ou are about to go into an interview that you have been preparing for because it is your number one choice on your list of places you want to work, and you are feeling very confident. You met someone at a job fair a couple weeks ago and you e-mailed him to set up this interview early so you would have plenty of time to prepare. He let you know you would be interviewing with the decision maker, who had a full day of interviewing other students, and gave you the time slot of 3:00 in the afternoon.

It is toward the end of the interviewer's day and she comes out to greet you and bring you back to the conference room. You notice that she is lacking any emotion on her face and she says she has already had eight other interviews today, so she is tired. From there, it is completely up to you to turn her attitude around by your communication skills. In the past couple of weeks, you have been following any press releases or news articles that have come out about the company, and you can use that information to get the interviewer to speak to you. Maybe it was a new rebranding you read about that will get her excited about the new changes happening, or the company had a record-breaking year in sales. The interviewer will be both impressed that you are keeping up with the company and it may get her talking about something she is passionate about. At this point, it is very important to make sure you are holding eye contact, taking notes if applicable, and sitting forward to let her know you are just as interested as she is in this interview.

Even though the interview is about you, everyone enjoys talking about himself or herself (or his or her company) and it will get the interviewer excited about talking to you and listening to you. It may take a couple minutes to build your rapport with her, but it is important to make sure you keep up her spirits throughout the interview by maintaining body language and speaking clearly and concisely for the remainder of the time you spend with her.

Not every interview is going to be like this, but it is very important to know how to react to this unforeseen situation. The most important part about any interview is to come prepared, maintain good body language, and be yourself and you will be able to handle any situation that you may come across.

Your Task:

Devise FOUR interview strategiesthat will lean into using the communication skills learned in chapter 4. These can include specific questions you might ask the interviewer. Be sure to be specific about how and why each of your four strategies would help you to effectively sell yourself based on the communication principles in this chapter.