Active Listening

Listening skills are vitally important both at interviews and in most workplaces. If you show these skills at an interview, the interviewers will be more confident that you can put them into practice at work.

Active listening means you are:

• Engaging with what someone is saying so they can tell you are listening to them

• Giving someone your full attention. You might make occasional notes, but you will not be writing down everything they say or interrupting them

• Making eye contact and nodding your head at appropriate times

• Able to ask for clarification on certain points, or to ask a question at the end about something that was said during the interview.

Active listening tips:

• If you send out the right body language signals you will appear to be listening intently. (For more information about the effect of body language, please see The Five Core Aspects of Body Language.) When listening, sit leaning slightly forward which shows you are eager to listen and to learn.
• If you let your emotions rule your face, then you will appear to have less control over yourself and the situation.
• Nodding slowly suggests attention, while nodding too quickly will suggest impatience. Stillness indicates comfort and power, while quick movements can suggest nervousness.
• A straight-back posture not only radiates confidence and control, but also helps you feel powerful and self-assured. If you sit tilted back with your legs straight out but crossed, and your arms folded, you are demonstrating defensive body language.
• Active listening is not only polite but also vital in an interview situation. It will convey your interest in what the interviewers are saying and prevent you from missing important information.

This content comes from The University of Essex