You've probably heard that, all things being equal, a company is much more likely to hire someone they like than someone they don't. In fact, even if all things aren't equal and the deck is stacked against a candidate, they're still much more likely to hire someone they like rather than not.

It's called culture fit, and both large and small companies pay close attention to it. How well do they think you'll fit in with the company and everyone else who works there? 

Of course, the interviewers will use your rapport with them in the interview as a gauge of how well you'll get along with the rest of the team.

So how can you build rapport with the interviewer and the company you'll hopefully be working for?

Google the Company

Read everything you can about the company you're applying for. Read through news releases. Read every page on their company's website. Read what consumers are saying about their products.

This will allow you to walk into the meeting informed and able to actually speak about the company's products intelligently.

More importantly, pay attention to the company's values. What do they stand for? Are they trying to change the world in some way? Are they trying to make the most money possible?

If you can put your finger on the company's pulse, how they like to work, you can project that kind of mentality when you're in the actual interview.

Remember to also Google your interviewer. If you know who's going to be interviewing you, learn as much as you can about them. That will also give you more material to build connection with.

Techniques for Building Rapport

One of the most powerful and most effective techniques for building rapport is called mirroring. This works on a physical, verbal and emotional level.

Mirroring works because people subconsciously like people who are similar to them. They like people who share similar values and approach the world in the same way. Physical, verbal and emotional mirroring allows you to create more of that shared sense, deliberately.

Physical mirroring means holding your body in a similar way to your interviewer. If he's crossing his legs, cross your legs. If he seems relaxed, be relaxed. If he seems formal, be formal.

Verbal mirroring means matching their tone of voice and the kind of words they're using. If they're talking quickly and passionately, chances are they want fast and passionate people in their company as well. Mirror that back to them.

Finally, emotional mirroring is tuning into the same wavelength as them. This is perhaps the most difficult to pull off, as you actually have to share the same values to really project this. But if you can, you can build a lot of rapport with the interviewer.

If you use these two techniques in combination: 1) Knowing exactly what your interviewer and the company care about before walking into the meeting and 2) Matching your physical, verbal and emotional cues to where they're coming from, you'll be able to build a very strong emotional connection with your interviewer.