Conveying confidence and enthusiasm during a job interview is an essential part of interview success, but words alone are not enough. Only 10% of what we communicate is done through speech the rest is communicated through how we position our bodies. So if you want to succeed in an interview you need to think about what your body is saying.
Our top 5 body language tips
1) Shake everyone’s hand who is interviewing you (if a panel) unless there are huge numbers – this forces the interviewers to acknowledge you which can be useful if they have just interviewed a candidate they already really like
2) Address everyone with your responses even if you talking to the top of their head while they scribble notes down – it’s polite and helps to makes sure everyone listens to your response.
3) Research shows that women smile more than men from as early as 8 weeks old. So, if you are being interviewed by a panel of men and you are a woman – consider smiling slightly less and vice versa. Research from Boston University revealed that subordinate people smile more in the presence of dominant people and that women smile far more than men in social and business situations which can make a woman appear to be subordinate in an interview with unsmiling men. So if you are a woman being interviewed by men, try mirroring the amount of smiling – if you can!
4) Make it obvious when you have finished giving your response to a question – i.e. stop talking, when you have said what you have to say. Otherwise you will ramble and the interviewer will not know if you have finished or not.
5) Talk with your palms open and lean forward when talking about something ‘difficult’, the interviewer will believe what you say.
Look confident – feel confident
Body language affects how others see us, but it may also change how we see ourselves. This excellent video by social psychologist Amy Cuddy shows how “power posing” – standing in a posture of confidence, can increase your chances of success.
We’ll post some more helpful body language tips later in the month. In the meantime check out our blog for other useful career advice and tips