Home » Improving Listening Skills
One of the keys to success at interviews is having good listening skills. You know the best way to irritate an interviewer? Just interrupt him mid-sentence and start answering his question before it’s finished.
And then discover that you gave a perfect answer – to the wrong question! If this has happened to you, think seriously about improving listening skills. That’s one of the most useful job interview tips.
The most direct benefit of careful, attentive listening is that you get to hear exactly what the question or comment is!
You won’t believe how many people seem to have trouble with this. They just can’t wait to interrupt someone else and start hearing their own voice.
The other – and very important – benefit is that attentive listening is actually a subtle compliment to the interviewer. It means that you value him and what he has to say highly enough to listen completely and carefully and only then reply.
When you want that job, doesn’t it make sense to compliment the interviewer, especially in such a subtle and effective manner? Improving listening skills has huge payoffs.
If you have trouble with this, make it a point to consciously listen carefully when someone is saying something. Start doing this immediately, whether the interview is one hour off or one month away.
You’ll then be much better prepared with answers to tough interviewing questions.
If you are even the slightest bit unsure about the question, rephrase the interviewer’s question saying “If I understand you correctly, .….(rephrase in your own words).
Do this once or twice during the interview even if you’re sure you heard him correctly. Obviously, don’t overdo it by rephrasing every question they ask you!
That’s the simple and easy way to improving listening skills at job interviews.