For our first blog post, we will discuss some useful tips for interviews pertaining to communication and we hope that this would be useful for those of you who would be going for interviews any time soon!

Firstly, communication can be understood as the transmission of a message between a sender and a receiver where feedback from the receiver creates a communication loop between both parties. In addition to this basic concept of communication, the other important aspect of communication is that there are 3 main facets of it namely, verbal, vocal and visual (non-verbal) communication.

Interestingly enough, visual communication constitutes 55% while vocal communication makes up another 38% of the entire message picked up by a receiver. This leaves just 7% of the message being articulated as the verbal part of it! Yet, it is not about the fact that we have to focus on any single part or trying to raise our communication message to a certain percentage or threshold! The reason for this is simply because when there is a difference between any of the 3 elements of the message conveyed, it creates a gap which reduces the overall effectiveness of the message received!

So in order to avoid such gaps during your interviews, it pays to consider the following tips and guidelines.

• Practice your speaking skills regularly prior to the interview in front of a mirror or your computer screen. It gives you a sense of what you’re saying and what you’re also conveying through other actions that may escape you unknowingly!
• Think through potential interview questions and prepare your answers to those questions beforehand. It does not mean that you have to memorise word for word, rather it means that you ought to have an idea what are key points that should be highlighted during the interview. Remember when a line is memorised and forced out, the verbal and non verbal are often disjointed or the argument does not easily hold upon closer inspection.
• Oft mentioned as a catch phrase “You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression”, this holds true! Your dressing, posture and countenance can easily create vibes and leave an impression on your interviewers. So remember that smile of yours, appropriate attire and warm greetings… They all add up!
• To counter those anxiety feelings, it pays to be prepared and also to find your own handles to manage them! For some music might do the trick, for others, it could a vocal warm up or a certain gesticulation, for others, it could be mentally framing the picture and situation… Regardless of what works, remember that you should always prepare beforehand. This helps!
• Should you encounter questions that are not on your prepared list. Don’t panic! Take a deep breathe, process the question and try to answer it according to the STAR method. STAR stands for S – state the overall situation… T – task you did… A – Actions taken and skills that you demonstrated… R – result from that encounter and what did you achieve!

We hope these tips are useful and if you would like to know more on how we can help you land your next job and career move, call us at 61007627 or email us at admin@targetrecruitment.sg!