There’s a lot of great places hiring in Allentown, PA and beyond, but there’s often a lot of tough competition for the best jobs. As a savvy professional, you understand the importance of standing out from the crowd, so you’re planning to use humor to get ahead.
In a naturally tense situation — such as a job interview — jokes can lighten the mood and make everyone more comfortable. However, you’ll need to tread lightly, because you know nothing about the other person’s sense of humor.
The best interviewers have a way of making candidates feel at ease, but don’t mistake this as a green light to tell a joke not appropriate for the setting. Anything that even remotely touches on politics, religion, former bosses or explicit content is never suitable. In fact, more topics are off-limits than not, so learn the best way to interject a little comic relief, without ruffling any feathers.
How to Properly Use Humor in a Job Interview
Read Your Audience
Every interviewer responds to humor differently, so assess the situation before cracking a joke. If the person is noticeably stoic, don’t even bother, because your wit will not be well-received. On the other hand, a more laid-back interviewer will probably appreciate some light, appropriate humor. In fact, it might even help show your fit for the company culture.
Make a Point
In a job interview, canned jokes are never a good idea, so use a humorous example from your own life to tell a story relevant to the job. Weave your anecdote into a response to a question in a manner that showcases your skills and ability to take things in stride. This allows you to stay on topic, while showcasing your likeability.
Keep it to a Minimum
Humor can make a job interview less intimidating, but it has a time and place. If you spend the entire meeting cracking jokes, the hiring manager will think you’re not taking the opportunity seriously. No one wants to hire an unprofessional candidate, so when it comes to humor, less is more in this setting.
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