The first step to getting through a job interview is to focus on avoiding a few common body language mistakes.
Anyone setting out on the hard work of finding a job should first learn the main body language techniques (which are just as useful in negotiations and in many other areas of life).
Your CV or work experience probably matters less than you think when you walk into a job interview, because in the end you will be hired for the impression you leave on the company’s recruiter. One bad impression and you’re out. A single mistake and you can say goodbye to a job at that company.
Let’s say your cover letter is perfect and your CV is enviable. You have spent whole days researching the company and you even know what they are going to ask you, with your answers well rehearsed. You answer perfectly, but you forget to smile, you lean back in your chair, or you bite your nails, and so on… and you have simply been ruled out, even though you may well be the best person for the job.
A person gives off dozens of nonverbal signals in any situation.
When we sit in front of a human resources recruiter, who is already looking out for those signals, we will be giving off hundreds of them. In fact, the moment we walk through the door, we have already made an impression simply through our appearance and the way we dress or walk.
(Read: Now this is a surreal job interview, with a curious ending)
Which body language mistakes should we avoid?
In the roughly two metres between the door and the chair, we have probably already given new impressions of whether we are nervous, confident, or came in feeling insecure.
1. Don’t invade the interviewer’s personal space
When we talked about body language techniques, we said you shouldn’t let others invade your space in a group interview or a negotiation. In this case, if you are carrying a briefcase or a coat, don’t put it on the table, and don’t use the manager’s coat stand unless you are asked to hang your coat there.
2. Don’t cross your arms
Many candidates know they shouldn’t lean back in the chair with their arms crossed, because it signals passivity. But if we lean forward and cross our arms, what we show is indifference.
3. Playing with your hair
In both men and women (especially women), playing with your hair can be interpreted in many ways, none of them positive. Among other signals, it can come across as childish.
4. Sitting with poor posture
Always sit with your back straight. The way we sit says a lot about us and, as a general rule, an asymmetrical posture when seated can make you look confused, disoriented and dishonest.
5. Smile
We don’t mean you should look like Tom Cruise’s goofy cousin. However serious the company is, we should show a cheerful character, because I don’t think anyone today likes an overly serious manner, which is sometimes mistaken for bitterness.
(Read: My 3 most surreal job interviews)
6. Lack of eye contact
This is perhaps one of the most serious body language mistakes, and many people come with it built in. People who can’t hold eye contact tend to be shy and not very trustworthy, and in some cases liars.
See also: 7 truths about leadership that will make you a better professional
Whether it comes from shyness or from being “not very trustworthy”, companies don’t like it to begin with. And it is taken very seriously, since there are many proven studies about people who find it hard to look others in the eye.
(Read: 40 skills you should put on your CV)
7. Being too expressive
Some people can’t help showing every single feeling they experience through their gestures, from raised eyebrows to eye movements and grimaces. Although micro-expressions are very hard to control, let’s try to avoid the most obvious ones.
8. Showing restlessness
Biting your nails, tapping your foot as if you were constantly pressing an accelerator, or making little noises by drumming your fingers are gestures that can be interpreted in hundreds of ways. In fact, nobody knows quite how to read them. Companies like people who are active but not hyperactive, and they like people who can stay calm in stressful situations.
9. Keep your hands in sight
Don’t hide your hands under the table. Always keep them on the table, without taking up too much space.
The truth is that most body language mistakes made in a job interview come from insecurity and nerves, which are sometimes made worse by not having rehearsed beforehand.
Bear in mind that going to a job interview is like going on stage in a play, where we have to perform a role, because the interviewer will be playing a role too. (We’ll talk about those roles another time.)
See also: Working as an insurance salesperson on a commercial contract: answering a reader’s questions
Rehearse at home how you will walk into and out of a room, how you will greet the interviewer and how you will say goodbye. Stand in front of the mirror as you prepare your answers to the questions you think you might be asked.
Rehearse even your smile, the way you sit, and so on… leave nothing to chance. There are many candidates for the job, so try to make your performance perfect.
Further reading
Featured image: Hernán Piñera from Marbella, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
.jpg){kind=link}