Do you want to know the quickest way to start an interview off on the wrong foot? Don’t reciprocate when the interviewer asks how you are.
That’s it! It immediately causes a sense of unease in the interviewer and makes them question your social intelligence. It causes a weird pause where the interviewer is kind of waiting for you to ask, but you’re just sitting there staring at them.
Compare the two following conversations:
Interviewer: Hi, Applicant! How are you doing today?
Applicant: Good.
– – –
Interviewer: Hi, Applicant! How are you doing today?
Applicant: Good! And how are you?
I’m not even going to harp on the fact that the grammatically correct answer is “well” instead of “good” because that isn’t nearly as big of an issue as not reciprocating is. I’m not saying you need to over exaggerate your interest in them as a person or be insincere, but you should show the basic manners of reciprocating a basic “how are you?”
So, don’t dig a hole at the beginning of an interview that you’ll have to win your way out of. Ask your interviewer how their day is!
Even better, ask before they ask you.
Sara Morrison 