Oh, the job interview - it's like dating, but instead of finding love, you're searching for a new career opportunity! Like a first date, it's crucial to build rapport with your interviewer immediately. Also, you need to build trust. After all, you want them to see you as a trustworthy and competent professional they'd love to have on their team. 

Think of it as your chance to make a great first impression, showcase your personality, and demonstrate that you're the perfect fit for the job. By putting in a little extra effort at the beginning of your interview and carrying it throughout, you can make a lasting positive impression that will leave your interviewer feeling confident and excited about you.

So how can you build rapport and trust?

Let's dive into some strategies for building trust and rapport in your next job interview. They are active listening, positive body language, and voice tone.

Active Listening

Active listening is crucial in building a connection in a job interview. By focusing on what the interviewer is saying, avoiding distractions, and demonstrating your engagement and interest through nonverbal cues, you show that you value the interviewer's thoughts and opinions. You create an environment where the interviewer feels heard and understood. This can help build rapport, establish common ground, and make a positive impression, which are critical factors in landing the job. Even if you are not the most “qualified” for the role, doing this can move you ahead of your competition.

Embracing the power of active listening in a job interview can give you a significant advantage over other candidates. By focusing solely on what the interviewer is saying, avoiding distractions, and staying in the present moment, you show genuine interest in the interviewer's perspective and make them feel heard and understood. This creates a warm and welcoming atmosphere, establishing rapport and common ground and ultimately leaving a lasting positive impression. Remember, even if you're not the most "qualified" candidate, active listening can set you apart and give you a competitive edge in securing the job!

Here are a few essential active listening strategies.

Pay attention: When you give your undivided attention and actively listen to the interviewer, you show deep respect and care for their thoughts and opinions. This creates a positive and productive environment for communication and sets the foundation for building a solid relationship based on trust and mutual understanding.

Paraphrase: You show that you are actively engaged, attentive, and invested in understanding the conversation. It ensures that you and the other person are on the same page, leading to clear and effective communication. It also allows you to clarify any potential misunderstandings.

Asking Clarifying Questions: Asking clarifying questions demonstrates your professionalism, attention to detail, and commitment to understanding the interviewer's needs and perspectives. It also allows you to gather more information, learn more about the position, and showcase your critical thinking skills.

Avoid Interrupting: Interruptions can create a negative and unprofessional impression, detract from your ability to build rapport and establish trust, and limit your ability to gather important information about the position and the company. By avoiding interruptions and allowing the interviewer to finish speaking, you demonstrate your professionalism, attention to detail, and commitment to creating a positive and productive environment for communication.

Focus on the Present Moment: Doing this helps you avoid getting ahead of yourself and thinking about your next response while the interviewer is speaking, which can make you seem distracted or uninterested.

Positive Body Language

Positive body language is key in building rapport and trust in any interaction, including a job interview. You show the interviewer that you are engaged and attentive by maintaining eye contact, having an open posture, and nodding in agreement. This creates a welcoming and positive environment where the interviewer feels valued and respected. These nonverbal cues help to establish a strong connection, foster trust and leave a lasting impression. So, embrace your body language and let it work in your favor during your job interview!

Smiling: A smile is a universal sign of friendliness, warmth, and approachability. When we smile, we exude positivity, which conveys to others that we are approachable and trustworthy.

Eye Contact: Eye contact is considered important in Western cultures, as it is seen as a sign of respect and attentiveness. Making eye contact with the person you are speaking to shows that you are present, interested, and actively listening. It also helps to build trust because it demonstrates that you are honest and sincere and respect the person. In other cultures, making direct eye contact may be seen as aggressive or confrontational, so it is important to understand and respect cultural differences when it comes to eye contact in communication. 

Open Posture: An open posture is body language that conveys openness, honesty, and confidence. Some signs of an open posture include:

• Standing or sitting straight: Good posture communicates that you are engaged, alert, and confident.

• Uncrossed arms and legs: Crossing your arms or legs can signal defensiveness or discomfort, making you seem untrustworthy.

• Relaxed muscles: When you are relaxed, your muscles are less tense, and your movements are smoother and more natural.

• Leaning in slightly: Leaning forward shows you are engaged and interested in what the other person is saying.

• Palms facing upward: Showing the palms of your hands can convey honesty and transparency, as people often hide or conceal things behind their hands.

By conveying an open and approachable demeanor, you can create a positive and productive environment for communication and collaboration. This positive impression will show the positive behaviors the interviewer would like to see on the job.

Gestures: Gestures that are natural, appropriate, and enthusiastic can help build trust and rapport. When used effectively, gestures show that you are engaged, interested, and invested in the conversation. These gestures can include nodding your head, spreading your arms wide to emphasize a point, making a "thumbs up" sign to express approval, and others. It is important to remember that gestures should be used in moderation, as excessive or inappropriate gestures can be distracting and detract from your message.

Nodding Your Head: For starters, nodding your head is a way to show that you are actively listening and engaged with what the other person is saying. It conveys a sense of interest and understanding. Additionally, nodding your head can help to encourage the other person to continue speaking, as it sends a subtle signal that you are engaged and interested in what they have to say.

Your tone of voice can significantly impact how others perceive you and the trust and rapport you build with them. A confident, friendly, and sincere tone of voice can make you sound approachable, trustworthy, and interested in what others have to say. On the other hand, a monotone, dull, or insincere voice can make you seem uninterested, untrustworthy, or even confrontational. Additionally, changes in tone, such as varying pitch, speaking too fast or too slow, and talking too loudly or softly, can also impact how you are perceived. Therefore, paying attention to your tone of voice can help you make a great first impression and build trust and rapport with others.

Matching the Tone of the Interviewer: By adapting your tone to match the interviewer, you create a sense of mutual understanding and build a connection. For example, If the interviewer is speaking more formally and professionally, you can do the same, but if they are more relaxed and informal, you can adjust your tone accordingly. This could involve speaking at a similar pace, volume, and tone and using similar words and expressions. By doing so, you are showing that you are attentive to their communication style and willing to adapt to create a positive and productive dynamic.

Showing Enthusiasm: It conveys a sense of energy and excitement, which can be infectious and engaging. Being enthusiastic shows that you're interested, invested, and passionate about the conversation, which can make the other person feel valued and heard.

To show enthusiasm in your voice, you can use inflection and changes in pitch, volume, and pace to convey interest and excitement. For example, you can ask questions with a rising intonation, use a higher pitch when discussing something you're excited about, or use a slow and deliberate pace when making a point. Additionally, positive words and phrases, such as "That's fantastic!" or "I'm so excited to hear about that," can also help convey enthusiasm and build rapport.

Avoid “Filler” Words: Avoiding filler words is important in building rapport and trust because they can make you sound uncertain or inarticulate. Filler words are words or sounds that are used to fill a pause or silence in a conversation, such as "um," "ah," "like," "you know," etc. Using too many of these words can detract from the message you are trying to convey and make you sound less confident or competent. 

How to avoid filler words? Take a deep breath, slow down, and think about what you want to say before speaking. Pause and gather your thoughts. You can improve your speaking fluency and reduce your use of filler words.

Adjusting Your Loudness: Adjusting your loudness helps to convey confidence, express your emotions, and keep the listener engaged. You appear confident, credible, and in control when you speak at a consistent, moderate volume. On the other hand, speaking too softly can make you appear unsure or unsure of yourself while speaking too loudly can be perceived as aggressive or dominant. Additionally, adjusting your voice's volume in response to your listener's volume can also show that you are actively listening and paying attention to them.

…And Your Pace: It can help to match the rhythm and pace of the conversation. Speaking at the same speed as the interviewer can create a sense of connection and mutual understanding. Speaking too quickly or too slowly can create a disconnect or make the other person feel rushed or bored. Modulating your pace can help to keep the conversation flowing and make the other person feel heard and respected, which are key elements in building rapport and trust.

By practicing and honing your active listening skills, positive body language, and tone of voice, you can greatly enhance your chances of making a strong impression during a job interview. With focused effort and a positive attitude, you can effectively communicate your strengths and skills, building confidence and trust with the interviewer and ultimately increasing your chances of landing the job.

Interested in learning more about best practices in interviewing? You might also enjoy, Win the Interview by Properly Answering Interview Questions (With Examples).

Shelley Piedmont is a job search coach. She wants to help job seekers put their best foot forward by providing the tools for a successful job search. If you need career coaching, resume strategy, interview skills assessment, or LinkedIn profile assistance, she can help. Schedule a 15-minute no-obligation consultation.