11 brilliant conversation starters to use in a job interview

Official GDC/flickrGetting in some small talk before you cover the big stuff can give you an edge.You may think of the small talk before a job interview as idle chitchat at best. Perhaps you even find the whole experience excruciating.

But research suggests that building rapport with your interviewers before getting into the nitty gritty details can give you an edge over other candidates.

For those to whom small talk doesn't come naturally, we asked some career experts to weigh in on some of the best icebreakers you could use to get the conversation going.

"The secret is to have one to two good open-ended questions that require the person to talk - it lets you show you are a good listener," says J.T. O'Donnell, founder of career-advice site Careerealism.com and author of "Careerealism: The Smart Approach to a Satisfying Career."

She suggests paying attention to your body language and eye contact to better show the interviewer that they have your undivided attention.

Here are 11 brilliant conversation starters to use in your next job interview: