Likeability

As a professional who loves surgical technology and is equally as passionate about seeing other’s succeed in this field, I do as much research and reading as I can. Last night, I read a fascinating study that was published in the Journal of Applied Psychology about human resources and job interviews. I’d like to share my thoughts about it with you to spare you the time of reading it yourself.

Although interviewers might tell you that qualifications like experience, education, certification, and skills are the most important thing they look for in a candidate, an analysis of their past selections show us that this is simply NOT true. There's another criterion that trumps qualification.

What is it?

Likeability.

Simply put, if another candidate is equal or slightly less qualified than you are for the job but the interviewer likes them more, chances are they will get the job. It’s proven science.

My thoughts on this article is that there is a plus side to this. I actually teach this to my students during the professional development portion of their last semester and this is a simple tactic that I teach all of my career coaching clients. The good news is that it's not as hard as you might think to win interviewers over quickly and make them see you as someone who "fits" in with their culture.

Here are some simple things you can do:

-Be upbeat and enthusiastic

-Give a genuine compliment (it MUST come across as authentic)

-Mention something that you like about the organization (again, this must be authentic or it comes across as a lame attempt to ingratiate yourself)

-Talk with the interviewer about a non-job-related topic that you both have in common (that's not work related – take a look at their LinkedIn profile)

-Ask them positive questions (e.g. "What do you love about your job?")

As the hiring manager's dream candidate, you have to come across as both likeable and competent. I met a former graduate at a state assembly conference yesterday who used these simple tactics and was offered multiple jobs all in one week. It is simple, but it works. Take advantage of your likeability and positivity and project it.

a great guest speaker at a conference once told a captivated crowd, “Be the person you want to work with.”