--- title: How To Ace a Job Interview: 7 Research-Backed Tips 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... canonical: https://time.com/68302/how-to-ace-a-job-interview-7-research-backed-tips/ author: Eric Barker article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-04-21T04:01:51.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:53:59.049Z article:section: Ideas og:title: How To Ace a Job Interview: 7 Research-Backed Tips og:description: 1) Be Similar to The Interviewer “Be yourself” can actually be a problem. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Apr 21, 2014 4:01 AM UTC  Business people sitting in waiting area Business people sitting in waiting area Chris Ryan—Getty Images/Caiaimage by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Apr 21, 2014 4:01 AM UTC ## **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/) 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): --- > “” --- 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/)**.** * **The** [**weather is good**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/01/do-we-perform-better-during-interviews-on-sun/)**.** * **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)**.** ## **3) Frame the Conversation** First impressions matter [even more than you think](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-first-impressions-really-that-big-a-deal). And once they’re set, they are [very hard to resist](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-we-a-slave-to-our-first-impressions). 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) 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/). 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): --- > “” --- [Persuasion expert Robert Cialdini](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/06/robert-cialdini-influence/), 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), 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/). 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): --- > “” --- As I’ve posted before, [“fake it ’til you make it” _works_](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/03/fake-it-until-you-make-it/). 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): --- > “” --- **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): --- > “” --- 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/). 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): --- > “” --- And it’s correlated [with getting an offer](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2010/01/how-much-does-a-firm-handshake-matter-during/): --- > “” --- ## **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) and [Inc](http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/5-questions-great-job-candidates-ask-interviewers.html) 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/) including my interviews with [Robert Cialdini](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/06/robert-cialdini-influence/) and [FBI hostage negotiators](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/06/hostage-negotiation/). 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/). * [“Clicking” with people.](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/11/5-secrets-clicking-people/) * [Mastering conversation](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/07/conversation-skills/). * [Improving your negotiation skills.](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/06/hostage-negotiation/) **Join 45K+ readers.** Get a free weekly update via email [here](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD). _This piece originally appeared on_ [_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/)_._ ```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. 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