The Interview

I have been hunting for a job for a while now. There have been a few interviews, nothing successful, but something I have always struggled with is feeling comfortable in interviews. Some might say, "well duh, nobody feels comfortable in interviews on either side of the process." But I am starting to realize that there is more to landing a job than a well structured resume, grammatically correct cover letter and experience. All of these being the foundation, but there is something to build on top of these.

Rapport.

When I worked for Vector Marketing selling Cutco for a summer, rapport was a huge topic. "The best way to sell the product is to build rapport with the customer." This may sound cold and I do not want anyone I sold Cutco to think I swindled them into buying the product. For two reasons...I had a hard time building rapport with people I knew never mind strangers, and I actually believe Cutco is a good product. That aside, I have yet to master the art of rapport. I feel like I can read a person's body language pretty good, but to translate that into a conversation is a challenge.

I need to make the distinction that I believe the rapport you build with a future employer and a future girlfriend are two different worlds. While you may use the same tools in each situation, said future employer might not always respond positively to flirty smiles and complements on wardrobe...especially if it is a 50 year old man. Disclaimer: I do necessarily use previously stated techniques to pick up a girlfriend. I digress.

I don't know how much TV you all watch, but there is an extremely entertaining show that me and some guys in college would watch purely because of how preposterous the idea was. Have you ever heard of "The Pick Up Artist" ? I will not go into details, but it is based on this guy that calls himself "Mystery"(See Picture above). He believes he can pick up any girl he wants and uses this competitive show to teach a group of guys to do the same with his techniques. Like I said, it was for entertainment not practical application. But the point is that much of his techniques could be considered building rapport.

This whole thought process on rapport was triggered by some articles about building rapport on a resume builder website. It mentions how the interviewer, maybe not even intentionally, will make a decision on who is offered the position based on emotions and how memorable the interviewee was and if there was a "connection". So the challenge is perfecting the art of connection. This website also suggests practicing in other contexts to refine one's ability to build rapport before going into an interview. I just might go to the library today and do some observing and approach a complete stranger to see if I have appropriately read body language and interaction with other people. Maybe the grocery store is a better idea.

Happy job hunting to all my unemployed readers!