The past few months have seen economies tank around the globe as the effects of Covid-19 kick in. Both small and large business are announcing layoffs every other day. And a lot of people are feeling fearful. If you find yourself facing an interview sometime soon there are several things you can do to give yourself a real advantage - using NLP.

The following seven tips, are field tested and work whether you are applying to a multi-billion-dollar business or that new start up.

Being successful in an Interview has (almost) nothing to do with talent! Nor does it matter that much on job experience. Mis-hires (another word for hirer's remorse) are widespread across the globe. So what does count?

… PERCEPTION …

The number one thing you are looking to do, is create the perception that you are a very good candidate. Indeed, you want to create the perception that you are the candidate they want to hire.

By understanding their major meta programs you can quickly adjust how you communicate so what you say resonates really well with them.

Most people when they approach an interview have the mindset that they are there to sell themselves. But that's not what you are there for. So if it is not, what is the reason? Well let's take a step back and think what is an interview for?  … It exists to help the employer gather sufficient detail to make a DECISION … about who to hire. Therefore, everything you do in the interview needs to be oriented around HELPING them make that decision.

When you look at it from this perspective, then you realise you can use all of your NLP interview skills to serve that purpose

A lot of NLP skills involve identifying quickly the client's map or model. It is the same when you are interviewing. You want to get deep inside their worldview. Looking for what you may say? Whatever is the employer's thinking regarding what they need to see, hear or feel in order for THEM to reach the internal conclusion that you are the right candidate for the job.

You can use the Meta Model and casual modeling (how a cause-effect argument is built up and perceived as true) to help you achieve this result.

Warning: I am NOT proposing that you seek to manipulate anyone, rather that you look to help the employer make that decision, where you genuinely can do a great job for the role they have.

Use your NLP skills to rapidly identify what is the nature of the person or persons in the interview room. We can do this quickly by listening to their "major frame of references" about working in their company etc and by paying attention to the meta programs.

By understanding their major meta programs you can quickly adjust how you communicate so what you say resonates really well with them.

The major ones to pay attention to are:

• Chunk Size - big picture or details person
• Frame of reference filter - Internal vs. External
• Sort Pattern: People/Places/Things/Information
• Motivation pattern: Toward/Away from
• Time: In/Through/In between

Note these things are not black or white (indeed people don't even have meta programs, it's just how we describe specific patterns) so be sensible in how you use these to change your own response in the interview room.

The bottom line is people like people who are like them.

This is basic stuff (from an NLP perspective) but one of the BIG things I've seen a lot of people pay almost no attention to, is the state of the person they meet in the room, or indeed their own state for that matter. As an interview candidate it is critical that your state is up and outward. You want to build the perception of being friendly, confident and interested in the person or person you are meeting. In addition, if the person you meet is in foul form or bored/not present/impatient etc ... then that will affect HOW they perceive you. Therefore, use your NLP skills to lead the people you meet into warm, receptive and interested states.

One of the big wins that you can have, well ahead of the interview room, is figure out what are some of the most common perceptions they already have about you and the role, based on what you have provided them and acquired from their website etc.

By thinking through what are the most common perceptions they may have about you based on your CV etc, you can be ready to inoculate any points you don't want attention drawn to and emphasize those that you do. This is a very valuable skill and again allows you to manage and direct the perception they have of you.

Lastly, the skillful and elegant use of anchoring is one of the most useful and powerful skills that one has from NLP. You can use anchoring is in many different ways to help create the right perception that you are what they are looking for. Some of the anchoring techniques I have taught my clients for interview situations have proved invaluable in helping them create the right response from the interviewers. With a little imagination you can think up of many ways to use anchoring in an interview. But if you don't feel comfortable that you can do this easily and effortlessly you may want to t is the number 1 best selling anchoring program in the NLP community.

So to conclude, regardless of your current job status right now, being able to sell yourself effortlessly in any context is a HIGHLY valuable skill. It doesn't matter how brilliant an employee or expert you may be, ultimately to succeed in today's challenging economy, we all need to be raising the bar on how we position and promote ourselves.

• Take a moment to honestly assess how competent you are at pitching yourself and your ideas in an interview or work context
• Take two of the tips above and look to fully master each of these in the coming 30 days
• Measure your progress by deliberately putting yourself in a context where you need to influence or interview for others

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