Establishing Rapport During An Interview

What exactly is rapport? Establishing rapport means creating trust and benevolence between the interviewee and the person conducting the interview. This can be tough at times considering you both are two completely different persons and strangers moreover. But the key to establishing rapport is to find a common ground in which you and your interviewer share the same interests.

Unfortunately it's quite common for interviewers to prejudge you for lack of better words, before they actually come to know the person you are. Therefore, try your best to make a very good first impression. Give the interviewer a warm and encouraging smile, followed by a firm handshake when you greet them. Ask them how their day has been going so far. Let them know from the first few seconds of the interview that you are a person worth knowing and you have something valuable to share with the company.

In a formal interview setting it is harder to establish rapport because the interviewer is there with one goal in mind: To perform an interview. In this type of setting, the interviewer will approach the interview directly. He or she will avoid unnecessary chatter and get straight to business. So if you wish to establish rapport during this type of setting it is best to do it in the first few minutes before the actual interview begins. This can be achieved by asking quick questions during your initial greeting.

In more informal settings, it is easier to establish rapport. This is so mainly because your interviewer will be more apt to talk more in the beginning. In this informal setting they will try to get to know you first as a person before actually going into the interview. You too could use this as an advantage for yourself. Seek to find a common interest between you and your interviewer. Once this interest is found and acknowledged, establishing rapport between you and interviewer will come easily. Your goal in establishing rapport is to create a trusted atmosphere in the interview situation.

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