Communication is often considered the most important skill and its role in the interview cannot be over emphasized. Your ability to meet another person, introduce yourself, and begin a conversation will be noticed immediately. In addition to your ability to speak the interviewer will want to see if you can actively listen and then respond appropriately.
Your ability to conduct an interesting, give-and-take conversation will be observed.
When you move into the body of the interview the competencies you select and the examples of accomplishments you give will tell the interviewer about you. When you present, the interviewer’s interest will be in whether you answer what was asked, the quality of the presentation you make, your crispness, and the length of your answers. You may also be asked for a demonstration of your writing skills.
In the trial close the interviewer will want to see how you handle a perceived weakness that he may have about your candidacy and how you overcome it. The quality of your questions of the interviewer will also be evidence of your communication skills. Finally, the manner in which you close your portion of the interview will be of interest. Can you, for example, be both cordial and handle the professional responsibilities you have?
Different parts of the interview have different communication factors. These are dealt with in detail in these sections: