How to Build Chemistry with the Interviewer

You can generally tell whether you did well in an interview based on the connection you built with the interviewer. You have probably been in situations where an interview felt uneasy and awkward because of a lack of chemistry with the interviewer.

Have you ever thought, “I just couldn’t click with the interviewer” following a difficult interview?

It happens to everyone.

You can’t control who you are interviewing with, their deep-rooted biases, or their mood. That’s one reason why I attribute the chance of passing an interview largely to luck. The interview process is not a perfect system. However, you can take steps to minimize the impact of luck by intentionally building chemistry with the interviewer.

Building rapport through conversation

Building rapport with the interviewer can make or break the interview. It can help you stand out as a memorable candidate instead of blurring into a sea of other smart applicants.

One of my favorite strategies for building rapport with senior interviewers is to strike up an engaging conversation before the interview starts. In many of my final round interviews, I waited in the office lobby between interviews. My next interviewer would come by and introduce themselves, then we would walk to the interview room together to proceed with the interview. Between the initial introduction and sitting down in the interview room, there is a 1-minute window of opportunity to start a conversation. Even if you are interviewing over a video call, there will still be some time to verbally exchange words before the actual interview questions kick in.

There are 3 ways this can go:

1. You nervously introduce yourself and limply shake the Partner’s hand, then quietly walk to the room. Bad start.
2. You introduce yourself and shake the Partner’s hand, then walk to their office while making small talk. Better, but every other decent candidate will do the same.
3. You confidently introduce yourself and firmly shake the Partner’s hand, then walk to their office while sparking an interesting conversation about their work. Great, already positioning yourself as a memorable candidate.

Initiating an interesting conversation takes practice. There’s no secret formula and the conversation will vary by person and situation.

That being said, here are three tips that will help you build chemistry with your interviewer.

1. Talk about them

First, the golden rule: try to get the interviewer to talk about themselves. My best interviews were ones where the interviewer actively participated in the conversation.

It may be helpful to briefly research the interviewer on LinkedIn or Google to find out about their Alma Mater, prior work experience, non-profit/community involvement, practice area/expertise, and any other relevant or interesting information.

Tip: you can sometimes find their profile on Instagram or Facebook. This will show you if they travelled recently or have any hobbies you can connect with them over.

2. Get the ball rolling

Initiate a conversation with the interviewer prior to starting the interview.

Here is an example of how the conversation might flow.

• Start with a confident introduction and a firm hand shake
• Spend 10-20 seconds making small talk, in which you ask how their day is going
• After breaking the ice, you might mention anything you have in common with them. For example, where you are from, membership in an organization, a company you both worked at, or a university you both attended
• About 30 seconds into the introduction, you might then shift the conversation towards something work-related by asking what they are working on

Keep in mind that conversations are never formulaic, and so the outline above should not be taken literally.

3. Show genuine interest by listening

By now you are probably walking into the interview room and ready to sit down and begin. This is a pivotal moment in building an interesting and memorable conversation.

After the interviewer briefly explains their work, most candidates would say “cool” then quietly get their resume ready to begin the interview. Instead, carefully listen to what they say and gently probe into their work by asking more open-ended questions. From here, it’s about thinking on your feet and being genuinely curious about their work.

By using this strategy, I’ve had interviews where we launched into a 30+ minute discussion about the interviewer’s work.

On one occasion, I had an interesting conversation with a consulting Partner about his work for nearly the entire final round interview. After realizing how deep in conversation we were and our limited remaining time, he started to ask me mini-case questions embedded in our conversation to quickly test my problem-solving skills.

Shortly after the interview, he called to extend an offer and mentioned that he really enjoyed our conversation. It was one of my favorite (and least stressful) interview experiences.

In other situations, the pre-interview conversation only lasted a few minutes because the interviewer wanted to begin the formal interview. That’s okay, there will still be benefits from connecting with the interviewer early on, such as gaining the benefit of the doubt if you make minor mistakes.

I’ve found that attempting to start the interview with an interesting conversation projects confidence, curiosity, and likability to the interviewer. It starts the interview off on a strong note, builds rapport, and allows you to stand out from other candidates.

Final thoughts

Do not underestimate the importance of approaching the interview with an enthusiastic attitude. Not only is this foundational for striking up an engaging conversation, but your energy can also be contagious and leave the interviewer feeling energized for the rest of the day.

There is no substitute for being well prepared and knowing the content – your success will depend heavily on the way you answer behavioral, technical, and company-specific questions. However, the right attitude and approach to building rapport can influence the outcome of the entire interview, and with the competitive nature of recruiting at top consulting firms, you will want every advantage you can find.

Jason Oh is a Senior Consultant, Strategy & Customer at EY with project experiences in commercial due diligence and corporate strategy planning. Previously, he was a Management Consultant at Novantas with a focus on the financial services sector, where he advised on pricing, marketing, channel distribution, digital transformation and due diligence.

Image: Pixabay

🔴 Interested in consulting?