 00:30:36,680 Speaker 1: Number One, before you go into a job interview, loosen 504 00:30:36,800 --> 00:30:39,560 Speaker 1: every single muscle in your face and then raise them 505 00:30:39,560 --> 00:30:43,680 Speaker 1: again and smile. This is a physiological tip that people 506 00:30:43,760 --> 00:30:46,440 Speaker 1: swear by. Why does it work Because your body and 507 00:30:46,480 --> 00:30:49,800 Speaker 1: your brain are in constant communication. When we're anxious, the 508 00:30:49,960 --> 00:30:54,400 Speaker 1: muscles in our face tighten almost automatically, especially around your jaw, 509 00:30:54,440 --> 00:30:56,800 Speaker 1: around your forehead, around your eyes, and around your mouth. 510 00:30:57,400 --> 00:31:02,080 Speaker 1: Your nervous system interprets that tension as evidence that something 511 00:31:02,120 --> 00:31:06,040 Speaker 1: is wrong, and that can instantly intensify feelings of stress 512 00:31:06,080 --> 00:31:11,680 Speaker 1: and threat. By consciously interrupting that relieving those muscles, you 513 00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:16,640 Speaker 1: interrupt that feedback loop. Smiling also has a fascinating psychological 514 00:31:16,640 --> 00:31:21,160 Speaker 1: effect known as the facial feedback hypothesis. This is the 515 00:31:21,240 --> 00:31:25,280 Speaker 1: idea that our facial expressions don't just reflect emotions, they 516 00:31:25,280 --> 00:31:28,080 Speaker 1: can also influence emotions. So if you ever heard the thing, 517 00:31:28,400 --> 00:31:30,360 Speaker 1: if you're sad, just smile for ten seconds. It will 518 00:31:30,360 --> 00:31:34,000 Speaker 1: make you happy. It's actually true. Even a forced smile 519 00:31:34,120 --> 00:31:38,040 Speaker 1: can reduce your stress response and signal safety to your brain. 520 00:31:38,720 --> 00:31:43,320 Speaker 1: Number two refer to people by name occasionally throughout the interview, 521 00:31:43,400 --> 00:31:48,240 Speaker 1: especially when answering their specific questions. Firstly, this shows that 522 00:31:48,280 --> 00:31:53,680 Speaker 1: you're speaking to them, you've remembered them, you know they're important. Secondly, 523 00:31:53,920 --> 00:31:56,400 Speaker 1: there was a two thousand and six study that found 524 00:31:56,840 --> 00:32:00,360 Speaker 1: a lot of evidence that hearing one's own name as 525 00:32:00,840 --> 00:32:05,520 Speaker 1: unique brain functioning activation, including in areas responsible for directing 526 00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:09,240 Speaker 1: our attention. So basically, they're going to pay more attention 527 00:32:09,280 --> 00:32:12,240 Speaker 1: to whatever you're saying. Finally, I think it creates more 528 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:15,040 Speaker 1: of a sense of dialogue and a back and forth 529 00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:19,360 Speaker 1: type atmosphere, particularly during parts of an interview that can 530 00:32:19,360 --> 00:32:23,440 Speaker 1: feel quite monologue heavy, like when you're answering long questions, 531 00:32:23,920 --> 00:32:27,400 Speaker 1: when you're being asked to solve a problem, like it 532 00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:29,200 Speaker 1: can feel like it's very you and they can kind 533 00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:32,800 Speaker 1: of tune out. People like to feel considered, they like 534 00:32:32,840 --> 00:32:37,360 Speaker 1: to feel seen. Using somebody's name is like the easiest 535 00:32:37,400 --> 00:32:40,000 Speaker 1: way to do so, and to grab their attention back 536 00:32:40,040 --> 00:32:42,520 Speaker 1: so that they're not thinking about the next interview, thinking 537 00:32:42,520 --> 00:32:45,200 Speaker 1: about the last interview, thinking about all the other stuff 538 00:32:45,200 --> 00:32:47,680 Speaker 1: they have to do with their job. It makes them 539 00:32:47,680 --> 00:32:52,640 Speaker 1: feel like, oh, this person knows my name again, that familiarity. Firstly, 540 00:32:52,640 --> 00:32:56,520 Speaker 1: they've paid attention to me. I feel respected, I feel 541 00:32:56,560 --> 00:32:59,520 Speaker 1: noticed as the interviewer. But also if they know my name, 542 00:32:59,600 --> 00:33:02,680 Speaker 1: we much we must be on like a friendlier kind 543 00:33:02,680 --> 00:33:06,440 Speaker 1: of basis, which kind of tricks them psychologically into liking 544 00:33:06,480 --> 00:33:11,680 Speaker 1: you more. Finally, have one to two questions prepared that 545 00:33:11,760 --> 00:33:15,200 Speaker 1: you actually want the answers to that are also a 546 00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:19,080 Speaker 1: little bit less obvious. Hopefully you're already doing this, but 547 00:33:19,120 --> 00:33:23,120 Speaker 1: if not having those questions and not just boring questions 548 00:33:23,120 --> 00:33:26,760 Speaker 1: like questions that you genuinely care about signifies a willingness 549 00:33:26,800 --> 00:33:30,120 Speaker 1: to engage with the job and the company long term, 550 00:33:30,440 --> 00:33:34,000 Speaker 1: and it shows deliberate planning in advance that you think 551 00:33:34,040 --> 00:33:35,440 Speaker 1: that you're going to get this job and you think 552 00:33:35,480 --> 00:33:38,440 Speaker 1: you're like, you're really considering how you're going to fit 553 00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:43,400 Speaker 1: in importantly and significantly think about what you actually want 554 00:33:43,400 --> 00:33:46,360 Speaker 1: to know. Though again I keep expressing this, but if 555 00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:49,840 Speaker 1: you just ask questions you think are useful, like you 556 00:33:49,880 --> 00:33:53,280 Speaker 1: think you're going to impress them, that you actually don't 557 00:33:53,320 --> 00:33:55,600 Speaker 1: know the answers to, like, it doesn't come off as 558 00:33:55,720 --> 00:34:00,840 Speaker 1: very authentic. Ask things that once again and you have 559 00:34:01,080 --> 00:34:04,720 Speaker 1: genuinely been curious about, things that they genuinely would want 560 00:34:04,720 --> 00:34:09,120 Speaker 1: to give you a good answer to. Here are some examples. 561 00:34:09,600 --> 00:34:13,480 Speaker 1: Perhaps you'd like to know how much you can progress 562 00:34:13,520 --> 00:34:17,759 Speaker 1: in the future, how flexible the working hours are, what 563 00:34:17,800 --> 00:34:24,240 Speaker 1: opportunities they have for volunteering, employee engagement, personal development, something 564 00:34:24,239 --> 00:34:26,600 Speaker 1: more lighthearted like what do you guys do for your 565 00:34:26,600 --> 00:34:29,319 Speaker 1: company party? Maybe not that question, but like something that's 566 00:34:29,440 --> 00:34:33,839 Speaker 1: just figure out what's something that they are not advertising 567 00:34:33,920 --> 00:34:36,560 Speaker 1: or haven't made clear that you are really interested in 568 00:34:36,640 --> 00:34:39,319 Speaker 1: knowing that it's going to inform your decision about their job. 569 00:34:39,840 --> 00:34:42,680 Speaker 1: I also want you to remember, job interviews, like any 570 00:34:42,680 --> 00:34:45,680 Speaker 1: other skill, require a level of practice. Like the job 571 00:34:45,719 --> 00:34:48,960 Speaker 1: market is incredibly tough right now, particularly for people in 572 00:34:48,960 --> 00:34:52,200 Speaker 1: their twenties entering the workforce or in their early stages. 573 00:34:52,840 --> 00:34:54,719 Speaker 1: Even if you don't get this job, even if you 574 00:34:54,760 --> 00:34:58,759 Speaker 1: do screw up, the practice is invaluable in itself, and 575 00:34:58,800 --> 00:35:02,200 Speaker 1: it's just another chance to try out your skills. Try 576 00:35:02,320 --> 00:35:06,799 Speaker 1: mastering that first impression, exercise that two minute who am 577 00:35:06,800 --> 00:35:10,760 Speaker 1: I pitch? Try and be kind to yourself and remember 578 00:35:10,800 --> 00:35:14,640 Speaker 1: that like every single person gets rejected, sometimes there is 579 00:35:14,719 --> 00:35:19,320 Speaker 1: protection in rejection, and getting rejected is better than not applying, 580 00:35:19,760 --> 00:35:23,360 Speaker 1: not putting yourself out there, not putting yourself on their radar. 581 00:35:23,880 --> 00:35:26,960 Speaker 1: Behind every job interview that didn't go the way you 582 00:35:27,040 --> 00:35:30,960 Speaker 1: want it to is another interesting job or another interesting 583 00:35:30,960 --> 00:35:34,440 Speaker 1: opportunity just around the corner that maybe now you're available 584 00:35:34,480 --> 00:35:37,160 Speaker 1: for one more thing. I know I said one more thing, 585 00:35:37,160 --> 00:35:40,279 Speaker 1: but definitely one more thing. Even if you don't get 586 00:35:40,320 --> 00:35:43,160 Speaker 1: the job from this interview, it doesn't mean the door 587 00:35:43,280 --> 00:35:46,759 Speaker 1: is closed forever with that company. You're on their radar 588 00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:50,520 Speaker 1: right now. I've had friends who got jobs six months 589 00:35:50,600 --> 00:35:53,560 Speaker 1: later from interviews that didn't land them the job that 590 00:35:53,600 --> 00:35:56,279 Speaker 1: they actually went for. I've had people I know get 591 00:35:56,400 --> 00:36:01,000 Speaker 1: other bigger opportunities from job interviews they thought they failed 592 00:36:01,040 --> 00:36:03,759 Speaker 1: and tanked. Literally, my friend Noah got a job at 593 00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:07,600 Speaker 1: Apple five months after her interview for an entirely different 594 00:36:07,719 --> 00:36:11,960 Speaker 1: role last week, Like last week, she signed this contract. 595 00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:15,960 Speaker 1: Because you never you never know, and I do truly 596 00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:19,440 Speaker 1: believe that things never happen the way that you predict 597 00:36:19,760 --> 00:36:24,319 Speaker 1: them happening, including job interviews, including the job hunt. It's 598 00:36:24,360 --> 00:36:28,480 Speaker 1: a good reminder to just like not count yourself out 599 00:36:28,719 --> 00:36:33,759 Speaker 1: and to not not burn bridges just because perhaps you 600 00:36:33,800 --> 00:36:40,680 Speaker 1: weren't successful the first time. Obviously, job interviews are important, 601 00:36:41,080 --> 00:36:44,200 Speaker 1: but there are other things that do go into somebody's assessment. 602 00:36:44,760 --> 00:36:47,279 Speaker 1: And so at the end of the day, you could 603 00:36:47,280 --> 00:36:49,960 Speaker 1: have an amazing job interview, you could have really impressed them, 604 00:36:50,680 --> 00:36:54,200 Speaker 1: and somebody just had one more year's experience, somebody just 605 00:36:54,320 --> 00:36:58,160 Speaker 1: happened to know somebody in the company. So as much 606 00:36:58,160 --> 00:37:00,520 Speaker 1: as you're putting a lot of effort in this, as 607 00:37:00,600 --> 00:37:03,600 Speaker 1: much as you want to be prepared, we also know, 608 00:37:04,400 --> 00:37:07,040 Speaker 1: as we said before, the greater the expectations, the greater 609 00:37:07,120 --> 00:37:12,319 Speaker 1: the pressure, the more you are likely to feel overwhelmed 610 00:37:12,360 --> 00:37:15,560 Speaker 1: by the stress. So this may be ridiculous advice. You 611 00:37:15,560 --> 00:37:18,040 Speaker 1: can take it or leave it. I know it's going 612 00:37:18,080 --> 00:37:21,879 Speaker 1: to sound it's going to sound ridiculous, but treat job 613 00:37:21,920 --> 00:37:25,560 Speaker 1: interviews as something that is meant to be fun and 614 00:37:25,719 --> 00:37:28,560 Speaker 1: is something that is meant to be your chance to 615 00:37:28,640 --> 00:37:31,160 Speaker 1: grow as an individual. There is nothing on the other 616 00:37:31,200 --> 00:37:35,120 Speaker 1: side of the job interview. You're only I don't want 617 00:37:35,120 --> 00:37:36,880 Speaker 1: to say a job again. But your only role in 618 00:37:36,960 --> 00:37:39,920 Speaker 1: going into that encounter is to learn more about the 619 00:37:39,960 --> 00:37:43,120 Speaker 1: other person, to learn more about this company, to test 620 00:37:43,160 --> 00:37:46,480 Speaker 1: out your skills, to test out how you perform, whether 621 00:37:46,520 --> 00:37:48,840 Speaker 1: the job on the other end is yours or not. 622 00:37:49,360 --> 00:37:51,839 Speaker 1: Having that kind of I'm here to experience, I'm here 623 00:37:51,840 --> 00:37:54,920 Speaker 1: to learn. I'm here to just see what I can do, 624 00:37:54,960 --> 00:37:59,400 Speaker 1: see what I'm capable of. Is a better mentality overall, 625 00:38:00,320 --> 00:38:04,520 Speaker 1: reducing the sense of expectation that could actually end up 626 00:38:04,800 --> 00:38:09,480 Speaker 1: subtly sabotaging how you perform. So those are all the 627 00:38:09,520 --> 00:38:12,000 Speaker 1: tips I have for you today. I'm very hopeful for you. 628 00:38:12,680 --> 00:38:16,400 Speaker 1: Good luck. I think that you're going to do amazing. Listen, 629 00:38:16,440 --> 00:38:20,719 Speaker 1: nobody likes job interviews. Like they're awful. They suck, Like 630 00:38:20,800 --> 00:38:25,160 Speaker 1: nobody likes sitting in front of somebody and being assessed 631 00:38:26,520 --> 00:38:29,839 Speaker 1: for like everything that is important to you in like 632 00:38:30,080 --> 00:38:33,440 Speaker 1: an hour. So if it's not going well, if you've 633 00:38:33,480 --> 00:38:36,360 Speaker 1: had a shit job interview in the in recent history, 634 00:38:37,040 --> 00:38:39,439 Speaker 1: it's all right, Like it's just part of life. It's 635 00:38:39,520 --> 00:38:42,520 Speaker 1: like taxes, it's like death. Job interviews just kind of suck. 636 00:38:42,960 --> 00:38:45,400 Speaker 1: But I hope that these tips in understanding the psychology 637 00:38:45,400 --> 00:38:49,440 Speaker 1: behind why you are so apprehensive, behind first impressions, behind confidence, 638 00:38:49,480 --> 00:38:54,759 Speaker 1: behind impression management is useful in whatever you're doing. If 639 00:38:54,800 --> 00:38:57,160 Speaker 1: you have made it this far and you are listening 640 00:38:57,160 --> 00:39:00,000 Speaker 1: on Spotify, leave a comment down below. Are you about 641 00:39:00,160 --> 00:39:01,680 Speaker 1: to go into a job interview? Have you got a 642 00:39:01,719 --> 00:39:05,480 Speaker 1: job interview going up? What's the job for? What kind 643 00:39:05,520 --> 00:39:08,320 Speaker 1: of opportunities are you currently exploring? Let's all leave a 644 00:39:08,320 --> 00:39:11,040 Speaker 1: little comment so we can wish you good luck on 645 00:39:11,080 --> 00:39:13,560 Speaker 1: your quest. I'm sure you're going to do amazing. As always, 646 00:39:13,600 --> 00:39:16,360 Speaker 1: you can watch full episodes of the podcast now on 647 00:39:16,440 --> 00:39:19,040 Speaker 1: Netflix if you haven't done so yet, You can also 648 00:39:19,040 --> 00:39:22,040 Speaker 1: follow us on Instagram at that Psychology Podcast. I think 649 00:39:22,040 --> 00:39:25,240 Speaker 1: I'm going to make a substack article about this as well. 650 00:39:25,719 --> 00:39:28,320 Speaker 1: I think it would be an interesting one, so follow 651 00:39:28,400 --> 00:39:31,080 Speaker 1: us on substack if you want to read these tips, 652 00:39:31,080 --> 00:39:33,680 Speaker 1: save these tips, look at them later on in a 653 00:39:33,680 --> 00:39:36,640 Speaker 1: different format. I think that's everything I have time for. 654 00:39:36,719 --> 00:39:38,279 Speaker 1: But again, thank you for listening all the way to 655 00:39:38,320 --> 00:39:40,960 Speaker 1: the end. Until next time, be safe, be kind, be 656 00:39:41,040 --> 00:39:43,520 Speaker 1: gentle to yourself. Good luck with your job interview. I'm 657 00:39:43,520 --> 00:39:46,880 Speaker 1: sure you're going to do absolutely, absolutely killer. You're going 658 00:39:46,920 --> 00:39:49,080 Speaker 1: to kill it. We'll talk very very soon.