Tag Archives: Positive psychology

A lot of interview advice focuses on how to answer specific questions, or ways in which you should prepare. It’s not always easy to find advice on the general tone of an interview and how to present yourself positively…and the key part of that presentation will be the language you use.

We asked learning and development professional Sukh Pabial, a keen practitioner of Positive Psychology, to explain some of the best ways to use positive language at interview…

“One of the things that fields such as psychology help us to understand is about human interactions and behaviours, and how these affect those around us. Many people have taken these insights and adapted them for business purposes. In the field of Positive Psychology we are starting to see a shift in helping people to focus on strengths and creating lasting feelings of happiness which are fulfilling. In therapy there are some very clear techniques used to help people achieve this. At work, we can also learn a lot from these activities. In particular when attending interviews, there are some key things to do with the language you are using which will help you deliver a positive experience.

So you’ve done all the right stuff leading up to the interview. You’ve read about the company beforehand. You’ve learned some key things that are relevant to the role you’re applying for. You’ve looked through the job description and developed answers for likely questions that may arise. You’ve arrived in time for the interview. You’re suitably dressed and feel good about the interview. Then start the questions…

Before we think about the language you’re actually using to provide an answer, ensure you’re using models like the ‘STAR’ model to help give you structure to what you’re about to say – what’s the Situation? What Task did you have to do? What Actions did you take? What were the Results? And finally what did you learn from all of that?

This model will help give you confidence that you are providing a considered response which will give a full answer.

So let’s then consider the language…

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