--- description: 1) Be Similar to The Interviewer “Be yourself” can actually be a problem. If you want to know how to ace a job interview it’s... title: How To Ace a Job Interview: 7 Research-Backed Tips image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6fd9477422320d44/69868b4a55a8597263a8061e/468839463.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Career Strategies](/tag/career-strategies/) ## Career Strategies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # How To Ace a Job Interview: 7 Research-Backed Tips by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 21, 2014 4:01 AM CUT  Business people sitting in waiting area Business people sitting in waiting areaChris Ryan—Getty Images/Caiaimage by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 21, 2014 4:01 AM CUT ## **1) Be Similar to The Interviewer** “Be yourself” can actually be a problem. If you want to know how to ace a job interview it’s important to note that [study after study](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/05/whats-the-key-to-being-liked-and-being-more-i/ "undefined") shows the key to being liked and being more influential is similarity. Research shows you can take advantage of this by researching the interviewer and coming across [as similar to them](http://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/hirable%5Flike%5Fme "undefined"): --- > “” --- No lies are necessary. Think attitude. Do they come across as aggressive and hard-charging or calm and passive? Do they come across as cultured or school of hard knocks? ## **2) Timing Matters** You might not have much control over this but make an effort to manipulate the timing to your advantage. **Research shows interviews go better when:** * **They’re** [**earlier in the day**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/08/is-it-best-to-have-job-interviews-early-in-th/ "undefined")**.** * **The** [**weather is good**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/01/do-we-perform-better-during-interviews-on-sun/ "undefined")**.** * **And when you’re** **not** **interviewed on the same day** [**as your strongest competition**](http://www.eurekalert.org/pub%5Freleases/2013-01/afps-wta011713.php "undefined")**.** ## **3) Frame the Conversation** First impressions matter [even more than you think](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-first-impressions-really-that-big-a-deal "undefined"). And once they’re set, they are [very hard to resist](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-we-a-slave-to-our-first-impressions "undefined"). Mastering first impressions is a key part of learning how to ace a job interview. Research shows they’re [the most important part](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-the-most-important-part-of-a-job-interv "undefined") of any job interview: --- > “” --- Optimize first impressions from the outset by framing the conversation with a few well-rehearsed sentences regarding how you want to be perceived. [This will end up being the structure the other person forms their memories around](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/07/is-there-a-way-to-strategically-optimize-firs/ "undefined"). Via [Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting It Right When You Have To](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1416596178/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1416596178 "undefined"): --- > “” --- [Persuasion expert Robert Cialdini](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/06/robert-cialdini-influence/ "undefined"), author of the classic book, [Influence](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006124189X/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=006124189X&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20 "undefined"), slyly recommends [asking them why they thought you might be good for the role](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/02/a-great-persuasion-technique-to-use-during-a/ "undefined"). After people make positive public statements about you they will subconsciously feel the need to not contradict them. ## **4) Feel Powerful** People who felt powerful before going in to an interview [performed better](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002210311300036X "undefined"): --- > “” --- As I’ve posted before, [“fake it ’til you make it” _works_](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/03/fake-it-until-you-make-it/ "undefined"). How can you make sure you feel powerful? Harvard researcher Amy Cuddy recommends doing a “power pose” in private [before the interview](http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/28/opinion/cuddy-power-posing/index.html "undefined"): --- > “” --- **Try power poses in the elevator, a bathroom stall, the stairwell…wherever you can find two minutes of privacy.** Does striking poses in the bathroom sound silly to you? Don’t laugh — it [works](http://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/9547823/13-027.pdf "undefined"): --- > “” --- What type of people naturally know how to ace a job interview? [Narcissists](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/04/what-bad-personality-trait-is-very-good-in-a/ "undefined"). Now you don’t want to be overbearing but better to toot your own horn than to have it go untooted: --- > “” --- ## **5) Have a Strong Handshake** Your handshake matters a lot more than you might think. Via [The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591844568/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1591844568 "undefined"): --- > “” --- And it’s correlated [with getting an offer](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2010/01/how-much-does-a-firm-handshake-matter-during/ "undefined"): --- > “” --- ## **6) Know the Right Questions To Ask** Many people struggle with that moment in most interviews where they ask “Do you have any questions for us?” This is not only a good time to get information but it’s a great time to impress them with an insightful question. [Quora](http://www.quora.com/What-should-one-say-when-the-interviewer-asks-Do-you-have-any-questions-for-me "undefined") and [Inc](http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/5-questions-great-job-candidates-ask-interviewers.html "undefined") offer a few winners: * **_Thinking back to people who have been in this position previously, what differentiated the ones who were good from the ones who were really great?_** * **_How would you describe the culture of the company?_** * **_What do you expect me to accomplish in the first 60 to 90 days?_** ## **7) Know How To Negotiate Salary** I’ve posted a lot of research about [effective negotiating](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/05/the-last-damn-thing-youll-ever-need-to-read-a-8759/ "undefined") including my interviews with [Robert Cialdini](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/06/robert-cialdini-influence/ "undefined") and [FBI hostage negotiators](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/06/hostage-negotiation/ "undefined"). But what’s the thing Harvard’s MBA school says is most important for landing a big offer? **_“They need to like you.”_** About 3:30 into the video below: --- > “” --- **Next Steps** **To learn more about how to ace a job interview, click the one you need more help with:** * [Increasing charisma](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/02/checklist-5-charismatic/ "undefined"). * [“Clicking” with people.](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/11/5-secrets-clicking-people/ "undefined") * [Mastering conversation](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/07/conversation-skills/ "undefined"). * [Improving your negotiation skills.](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/06/hostage-negotiation/ "undefined") **Join 45K+ readers.** Get a free weekly update via email [here](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD "undefined"). _This piece originally appeared on_ [_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/ "undefined")_._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/68302/how-to-ace-a-job-interview-7-research-backed-tips/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/68302/how-to-ace-a-job-interview-7-research-backed-tips/"},"headline":"How To Ace a Job Interview: 7 Research-Backed Tips","datePublished":"2014-04-21T04:01:51.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:53:59.049Z","description":"1) Be Similar to The Interviewer “Be yourself” can actually be a problem. If you want to know how to ace a job interview it’s...","url":"https://time.com/68302/how-to-ace-a-job-interview-7-research-backed-tips/","keywords":["Career Strategies","Psychology","Interview","Careers & Workplace"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6fd9477422320d44/69868b4a55a8597263a8061e/468839463.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Barker","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-barker/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6fd9477422320d44/69868b4a55a8597263a8061e/468839463.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"How To Ace A Job Interview: 7 Research-Backed Tips","caption":"How To Ace A Job Interview: 7 Research-Backed Tips","creditText":"Chris Ryan—Getty Images/Caiaimage","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/career-strategies/","name":"Career Strategies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/68302/how-to-ace-a-job-interview-7-research-backed-tips/","name":"How To Ace a Job Interview: 7 Research-Backed Tips"}}]}] ```