You have made it to interview stage. Now it’s time to think about not only how you present your skills, qualifications and experience but how you present yourself. Interviewers are often looking for confidence and assuredness. The question becomes how do we show this without telling it. Body language is ultimately what we can communicate without speaking.
It indicates your comfort, interest and confidence. This is something to be mindful of however our body language can be subconscious but you can control it too.
In recent research maintaining eye contact and smiling have been proven to be particularly important to employers. Next we will look at someone key body languages that come across well to interviewers but also present us well.
• Maintain your posture throughout the interview. Slouching can present a lack of energy.
• Interviewers can be intimidating but your interviewer wants to see a friendly face. Maintain a smile throughout, it doesn’t need to be a toothy grin, but a little smile can show you are happy with the flow of the interview and shows you are being attentive.
• By this we do not mean ‘copy’ the interviewers every move. But if they nod you should nod, but also match the tone of their body language.
• This interview is all about you but don’t forget to listen empathetically and engage with the interviewer/s. You could nod during parts of the conversation. Stay alert and responsive, you can show you are listening by tilting your head. It makes you come across as approachable.
• By keeping your hands on the table in front of you, or on your lap. The worst thing you can do is having your arms folded in an interview it can demonstrate uninterest or a closed off nature.
A surprising one is to avoid touching your face. Candidates who frequently touch their face are often considered to be dishonest and untrustworthy, even playing with your hair is not considered as good body language.
Interviews can be nerve racking but if you have a nervous habit such as jiggling your leg, try your best to suppress it. They can be a distraction but also are you demonstrating your nervousness, which is not what we want to portray to the interviewer.
Many companies have made the shift to online interviews, sparked by the on-going Covid-19 pandemic. This change in how we are being interviewed means we need to adapt to new ways of presenting ourselves.
We can still apply many body language techniques such as smiling and nodding and importantly you can still use your hands to talk. These techniques will help you to appear engaged even on camera.
A top tip is to avoid fidgeting as much as possible when online as it does not translate well virtually!
The most important thing is to be respectful and professional personal attitude towards the interviewer. Right from the initial hello handshake to the graceful goodbye, show dignity towards the other person. As you enter the interview and leave remember to keep up the positive body language, we can forget that sitting in the reception waiting for the interview is just as important as sitting in the actual interview.
It seems like there is more things to remember about interviews than anyone could ever remember but the key to being successful is just to present the best version of yourself.
Smile and enjoy the process, your body will reflect this.
