There are few situations in a young professionals life more stressful than a job interview. Especially for those first time job hunters who are unsure of what to expect. While waiting for your interview you’re left sitting alone with your thoughts. Running through all your relevant experiences you want to mention in hopes of influencing the interviewer or panel and landing a job.

Luckily, the “godfather of influence” is here to help you land that job and start your interview off on the right foot. Dr. Robert Cialdini is the best selling author of Influence & most recently Pre-Suasion. His teaching and methods have been used across the globe with many big name companies on his client list. Recently, on The Science of Success he shared his best method for starting your job interview off on the right foot and leaving a great impression.

“There is a key moment that allows a communicator to create a state of mind in recipients,” notes Dr. Cialdini. Describing the precise moment in which you sit down to begin your interview. “We’ve always been taught to say, “I’m very happy to be here. I look forward to answering all of the questions you have for me.” Which is a perfectly polite way to begin, but according to Cialdini, there’s even more than can be done in these crucial moments before questioning begins.

While there are several great conversation starters out there, Cialdini recommends a different route, “Here’s I’m going to suggest you do.” also say, “But I’m curious. I have a question for YOU.

Why did you invite me here today? What was it about my resume that was attractive to you?”

By asking this one simple question you shift the interviewers to focus to your strengths at the start of the interview. They will search your resume and say, “Well, it’s because your credentials are what we want, or it’s because the values that you indicated fit with our value statement.”

You got the interview because something stood out that potentially made you qualified for the position. Start out the interview directing their focus to those strengths and reminding them that you’re a strong candidate. This focus on your strengths will last not only in the first few minutes of questioning, but throughout the entire interview. Cialdini’s Pre-suasion technique will frame you in a positive light throughout the interview, but also shows you what qualities the interviewer wants to focus on and cares about most.

Listen to their responses taking particular note of what they like about your resume. These are the skills and points that they find to be most relevant to the open position and build on that! Where else can you utilize the Pre-Suasion method in your life?

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