The job market hasn’t been so competitive for decades and never more so than in the Financial Services sector at the moment. So it is essential that you do everything you can to optimise your chances of standing out in the crowd and making a good impression at your interview.

Research shows that first impressions matter enormously – so the first step is to ‘get a grip’ – a firm handshake is very important. Anyone on the receiving end of a limp handshake will likely recoil at the thought and new research at the University of Iowa demonstrates that a firm handshake together with looking the interviewer in the eye can boost your chances of getting the job.  A firm handshake subconsciously infers that the candidate is confident and apparently women can capitalise on this to a greater extent than men simply because men are expected to have a stronger handshake in the first place say the researchers (Journal of Applied Science, vol 93, p1139.)

Additionally researchers at Princetown University have identified that we take less than one second to look at someone’s face before making initial judgements about qualities such as trustworthiness, likeability and even competence. (Psychological Science, vol 17, p 592) Facial features such as upturned mouths and eyebrows that go up in the middle are apparently judged by our brains to be more trustworthy.  Whilst you can’t change your face, there are things you can do that science suggests might give you the edge when you meet your interviewer – and smiling is one of them.

Try to relax and not let nerves get the better of you and smile. A phenomenon known as the ‘halo effect’ whereby one good character trait will influence what people infer about other traits means that by being warm and friendly from the outset of the interview can make the interviewer think better of you. This effect was demonstrated by an experiment conducted at Michigan University where the same interviewee was videoed in two interviews – one where he was warm and friendly and one where he was more cold and distant. The videos were shown to a wide audience and people were asked to rate the interviewee on things such as appearance, accent and mannerisms. In the film where the interviewee was cold and distant they rated these attributes as irritating whereas in the ‘warm and friendly’ film the exact same attributes were deemed to be appealing (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 35, p 250).

So whilst it is important to ensure that the interviewer knows that you have the skills and experience to do the job – don’t be tempted to be too serious and formal. Greet the interviewer with a firm handshake, make good eye contact and come across as warm and friendly and you may have them imagining all sorts of other good qualities that they may not see in other candidates.

Article contributed by Trish Stockbridge - Director, Commercial Finance People