Interviewed with quite a few banks for summer internships and didn't close. The most common reason they gave was I sounded too rehearsed and was not conversational enough. I now understand it's important to be more conversational in interviews and build rapport with your interviewer, so any actionable tips on doing this would be much appreciated. Thanks!
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I think it would be useful to understand the concept of how to build a conversation in the first place. Are you a person who can have small talk with anyone, anywhere? Do you have an easy time approaching strangers and strike up a conversation? Or are you more into sticking to your friends/family and people you know? Do you think hard before talking to a stranger in public?
There are various concepts, words and social elements around being a "people person" - a lot goes into it, but imagine watching a youtube channel for one of your hobbies - on one channel you immediately feel a connection, even though you have never met this dude. On another channel, he/she just talks about something without that emotional link.
If they tell you that the interviews felt rehearsed, it might mean that it felt more like a Q&A and not like a conversation between people and they didn't feel they could connect. This sounds harsh if you are fairly junior and didn't have decades to hone your social skills in a professional setting.
The good news is that you can train/learn this behavior. It is about understanding and responding in a way that lines up with what the other party wants to hear, understand and feel. They want to see a human connection, one that you can build while the interviewer is trying to help you.
1) Try having small talk with strangers, about the most mundane things you can think of and sense how they leave the conversation in comparison how they went into it
2) Don't be a comedian, but make people smile. If you make the interviewer laugh, you have won the game.
3) Even the most trivial subject (most finance subjects are like that) are more fun if you adjust intonation, rhythm, and enthusiasm. Do mock interviews with someone, record yourself and be your own judge!
Thanks a ton this is gold
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