It doesn’t matter whether the interview is taking place online or in person, body language plays a huge part in showcasing who you are as a person. Body language is mostly subconscious, but if you practice a bit, you can display more confidence, positivity and openness than you might feel at first. It is equally important to avoid displaying any negative emotions with your body language.
As a leading career accelerator, HiCounselor likes to make sure we help people build on and display their best qualities. That’s why we’ve created this short guide on the right body language during interviews. If you need more personalized help to ace interviews, contact us and have a chat with one of our helpful mentors!
Sitting up straight exudes confidence while slouching can make you look lazy and unprofessional. Don’t sit too stiffly, however, and keep your position relaxed. Your shoulders should be down as lifting them high is a sign of insecurity. Keep your chin parallel to the ground. When you’re answering a question, you can lean forward a bit to show greater engagement.
You don’t have to try to be the interviewer’s best friend but you should smile politely at the start of the interview and whenever possible during the interview. Don’t under or overdo a smile as either can be off-putting. If the interviewer cracks a joke, you can go ahead and laugh as well. This makes the process more positive for everyone involved and is an easy body language tactic for interviews.
This is one of the most vital aspects of body language during an interview. Regular eye contact is read as a sign of reliability by many, so make sure you can hold the interviewer’s gaze. Don’t stare at them for too long; a couple of seconds of eye contact at a time is enough if you’re nervous about this. If there are two or more interviewers in the room, you can make short eye contact with each of them but keep your focus on the one who asked you a question.
We do it unknowingly, but many of us will start touching our faces as a way to “hide” when we get nervous. Covering your mouth, touching your forehead, or fixing your hair repeatedly display insecurity while gestures like rubbing your nose are seen as signs of dishonesty. Avoid touching your face unless necessary. You can just keep your hands overlapped on your legs if you don’t know what to do with them.
Crossing your arms or legs is seen as a defensive posture and it also conveys a sense of not being open to others. This shouldn’t be part of your body language during an interview. If you habitually sit with your legs crossed, you might want to really practice this one. Don’t cross your arms and keep your palms open and as visible as possible to display that you have nothing to hide.
Some of us use our hands a lot more than others and there’s nothing wrong with this. However, for interviews, body language experts recommend using your hands more subtly. Waving your hands around a lot can signal nervousness or unpredictability. Some interviewers can also find it distracting. That’s why it’s best to move your hands slowly and within a smaller area.
An interview can be a draining and nerve-wracking experience because you don’t yet know if your efforts are going to bear fruit. This can make us impatient and display the entirely wrong body language for an interview. Avoid tapping your fingers or feet, looking at your watch, looking around too much as these can signal not only impatience but also disinterest.
Mirroring is when we imitate the gestures, speech and even style of a person with whom we’re interacting. This is a very effective body language tactic for an interview because it makes the other person think we’re more similar than we might really be! It can also make the other person feel more at ease with us. Don’t overdo it with the mirroring, however, because if the interviewer catches on, you can appear desperate or manipulative.
It’s common knowledge that we angle our feet towards our main subject of interest during conversations with others. So, if you’re not comfortable, you’ll probably find your feet pointing towards the door. If you find one interviewer more interesting, you might end up pointing your feet towards them. Try to avoid this common body language mistake during interviews and keep your feet firmly planted in a neutral direction or towards the interviewer if there is only one.
If you watched the US version of The Office, you might remember the episode where the ladies try to teach Dwight Schrute how to pitch to women, and he is terrible at being appropriately responsive. Avoid that at all costs. Nod and smile like a human when you’re being spoken to and be ready to answer questions when asked. It’s okay to take a few seconds to collect your thoughts but try to keep any delays short.
We hope these tips help you be better prepared for your interview! It can be challenging to get the hang of things because this requires a lot of practice. If you’d like more help to clear interviews, contact HiCounselor to see how we can do that as well as give your career the boost it needs. The best part about hiring us is you only pay us once you start getting paid! Get in touch with us today to find out more.
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