You followed all the ‘rules’ — you wore a perfectly ironed outfit, smiled the right amount and stressed your strengths — but failed to impress your interviewers. Now you’re left wondering what went wrong. Does this sound familiar? Well, according to the Harvard Business Review , it helps to go off-script at job interviews. This, the article says, neutralises split-second judgements made by potential employers.
Though you’d like otherwise, job interviews follow a certain pattern and are largely dependent on the biases of an interviewer. This is why it’s important to address these and create a personal connect with the questioner. If you’re apprehensive about your language or accent, acknowledge it rather than letting it make you uncomfortable. And don’t be robotic with your responses though have the answers prepared.
To know more about how improvisation might get you that job you’re vying for, click here .