The ability to engage in small talk is a superpower for succeeding in a job interview and advancing your career growth. The term refers to initiating and holding a light and casual conversation. It’s a smart way to break the ice at the start of an interview, during a meeting or when interacting with executives and clients.
The goal of small talk is to quickly ingratiate yourself with the person with whom you’re speaking. You want to set the stage that you are highly interested in the meeting or conversation and can make others feel relaxed. People generally like to do business with folks that they feel comfortable with.
Do Your Research
A good hack is to do your homework before engaging in small talk. Look up the hiring manager or corporate leader you have to meet on LinkedIn and other social media sites. You’ll get a sense of their interests, where they went to school, prior jobs and additional information that will help you gain a picture of the person and what would be the suitable topics to bring up.
Ask your network to see if anyone knows the person you’re meeting with and for them to share some insider information. This way, you come into the meeting knowing a lot about the person, which will help make you feel more comfortable and confident.
How To Get Started
To win with small talk during a job interview, prepare some conversation starters, be cheerful and polite and practice active listening and empathy. By mastering the art of small talk, you can increase your chances of winning a job interview and fast-tracking your career.
Small talk can help build rapport with the interviewer and make them feel more comfortable, creating a positive first impression. It can demonstrate social skills, such as active listening, empathy and humor, which are highly valued in the workplace. Having or learning the “gift of gab” or the ability to “schmooze” can show that you are likable and enjoy interacting with people.
Chatting up an interviewer and giving specific information that could only have been gleaned from doing a lot of homework shows that you are highly interested in the company, demonstrating that you have done your research and are genuinely interested in the position.
Small talk can highlight your personality and lay the foundation for a positive atmosphere, making the interview more relaxed and enjoyable for both the candidate and the interviewer.
What Topics To Bring Up
You should bring up low-key, non-polarizing topics to build rapport when engaging in small talk. It’s the equivalent of dipping your toes in the water before diving in. You want to break the ice by raising different types of non-controversial topics, such as the weather, your commute into the office, sports, a new movie, why you respect the organization, or some trending topic everyone is discussing. It’s also helpful to play “people geography,” figuring out people you know in common.
Doing this lets you slowly get to know the other person and find commonalities, setting the stage for a long-term relationship. Ultimately, you’ll hit on something that resonates with your counterpart, and the conversation will start flowing. The key is to come across as sincere, genuine, upbeat, motivated and happy to be in the meeting or conversation.
How To Do Small Talk
For many people, engaging in conversation with someone they’ve never met before is difficult. It’s reasonable to feel awkward initiating a conversation with a stranger. You might be afraid that when you try to make that connection, the hiring manager, senior executive or important client will not reciprocate, and you’ll feel uncomfortable.
Like anything else, the more you practice, the better you become. Role-play light-hearted conversations with people you know. Then, graduate to approaching strangers and chatting them up. I always do this to improve my communication skills and learn what cold introductions work and what doesn’t go over well.
My wife and daughter habitually compliment other women over their nice outfits, jewelry, eyeglasses or something else they appreciate. Every time that happens, I see the eyes of the recipient of the compliment light up, and it makes their day. A brief, lovely conversation stems from the initial praise, improving the mood of all parties involved.
During the conversation, practice active listening. Nod your head if the person says something you agree with. Use their name a few times and treat them as if they are the most important person in the world at that time. Ask open-ended questions to engage the other person in a dialogue, as you don’t want to dominate the entire conversation.
Don’t dwell too much on the small talk, as the interviewer may get irritated, as they want to get to the meat of the conversation. At what feels like the appropriate time, subtly segue into why you’re there.
Source: Forbes
