Increase Your Chances in the College Admission Game Through the Proper Interview Techniques
This article is posted under college admissionsOne of the most important qualitative evaluation elements of the college admission is the college interview. The college interview is usually made up of two parts namely; the interview conducted by the admissions committee and the interview conducted by an alumnus. The interviews are of significant importance since they give the colleges or universities the opportunity to get to know the student applicants better and verify first-hand the personal traits seen by the admissions committee in the application form, answers to the essay questions and letters of recommendations. Much has been discussed about the usual questions being asked and what are considered as positive and negative answers to these questions. However, one aspect of the college interviews that has a greater impact to the success of the student applicants is the nonverbal behavior that they portray during the conduct of the interviews.
According to J.E. Dovido and S.L. Ellyson, respected Yale psychologists, nonverbal behavior that the student applicant displays during the interview has a major influence in the perception of the admissions committee and the alumni towards the prospective candidate and shows the dynamics of the power play at hand by either the interviewer or the interviewee. Based on a research study about nonverbal behavior by Joe Navarro, a FBI specialist, the interviewer should always feel that he or she is in control of the interview. Thus, to achieve this feeling, the student applicant should always lean towards the interviewer. Furthermore, the student applicant should always square his or her shoulders with the interviewer and make direct eye contact frequently. The feet of the student applicant should be planted towards the interviewer. Although unintentional most of the time, if the feet of the student applicant are planted towards the door, this behavior might portray to the interviewer that the student applicant is uncomfortable and uneasy. Such behavior also shows that the student applicant would like to get up already and end the interview.
The student applicant should avoid rubbing his or her hands together or touching the face frequently. Such behavior displays the nervousness of the applicant. But at the other end, the student applicant should not feel too complacent and comfortable. Aside from not leaning back and putting the feet on the table, the student applicant should not put his or her hands in a steeple position where the fingers are touching in a praying position. This behavior may indicate too much confidence on the part of the student applicant. The interviewer might view the student applicant as arrogant thereby, reflecting as a negative assessment.
Dovido and Ellyson stated that people cannot psychologically control nonverbal behaviour. However, by being aware and conscious about such nonverbal behaviour, the student applicant can minimize or even eliminate their manifestation during the interviews. Dovido and Ellyson recommend that the student applicant should always exhibit humility and submissive nonverbal behaviour. As such, the interviewer may respond with positive feelings during the interview. This would lead the admissions committee or the alumni to write a good interview evaluation that would increase the chances of the student applicant for college admission.
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