The resume has successfully completed its initial task. You have navigated through the first screening round. Your technical skills align perfectly with the job requirements. Your professional experience checks every necessary box. Now arrives the pivotal moment that unsettles even the most thoroughly prepared candidates: the face-to-face interview itself.
The Shift from Performance to Authentic Connection
Across the table, or positioned on the opposite side of a digital screen, sits an individual tasked with deciding not merely whether you possess the capability to perform the job, but whether they can envision collaborating with you on a daily basis. This critical juncture is where numerous career trajectories fundamentally shift direction. In today's intensely competitive and crowded job market, technical proficiency alone rarely secures the final offer. What frequently creates the decisive advantage is something more nuanced and challenging to quantify: effective interpersonal communication.
As Charles Duhigg, the acclaimed American journalist and author, explains in his discussion with CNBC Make It, "The qualities that make us effective communicators also render us exceptionally compelling during an interview process." Duhigg has dedicated years to examining how individuals establish meaningful connections. He has meticulously analyzed hundreds of conversations while authoring three influential books focusing on productivity, behavioral habits, and communication dynamics.
His most recent publication, Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection, delves into the reasons why certain people can instantly cultivate trust and rapport, while others consistently struggle to be heard and understood. From this extensive research, Duhigg has identified three specific habits that can subtly yet powerfully transform how candidates present themselves during interviews.
When Authenticity Outshines Perfected Performance
The majority of candidates enter interviews prepared to deliver a flawless performance. They meticulously rehearse their responses in advance. They polish every sentence to perfection. They strive to project an impressive persona. Experienced interviewers are acutely aware of this common strategy. "They recognize that you are performing; they understand that your primary objective is to secure the position," Duhigg observes.
However, highly polished and scripted answers seldom create a lasting impression. Genuine, heartfelt responses do. The more effectively candidates can "authentically convey their true identity and values," Duhigg elaborates, the greater the opportunity for employers to genuinely assess "whether an individual will truly thrive within their organizational culture."
This approach is not about inappropriate oversharing or abandoning professional decorum. It is about intentionally allowing elements of authentic humanity and personal insight to permeate your answers. Responding with sincerity, while maintaining appropriate tact and professionalism, actively fosters a deeper interpersonal connection. "The interviewer is far more likely to remember that authentic answer," Duhigg states. "The most impactful communication is invariably the most genuine communication."
Few interview questions highlight this tension between performance and authenticity more acutely than the dreaded classic: Tell me about your weaknesses. Many candidates freeze, some attempt to deflect, while others recite safe, rehearsed flaws that sound more like disguised strengths.
Duhigg advocates for a more composed and thoughtful approach. If presented with this question, he advises, "and I address it with as much honesty as I can muster, it does not necessitate exposing my deepest flaws or saying something entirely inappropriate." Honesty, when delivered with careful consideration and self-awareness, signals professional maturity. It demonstrates a capacity for introspection. Crucially, it informs potential employers that you comprehend the concept of continuous personal and professional growth.
The Candidates Who Distinguish Themselves Ask Superior Questions
Inevitably, every interview reaches a familiar pivotal moment. The interviewer leans back slightly and poses the question: Do you have any questions for me? A significant number of candidates treat this segment as a mere procedural formality.
"Consider how many individuals enter an interview, and when the interviewer asks if they have any questions, they pose something entirely predictable and superficial," Duhigg notes. The most adept communicators adopt a markedly different strategy. They maintain an attitude of genuine curiosity. According to Duhigg's research, they consistently "ask a substantially higher number of questions" than their counterparts.
These are not surface-level inquiries about job responsibilities or project timelines. Instead, they are deeper, more insightful questions that explore core values, personal career journeys, and underlying motivations. Rather than asking solely about day-to-day duties, insightful candidates might inquire how the interviewer originally entered their field, what continues to fuel their passion for the company, or which aspects of their work they find most personally meaningful and rewarding.
These types of questions possess the power to reshape the entire dynamic of the room. They successfully transform stiff interviews into flowing, two-way conversations. They showcase a candidate's emotional intelligence and capacity for empathy. Furthermore, they reveal a sincere, invested interest in the role and the organization—a quality that employers notice and value immediately.
The Unspoken Language of Non-Verbal Communication
Then there exists the quiet, yet profoundly influential, language of non-verbal cues. Before a single spoken word is exchanged, elements like posture, sustained eye contact, and facial expressions begin actively shaping initial impressions. Duhigg highlights the technique of mirroring—subtly aligning with an interviewer's gestures, tone, or energy level—as a remarkably powerful yet simple tool for building rapport.
This can be as subtle as reciprocating a warm smile, matching their speaking pace, or leaning forward attentively when they do. These understated behavioral cues systematically build a sense of familiarity and mutual understanding. They cultivate an atmosphere of comfort and ease. They make the professional interaction feel more natural, collaborative, and less like a rigid, transactional exchange.
As Duhigg succinctly puts it, "The more prepared and comfortable we are in employing these subtle connection techniques, the more positively the overall interview experience is likely to unfold."
The Defining Moment That Extends Beyond a Single Job
Job interviews represent far more than mere assessments of technical skill and experience. They are comprehensive tests of personal presence and interpersonal chemistry. Employers are quietly, yet critically, evaluating: Can I effectively collaborate with this individual over the long term? Can I place my trust in them? Do they demonstrate active listening skills? Can they establish a genuine connection?
While academic credentials and professional qualifications may successfully open doors, it is ultimately the quality of a candidate's communication that determines who confidently walks through them. The insights shared by Charles Duhigg with CNBC Make It underscore a fundamental truth: interview success rarely belongs to the most flawlessly rehearsed speaker. It belongs to the most authentically human, connected, and engaging one.
Because long after the resume has been filed away in a database, what persistently lingers in an interviewer's memory is not a list of bullet points, but how you made them feel during your shared conversation in that room. And on many occasions, that resonant, positive feeling transforms directly into your next significant career opportunity.
