Body language
The fact that you’ve been selected for interview means that you’ve made a positive impression on paper. Your next challenge is to build on this by making a positive impression in person.
Recruiters are trained to make informed assessments of candidates, based not only on how they communicate verbally but on how they communicate physically (non-verbally).
Even if your interviewer has received no formal training, they are going to be inherently sensitive to certain nuances of body language just like the rest of us. It’s instinctive.
The importance of body language as a factor in the decision-making process should not be underestimated.
Positive actions
There are a number of positive actions that you can use to your advantage in an interview situation:
- Make and maintain eye contact without actually staring! Eye contact is essential when trying to convey trust and confidence but should not be overdone as it can come across as aggressive.
- Shake hands firmly but not to the extent that first aid is required! To shake someone’s hand too firmly can imply arrogance and if you deliver a weak handshake it can suggest weakness. This is not just an old wives’ tale – it’s true. In surveys, recruiters regularly cite getting the handshake wrong as an immediate turn-off.
- Keep your chin up (literally and metaphorically), smile with open lips and tilt your head slightly to show that you are attentive.
- Place your hands with your fingertips touching together, which, believe it or not, helps to convey a sense of authority. Just don’t overdo it because it’s become quite a well-known technique!
Negative actions
There are an equal number of negative actions.
Some are obvious: You shouldn’t pick your nails, pick your nose or any other body part for that matter!
And some are less obvious.…
Here are some examples of negative traits and how they are reflected in your body language:
- Defensiveness: crossing your arms
- Boredom: feet tapping, playing with your pen, looking down, slouching
- Nervousness: fidgeting, thumb-twiddling, playing with your hair
- Arrogance/overconfidence: brisk and erect walk, hands clasped behind head
- Aggression: postures such as hands on hips and pointing or wagging your index finger
- Doubt: rubbing eyes or nose
Reading the interviewer’s body language
The interviewer’s body language can give you some insight into what they think about what you are saying; for example, if they’re getting bored! You can then respond to that by changing the subject, for instance.
TOP TIP
An ‘insider’ trick is to copy certain aspects of the interviewer’s body language. Imitating someone else’s body language can have a positive subconscious effect on their impression of you. The theory is that they will feel that you are on the same wavelength as them and automatically become better disposed towards you. You should try to be subtle about it, and avoid copying any negative behaviour!
The importance of smiling
I’m not about to suggest you should spend the whole interview grinning like a lunatic but … smile and the world smiles with you!
Smile at someone and the chances are that they will smile back. Try it. It’s human nature; it’s a built-in reflex that we have, enabling us to immediately communicate our friendly and peaceful intentions even at a distance. It’s such an innate behaviour that even if you sit by yourself and smile, you’ll actually feel better for it! Again, if you don’t believe me, try it!
At certain moments during your interview, a big smile is called for; particularly when you first meet and when you depart. However, you should try to keep a small smile lingering around your lips right the way through the interview, even if the going gets tough. It will definitely have a positive effect on your interviewer’s perception of you (firmly proved by psychologists) and you will even feel more positive yourself.