Does the job interview always have to be serious? Yes…and no. Of course, there are components of every job interview that should be serious. However, I feel that being too serious in an interview is a flawed approach and a missed opportunity.

Why?

Research shows that when used properly, the use of humor facilitates personal attachment and builds connections. Sophie Scott presented an awesome TED talk on why we laugh and how the overall purpose of laughter is to create social bonding.

And the real reason for every interview is to build a connection. Candidates who build an effective rapport with their interviewer stand out. And this is important because our statistics show that for candidates, likability is more important than competence. Many organizations such as Forbes, LinkedIn, Harvard Business Review, and GovLoop agree.

Likewise, interviewers will find they are more effective during the interview when they put their candidates at ease. Humor, when appropriately used, can go a long way in enabling an interviewer to effectively bond with a candidate. And this means the hiring manager has a better idea of whether the candidate will fit the company’s culture.

However, interview participants on both sides will seriously flunk if they inappropriately use humor. So how do you use humor in a way that makes you stand out as a top candidate (or employer) without putting yourself at risk of appearing not serious enough? Or worse yet, make you appear unprofessional, immature…or worse?

Join us in this week’s roundtable as we provide guidelines on the appropriate way to use humor in a job interview.