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Expert Interviewing Tips – Part 2

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Body Language

A well crafted resume which flaunts excellent credentials is simply not enough to get you the job. The recruiter schedules an interview not because it is an official process that needs to be carried out, but because he or she wishes to know the ‘real you’. It’s amazing but more than 90% of the message that you convey to potential employers are through non-verbal communication. You must remember that the very way you carry yourself will lay the foundation of the employer’s first impression of you.

‘You’ – the person:
Based on how you pass on non-verbal signals by way of gestures, posture, or even by the tone of your voice, there will be a considerable impact on the results of the interview. Your body language speaks volumes about the person you really are and recruiters can quite accurately determine whether you are confident or not, your ability to deal with stress, your alertness, seriousness, and your level of enthusiasm, how nice a person you are, and even your sense of humor. By and large, interviews are not only about how well you answer the questions put forward to you, but it is a means of understanding the kind of person you are and whether you will really ‘click’ with the company, firm, or organization in question. This is tremendously important to employers and you must do everything within your power to communicate this factor.

Points to remember:

  • Attention to time: You simply cannot miss the bus or be stuck in a traffic. A job interview is considered to be a very important appointment and being late sends across negative messages about you to employers. Also, it would not do your nerves any good arriving too early. You would probably break into a cold sweat walking the empty hallway. Just be there on time.
  • Shaking hands: Learn with a friend or a family member, the right way to shake hands. While shaking hands, you should appear confident and not nervous or excessively aggressive. Also, give a short introduction about yourself in the process.
  • Posture: While you are seated before the panel of interviewers, maintain a posture that comes across as interested as well as relaxed. Do not slouch in your chair – it will give the impression that you are not really interested in the job. At the same time, do not sit at the edge of the chair leaning your body forward. It might just give the impression that you are uncomfortable and tensed. The best way is to rest your back on the chair and sit up straight. You may also tilt your head or move your shoulders forward a wee bit to show interest while speaking to the interviewer.
  • Hands: Most of the time, during an interview, people do not know what to do with their hands and regard them as obstacles. Hands can be used as a means to communicate and should not be folded and kept. Leave them lose on your lap or place them on the armrests of your chair which will allow for hand gestures that could support your words.
  • Eye contact: It must be remembered that each one of the interviewers present are equally important and not just the person who poses the question. Look at each one at various intervals in order to involve them in the conversation. Making eye contact is a sign of trust.

Just as it is important to learn important gestures or movements, you need to pay attention to the body language of the interviewers in order to understand how you are coming across to them. This way you can get a fairly good idea whether or not you are doing or saying the right thing. Analyzing body language not only aids in hiding nervousness and feelings of discomfort and tension, but also greatly enhances the mutual tuning during the interview. An interview which is the first meeting between you and the employer, should not just tell employers that you are suitable for the job position but should also pass on a feeling of comfort. This is by far one of the most important factors that needs to come through because you might soon be working together. Keep visiting our website and we will be back with more interviewing tips every week. We would appreciate your feedback and any suggestions which you could provide on feedback@hound.com.

This article was originally published in Hound. Hound shows its members jobs from each and every employer website in the world. It is the most powerful job-search engine in existence and powers several job boards. To read more such informative career- related articles, please visit Hound.
Expert Interviewing Tips - Part 2 by
Authored by: Harrison Barnes