Before getting into the specifics, let's first understand what separates a female leader from a male leader, other than, of course, gender. This is very important to understand, because it is the differences that will help to correctly identify the pitfalls when interviewing a female boss.
Firstly, it is worth recognizing right away that men are still much more common in the business environment (especially for top positions), so women perfectly understand how to communicate with the opposite sex and what approach to choose. Secondly, a woman leader probably faced gossip and discussions from other colleagues behind her back, so this aspect will not seem unusual either. Third, they tend to have more emotional intelligence. Actually, it is these three features that dictate the following strategies for communicating with your potential boss during the interview.
Unclear answers to questions
Often the candidate thinks that if there is a woman in front of him, then at the interview you can chat and get away from the question asked. However, this technique is read at once - you can immediately see when the interlocutor is trying to start talking to you with empty chatter or stories about his personal life. Remember that absolutely any leader values their time, and lengthy reasoning is more likely to cause a negative reaction. It is much more pleasant if, when asked about salary expectations, the candidate gives the exact figure, and does not scatter how hard it is for him, in the hope that his future boss will offer an exorbitant salary out of pity.
Flirting
In interviews with the opposite sex, I have repeatedly come across the fact that men began to compliment and show some kind of attention, thinking that this should win over a female employer. However, this is a deep misconception. Any flirting in a business conversation annoys and negatively positions the potential boss, showing that the male job seeker is not serious. This approach may also suggest that similar situations will be repeated during further work in the case of hiring a job seeker (read also: "This is sexism: how modern society humiliates women").
Not true
Intuition is better developed in women - and these are not empty words. In 2017, the University of Cambridge conducted a study in which 90 thousand respondents participated. In the pictures presented, women, of course, guessed emotions more successfully than men.
Leaders with well-developed emotional intelligence (and it is more developed, as we found out, in women), and with experience of working with people, intuitively begin to feel falsehood and exaggeration regarding the career path of the applicant. However, at the same time, such leaders are ready for the fact that there are no ideal people, so a logical explanation of even controversial career decisions of the applicant will be much more effective than a lie that is easily distinguishable from the truth.
Be yourself
Work is at least half of your life. If you artificially build something out of yourself during the interview, then perhaps later on at the work itself you will have to play the role that you stated from the very beginning. Why put yourself in discomfort right away? After all, you still have to work with this leader. It is much more prudent to immediately show your real self, and not an invented personality. Especially if you are being interviewed by a woman who, as a rule, is much better at reading any falsehood.
Talk about your success in numbers
It would seem that using numbers in a conversation is an approach that is rather relevant for men, however, you must agree that if a woman became a leader and “grew up” in a male environment, then she absolutely definitely adopted this quality from her colleagues. The results you have achieved are more visible when they are expressed in numbers. Use them - it will add weight to your story and show that you are a real expert (also read: "5 fatal semantic mistakes in interviews (and how to avoid them)").
Maintain emotions when speaking
Who Said Emotions Are Bad? On the contrary, be emotional. This does not mean that you need to clap your hands and overreact to everything that you are told. But it is still necessary to show emotions - with a smile, a nod, and facial expressions. It will make you look natural, show your best and ultimately help you get your dream job.
Appearance
Be careful - any woman pays attention to this. Un-ironed shirt, dirt under nails or on clothes, etc. will immediately be captured by the female eye. After all, these are factors, guided by which it will be possible to draw appropriate conclusions about the applicant.
Attention to detail
Another point follows from the previous point - attention to detail. Women are a priori more receptive to little things than men - this is evidenced by multiple studies. An unfortunate used word, some detail from a biography that you will mention in passing - women definitely pay attention to all this. Remember that any "unfortunate" detail can then play a cruel joke with you.
Humor
As a rule, humor is perceived positively by the interlocutors. But do not go overboard with him, and especially important - watch what you say. Many times I have come across the fact that applicants, forgetting themselves, told jokes that ridiculed some "feminine" qualities or behavior patterns. Even more often, I listened to jokes about blondes, which, of course, is unacceptable under any circumstances.
Women love everything cute
If a woman is sitting in front of you, then she will definitely keep up the conversation about children, kittens, pink and marmalade, isn't it? No not like this. Everyone likes theirs. Among women, there are also convinced childfree or dislike of dogs and cats. If an applicant shows that he can support topics that, in his opinion, should be of interest to women, this indicates that he perceives you primarily from a gender perspective, and not from a professional perspective. And this is a serious reason to think about whether it is worth hiring such an employee.
About the author:
Elena Ivanova
Photo: Getty Images, press archives
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