WHY NAMES ARE IMPORTANT DURING A FACE-TO-FACE INTERVIEW

Candidates typically prepare a great deal for their face-to-face job interview, and with good reason: that interview is perhaps the single-biggest reason why they’ll either receive an offer of employment . . . or not.
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Do candidates always focus on the things they should during their preparation for such an important event?  Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.

That’s not to say that the things for which they do prepare are not important.  Looking professional, knowing about the company, bringing a stellar resume . . . all of these things are crucial to interview success.

However, what are the names of the people with whom you’ll be interviewing?

e you thinking that you don’t have to know those names?  While it’s true that you don’t have to, you should know them, if your goal is to have the best interview possible.
Below are three reasons why it’s important to know the names of as many of the people interviewing you beforehand as possible:

You’ll subconsciously relax more before and during the interview.  Knowing a person’s name has a way of making a potentially stressful situation not as stressful.

The interviewers will be impressed to some degree that you took the time to find out their names beforehand.

The more quickly you talk with somebody using their name, the more quickly the conversation flows better and becomes more natural, all of which works in your favor.
Now that we’ve addressed the reasons why names are important, what action steps can you take to put this information to work for you?  Below are four such steps:

• Request a list of the interviewers’ names and titles in advance of the interview.
• Use the names in conversation as quickly as possible.
• Write the names of the interviewers in your notes several times.
• Ask all interviewers for their business card.

The face-to-face interview is where you want to stand out from the rest of the applicants, and one of the ways to do that is to understand the importance of people’s names during this process.

Knowing (and using) the names of the people who are interviewing you is a great way to differentiate yourself, and it might just give you the edge you need to get the job offer you’re seeking.