5 interviewing tips for introverts

For those of us who are introverts, interviewing can be a harrowing experience. Forced to go way out of our comfort zone and present our most salient career highlights to someone we hardly know ranks right up there with having a tooth extracted. Actually it doesn’t have to be that painful if we plan accordingly. Being an introvert myself, I have found a few methods over the years that really help ease the stress of an interview.

1. Familiarize yourself with your potential employer. Do your research and Google the company to see if they have been in the news recently. Try starting off the interview with a fact or two you learned about the company.This will impress the person you are meeting with. Let’s face it, employers have egos. Demonstrating you have knowledge of their organization and what they are up to in the marketplace will go a long way. This will also help you with step two.
2. Use small talk to your advantage. Assuming you have researched the company and have something of interest to share or a question to ask, do it before the interview starts. This is a good icebreaker and puts you in control of the conversation. Initiating is not something introverts typically do but if the topic is familiar to you, you will be surprised at how easy it is to get the conversation going.
3. Practice with a good friend. Practicing doesn’t mean memorizing your answers. It does mean you have studied your accomplishment stories, Googled typical interview questions and practiced answering these questions with a friend. The idea here is to become familiar with weaving your accomplishment stories into your answers. Do the dry run with a friend, not with the person you will be interviewing with!
4. Don’t undersell yourself. As introverts we have a heck of a time tooting our own horn. It feels like bragging. Well I have news for you, employers expect you to talk about your accomplishments. They want to know how you made a difference at your last job. How you made the company money; how you saved the company money; and otherwise made a positive impact on the bottom line. Again, practice weaving accomplishment stories into your interview answers. If you don’t you will be selling yourself short. I also highly recommend you pick up a copy of Peggy Klaus’ book, ‘Brag! The Art of Tooting your Own Horn Without Blowing It’.
5. Always follow up. Many people ignore this common interview courtesy. Send a thoughtful note or email and tell the employer what excites you about the opportunity and why you are the most qualified candidate. The follow up note serves two purposes. It provides one more opportunity to market yourself and stand out; and you can do it from the comfort of your own home office. What more could an introvert ask for?

Preparation is key to minimizing the unknowns that can cause stress in an interview situation. So plan ahead and give yourself plenty of time to practice coming out of your shell! Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.