pyschology of a job interview Archives

May 14, 2025May 15, 2025

Getting Motivated for a Job Interview

Career progression is only possible by overcoming the hurdle that is the job interview.

Why does the job interview seem such a barrier? Surely, a 45 minute 1-2-1 talking about one’s own workplace achievements must be easy?

Three psychological traps are the reason why most people fear the recruitment process.

Humans hate the unknown

For many, job interviews are rare. Career professionals, research shows, only tend to apply for a new role every 3-5 years.

Even during this brief period of active searching, most job seekers only attend 2-3 job interviews.

Comfort comes from routine, and nervousness from the unknown. Attending a job interview activates the flight or fight response, in most cases its ‘flight’ rather than ‘fight’.

Unknown processes, unknown interviewers, unknown interview questions, so many unknowns that the mind reacts like it would to any threat – flight or fight.

2. The spotlight is blinding

Only a small group of people like being in the spotlight.

Most career professionals hate the thought of the focus being fully on them. In the job interview, the spotlight is fully on the job applicant, and shining bright. The interview panel, often 2-3 managers and HR personnel, spends the whole of the job interview fully focused on the interviewee:

Questions are asked, answers are queried, and eyes are focused fully on the applicant.

The number one fear in the world is ‘being the centre of attention’ And the interview is public speaking to a small group of strangers, all eyes are on you.

3. Worthy or worthless

At a psychological level, humans need to feel that they belong. This is because we evolved as a species that survives as a tight-knit group. Tribes survived longer than individuals when we roamed the earth as hunter-gatherers.

At some level humans still have this need to belong and hate the thought of being rejected. In the job interview we naturally think that we are not worthy for the role: others may be better, maybe I’m not as good as I thought I was, have I been faking my ability to do my role?

Will I get rejected if I apply for the advertised position?

This limiting belief of not being good enough claws away at our self-esteem, often resulting in interview answers that lack substance, detail, and enough self-promotion to generate a job offer.

With all the negativity, most people believe its easier to give up (not apply for the job) on job searching rather than going through the pain of having to attend a process that will uncover their weaknesses, resulting in a big rejection – a job decline letter, making them feel worthless.

Master Motivation, Master Job Advancement

The truth is, job motivation is easy to encourage. When motivated and confident, the job application becomes a clear communicator who can talk the talk and walk the walk. They can sell themselves, build rapport, and enjoy the job interview process.

When it comes down to it, the job interview is only a 45-minute process, 5-10 minutes of this is the employer talking about their organisation (to sell the job role/organisation to the applicant). The first interview question is always an open question that is easy to answer, and the final question is normally ‘do you have any questions for us?’

So, out of 45 minutes, it’s really about 30 minutes of the ‘tough’ interview questions.

Tough? Not really, these days the interview questions are based on the job role, ‘do you have experience of doing (task)?’

This makes it easy to predict the interview questions, allowing the career professional to prepare and practice their interview answers.

Practice creates motivation.

It is well documented that familiarity makes a task easier. By practising job interviews with an interview coach, interview AI videos, even by attending public speaking workshops, talking more about yourself, or by practicing the interview questions and answers on your own increases motivation because the process of question/answer becomes familiar.

Speaking improves communication. Sounds silly, I know, but the more someone practices communication, the better their oration skill become. This is key in a job interview as every answer needs to be clear, concise, and to be understood by the interview panel.

Often overlooked, confident communication is powerful in a job interview as helping another person see your version of a story, not their perception, helps you to sell your unique selling point.

In the job interview, there is an additional step to gaining a job offer.

Answering questions confidently isn’t enough to guarantee a successful interview outcome. What is needed is self-promotion. As referred to earlier, the need to avoid rejection is powerful. If a job applicant has low self-esteem, they need to turn this emotion around into something more powerful and useful.

Confidence and motivation are key to interview success. Employers use a structured job interview process where each job interview question is asked to all applicants and answers a scored depending on how they meet the job criteria. An interview answer that ticks all the boxes scores high, whereas an answer or example that seems irrelevant or lacks specifics will always score low.

To self-promote, the candidate must understand the organization, their vision, and the day-to-day duties. This needs detailing: is the organization process-driven or innovative? What specific tasks does the role entail? Is the goal quality, financial, or something else? The more an interviewee understands the brief of the role, the more they can detail how they meet the specific criteria in their interview answers, resulting in a high-scoring application.

To pass a job interview

Get motivated by a strong self-belief that you will succeed

Get familiar with job interviews (through practice)

Get confident in answering interview questions

Get skilled at selling yourself

Get knowledgeable about the job role you are applying for

Interview Coaching

Need help? Book an interview coaching session.

Virtual job interview coaching can help you achieve your career dreams:

Double your salary when you master selling yourself in the job interview
Enjoy the interview process with increased confidence
Choose the employer of your choice with multiple job offers

March 5, 2025March 5, 2025

How the Book Thinking, Fast and Slow Can Be Applied in a Job Interview

The book Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman explores two primary modes of thinking that shape human judgment and decision-making.

An overview of the key theories and concepts:

1. System 1 and System 2 Thinking

System 1 is the fast, automatic, and intuitive way of thinking. It’s fast, effortless, and often operates below our conscious awareness. This system is responsible for making quick judgments and decisions based on heuristics or mental shortcuts. It’s also highly influenced by emotions and experience.
System 2, on the other hand, is slower, more deliberate, and requires conscious effort. It’s responsible for more complex reasoning, logic, and decision-making that requires effortful thought. System 2 thinking comes into play when we need to solve puzzles, make thoughtful decisions, or engage in tasks that require focus and concentration.

The book argues that while System 1 is efficient and often effective, it can also lead to biases and errors in judgment because it relies on heuristics (mental shortcuts) that can be flawed. System 2, although slower and more resource-intensive, is better for making reasoned decisions.

The central theme of Thinking, Fast and Slow is that our thinking is a blend of intuitive, automatic judgments (System 1) and deliberate, effortful reasoning (System 2).

Kahneman emphasizes how understanding the interplay between these systems can improve decision-making and help people become more aware of the biases that affect their choices.

His work highlights the importance of recognizing these biases in both personal and professional life and encourages more reflective, slower thinking to mitigate errors.

**How the Book Thinking, Fast and Slow Can Be Applied in a Job Interview**

Job interviews are high-stakes events where candidates are assessed on their skills, experience, and ability to fit within an organization.

However, the decision-making process in an interview is influenced not just by the qualifications of the candidates, and their interview answers, but also by cognitive biases and the ways in which both the interviewer and the candidate process information.

Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow provides key insights into the mental processes behind these judgments. By understanding these concepts, candidates and interviewers alike can improve their decision-making and interview performance.

Here’s how the theories from Thinking, Fast and Slow can be applied during a job interview:

System 1 and System 2 Thinking in the Interview Process

System 1 (Fast Thinking): This is the intuitive, automatic, and subconscious system. In an interview, both the interviewer and the candidate might rely on System 1 to make snap judgments. Interviewers may form quick impressions of candidates based on initial cues such as appearance, tone of voice, or body language. Candidates might respond instinctively to questions without fully thinking through their answers. While these instinctive impressions can be helpful for gauging chemistry or comfort, they can also lead to mistakes. A candidate who appears nervous might be unfairly judged as unqualified, or a strong first impression might cloud an interviewer’s judgment later on.

System 2 (Slow Thinking): This system involves more deliberate, analytical, and effortful thought. When interviewers engage System 2 thinking, they are more likely to focus on the content of the candidate’s answers, the relevance of their experience, and their critical thinking skills. As a candidate, it’s essential to engage System 2 to think carefully about each question, avoiding knee-jerk responses and taking a moment to consider the best way to convey your strengths.

Tip for Candidates: When answering questions, try to slow down and resist the urge to immediately answer from instinct. Take a few seconds to think through your response logically to avoid relying too heavily on your first instinct.

Tip for Interviewers: Be mindful of your initial impressions. To combat the bias of System 1, take notes and refer to specific examples or skills mentioned in the interview, instead of letting the initial impression guide the entire evaluation.

Heuristics and Biases

Kahneman highlights that people often rely on mental shortcuts, known as heuristics, when making decisions. These heuristics are not always rational and can lead to biased decisions. In a job interview, several heuristics can come into play:

Anchoring Effect: Interviewers may be influenced by an early piece of information, such as a candidate’s educational background or an initial response. For example, if a candidate mentions having graduated from a prestigious university early in the interview, this could anchor the interviewer’s perception of their capabilities, regardless of the candidate’s actual performance.
Availability Heuristic: If an interviewer has recently hired a candidate with a particular skill set, they may overweight the importance of that skill in future hiring decisions, even if other candidates are more qualified.
Representativeness Heuristic: Interviewers may judge a candidate based on how closely their traits match those of an “ideal” employee, which could lead them to overlook the diversity of skills that other candidates bring to the table.

Tip for Candidates: Be aware that interviewers may be unconsciously influenced by these heuristics. Don’t assume that a single detail or part of your resume is what’s driving the interviewer’s decision. It’s important to highlight a range of your skills and achievements throughout the interview to avoid being pigeonholed by a single characteristic.

Tip for Interviewers: Counteract heuristics using a structured interview and a consistent evaluation framework. Focus on specific skills and accomplishments, rather than first impressions or stereotypes.

Prospect Theory and Risk Aversion

Prospect Theory, as outlined by Kahneman, suggests that people are loss averse—they feel the pain of losses more acutely than the pleasure of gains. This can influence how both candidates and interviewers approach the interview process.

For the Candidate: If a candidate is asked to discuss a previous failure, they may be reluctant to admit mistakes because they fear the “loss” of their chance at the job. However, framing failures as learning experiences and showing how they led to growth can demonstrate resilience and maturity.
For the Interviewer: Interviewers might also display risk aversion. If they’re unsure about a candidate, they may be more likely to reject them out of fear that the potential “loss” (hiring the wrong person) outweighs the potential “gain” (finding a great hire). This could lead interviewers to rely on safer, more familiar choices.

Tip for Candidates: Emphasize your learning process from past mistakes and show how overcoming challenges makes you more capable. Acknowledge that setbacks are a natural part of growth.

Tip for Interviewers: Focus on a candidate’s ability to learn and adapt rather than simply looking for perfection. Acknowledge that taking calculated risks can lead to rewarding hires.

Loss Aversion and the Interviewer’s Decision-Making

Loss aversion also plays a role in how interviewers make decisions. They may tend to overvalue candidates who seem to fit the mold perfectly and hesitate to hire someone who doesn’t fit exactly into the desired profile. This bias can cause interviewers to focus on avoiding losses rather than gaining the best possible hire.

Tip for Interviewers: Focus on the potential benefits of a candidate’s unique strengths, even if they don’t meet every single criterion. Resist the urge to dismiss candidates because of minor mismatches.

Cognitive Ease and Cognitive Strain

Kahneman’s idea of cognitive ease and cognitive strain can influence both the interviewee’s performance and the interviewer’s judgment.

For the Candidate: If you’re able to present your qualifications in a clear, straightforward manner, it will create cognitive ease for the interviewer, allowing them to process your information quickly and form a favorable judgment. On the other hand, if your answers are convoluted or difficult to follow, it can create cognitive strain and may lead to a less favorable impression.
For the Interviewer: If the interviewer experiences cognitive ease when speaking with a candidate—if the conversation flows smoothly—they might form a positive impression of the candidate’s competence and fit. However, cognitive strain might cause the interviewer to become more critical or overly cautious in their decision-making.

Tip for Candidates: Be clear and concise in your answers, and organize your thoughts before speaking. This will help reduce cognitive strain for the interviewer and improve the clarity of your responses.

Tip for Interviewers: Try to remain aware of the ease or difficulty in understanding a candidate’s responses. Recognize that cognitive strain can sometimes be a result of the interview format, and not necessarily the candidate’s qualifications.

The Planning Fallacy and Interview Preparation

The Planning Fallacy refers to the tendency to underestimate the time and resources required to complete a task. For candidates, this might manifest in overconfidence when preparing for an interview, believing that they don’t need to spend much time practicing or researching the company. Conversely, interviewers might underestimate how long the interview process will take, leading to rushed decisions or incomplete evaluations.

Tip for Candidates: Avoid the planning fallacy by adequately preparing for the interview—research the company, practice your responses, and anticipate potential questions. Proper preparation will help you avoid underestimating the challenges of the interview process.

Tip for Interviewers: Allow enough time in the interview schedule to fully evaluate the candidate’s fit. Rushed decisions are often poor decisions.

Conclusion

Incorporating insights from Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow into job interviews can help both candidates and interviewers make more informed, less biased decisions.

Candidates should be aware of how cognitive biases and heuristics can influence their performance and strive to engage in more deliberate, System 2 thinking. Interviewers, on the other hand, should recognize their own biases and take steps to create a fairer, more thoughtful evaluation process. By understanding and applying these theories, both parties can improve their chances of a successful, rational outcome

Need help? Book an interview coaching session.

August 30, 2014December 5, 2020

Ace Any Job Interview with Psychology & Body Language Reading

Todays guest post is by Saurabh Tyagi is a career author

Job interviews are an inescapable part of every educated individual’s life.

One has to face at least a couple of interviews in his or her entire professional tenure. How you wish you knew mind reading and could just tell what the interviewer is thinking about you. What if this wish of yours comes true?

With a little practice, keen observation and psychological analysis you can almost listen to the thoughts of the interviewer.

More about the same follows.

The 2007 financial crisis has affected the job market in such a way that both the communities, that of jobseekers and recruiters, are having a tough time adjusting with each other.

Savvy recruiters and hiring managers are using a variety of job interview techniques to make sure that they do not end up chasing the wrong candidate. Under such competitive circumstances, a job hunter’s task, which was already tough, has become even trickier than before.

Now, if you need to stand out from others at an interview you are going to need some extra aces up your sleeve.

Almost everyone knows the normal preceding routine to an interview; researching the organization, dressing up well, and arriving on time at the venue. However, the hard part starts now.

Right from the moment you enter the room, till the last word you speak, you will be constantly judged based on your actions, gestures, body language, tone, and last but not the least, your answers.

According to Patti Wood, a body language expert and author of Snap: Making the Most of first Impressions, Body Language, Charisma, “A candidate can give out thousands of non-verbal cues within the first minute of meeting a hiring manager, and those messages make more of an impact than the words that you use during the interview”.

Now, if you have been to even a couple of interviews, you must be well aware of the fact that hiring decisions are made on more than just skills and experience. It’s a game of Hide and Seek, where multiple psychological factors come into play.

The recruiter will ask certain questions that may appear simple on the surface but are attempts to dig deeper on a psychological level.

He can even play mind tricks on you. But with a little application and experience you can turn the tables and play your own tricks on him to get through the entire process unscathed and emerge as a winner.

Imitation Is the Best Form of Flattery: Use Mirroring

The Mirroring Technique is one of the worst kept secrets of influencing people. It is a great way of establishing instant rapport and initiates a certain level of mutual trust.

If you are able to execute the technique perfectly, the interviewer will deem you trustworthy as he subconsciously finds similarities that connect him with you.

In simplest of terms, mirroring is copying another person’s behavior, way of speaking and mannerisms so as to become a mirror of the other person. The interviewer nods, you nod, he puts his hands on the table, you repeat after him (after a gap of 20-30 seconds) and stuff like that.

However, proper execution is of utmost importance as the interviewer should never feel that you’re copying him.

Another important rule while mirroring is to adopt only the positive body language and speech from the interviewer. If he gets angry at something, do not even consider pissing him off further by copying his anger. An interviewer with

Do Away With the Fake Smile

Every single positive body language signal that you make in the interview room is a step forward towards clinching the job offers.

Smiling, maintaining eye contacts, sitting in a relaxed posture are all some basics that we are taught to positively influence the interviewer. However, too much of fake smiling should be avoided. False smiles are often easy to spot and too much of it in an interview results in an unfavorable evaluation.

This holds true for other body language gestures as well.

Have A Weakness? Do Not Be Afraid Of Showing It

This is pretty much clichéd.

No one is perfect and our resumes have weak spots. So are you better off hiding them or being upfront and honest about them is a better option?

We all want to be in the good books of the recruiter, and knowing that this interview is perhaps our only chance at making a positive impact; it becomes a real puzzle how to reveal our weaknesses without reducing our likeability.

According to a 1972 Jones and Gordon research, when someone was honest about his/her weaknesses, those listening had a more favorable impression of him or her than if he or she concealed it.

Most of us find honesty as a positive trait, & therefore you have nothing to fear while coming up with your weakness, unless it severely harms your job prospects.

Use the Recruiter’s Name or Title While Having the Conversation

One book that every professional is recommended to read is Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People.

Dale says that using someone’s name is an incredibly important part of any conversation. Rightly said, a name is the most intricate part of our identity that stays with us throughout the entire lifetime and even after our death.

Hearing it makes the person feel positively about the person who said it. To use this fact for influencing an interviewer you can refer to him with his name or a title that goes well with his position.

Leave the Fear Outside The Interview Room

The four-letter F word, i.e Fear is certainly the biggest enemy of all job seekers. Pre-interview anxiety is the biggest hindrance in your performance on the big day.

While interview nerves are common and do not always mean a bad outcome, feeling excessive anxious and nervous often sabotages your chances of making it through. To overcome this fear, just remember three commandments:

Preparation
Positive thinking
Avoiding desperation

The last one is pretty important. No matter how badly you want the job, don’t make it a matter of life and death. Remember, it’s just one opportunity and there are many more to come.

Author bio:

Saurabh Tyagi is a career author who has written articles and blog posts for job seekers. These articles help individual apply to new jobs and make through the interviews with unmatched success. Twitter- https://twitter.com/sa_ty