Each summer the job market is flooded with new graduates looking to land their dream job. As a recent graduate, you may have the skills and training to get your career started, but if you aren’t able to give an interview in a way that makes you stand out from the pack, you may never get the chance. Young adults have less experience expressing themselves in a confident professional manner, which can translate to a poor professional image during the interview and missed opportunities.
Think you or a recent graduate in your life could use a boost as they enter the job market? Corporate Speech Solutions now offers training specifically for students and recent graduates entering the job market for the first time. As experts in professional communication, our coaches will pinpoint the specific areas of speech and communication that may be holding you back. Then, we design a program tailored to the individual to improve their communication skills and help them create a more confident professional image.
Ready to get started? Check out just a few of our communication tips for acing the interview below!
Keep It Crisp: Clear, articulate speech is one of the most essential aspects of professional communication. Mumbling or running your words together will make you seem lazy and unprofessional. Take care to pronounce all of the sounds of each word, particularly the consonants at the ends of words.
Body Language Counts: In order to appear professional, poised, and self-assured, keep your body language in check. Make sure to maintain strong posture while sitting and standing, and avoid closed-off positions like crossed arms or legs. Finally, make sure your handshake is strong and firm without being aggressive—your handshake is often the first impression your interviewer will have of you: make it count!
Watch Your Tone: Have you ever spoken with someone who sounds like they’re asking a question, even when they’re making a statement? Upspeak, the habit of continually raising your tone at the end of a sentence, is to blame. Using upspeak makes you seem inexperienced and can undermine your professional authority. Another bad habit is speaking in a monotone. While you may think an even tone of voice sounds professional, it actually makes you sound boring and uninterested in the conversation. Take care to monitor your tone when you speak to sound engaged, professional, and authoritative.
Want to learn more? Check in with us again next week for part two on our series of interview skills for new graduates!
At Corporate Speech Solutions, we provide speech and communication training that will give you the ability to present with clarity and confidence. Want to learn more? Give us a call and see how Corporate Speech Solutions can take your career to the next level! Call us at 212-308-7725 or send us an e-mail at jayne@corporatespeechsolutions.com to learn more. I’d be more than happy to answer any questions you might have!
If your communication skills are holding you back from professional success and you want to make your communication skills your most powerful professional tool, make sure to pick up a free copy of my e-book “Communicate with Clarity and Confidence!” by subscribing to our newsletter community on our website. In this free resource, I break down the myriad factors that contribute to confident communication and guide you through how to use each aspect to your advantage.