“A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.”
Oscar Wilde
In today’s difficult job market, finding the right employment can be an incredibly daunting and challenging prospect. In many industries, you’re going to need nothing less than an excellent resume, applicable past experiences, good networking skills, and a decent amount of luck. With so many qualified candidates out there, once-forgivable resume gaps or networking gaffes have become far more scrutinized. In today’s climate, every little aspect of the job search matters more.
This is just as applicable when it comes to the job interview. Almost every single line of employment will require an interview. Moreover, regardless of whether you seek to work as a nurse at brookdale senior living, a foreman at a construction site, or an administrative assistant in an office, there are several common attributes that employers always want to see displayed in an interview. They want a person who is friendly, sociable, engaging, thoughtful, and down-to-earth. While not everyone possesses these qualities, the body language you exude during an interview can go a long way towards conveying them to a potential employer.
On that note, here are some body language tips:
Keep “Semi-Eye Contact”
No employer wants to see a job applicant who spends the whole interview staring down at the table. Few applicants, however, are comfortable making constant and unwavering eye contact with the person who is assessing them. What to do? Practice making semi-eye contact. This means looking above the interviewer’s eyes – at their forehead or their hair, for example – while you talk. You’ll come across as engaged without getting distracted by the intensity or the awkwardness of direct eye contact.
Lean Forward and Back in Your Seat As Necessary
Generally speaking, leaning forward in your seat is one of the better ways of conveying an engaged, go-getter attitude. But doing this for the duration of the interview may instead make you seem more anxious and more on edge. The goal, then, is to find a compromise between leaning forward in your seat and leaning back, with a greater amount of time to be spent in the former position. Here’s an idea: when you’re speaking or answering a query during the interview, lean forward and look engaged. When you’re listening to a question or a response, lean back and look thoughtful. When done correctly — and with gradual transitions — this approach can offer the best of both worlds.
Don’t Fidget
This goes without saying, but it is distracting and unappealing to an interviewer when an applicant fidgets throughout the meeting. Make sure to practice sitting still and comfortably without making too many body movements. Furthermore, unless you are a person who can successfully speak with their hands while talking, you may want to consider clasping your hands under the table for much of the interview.
These are just a few tips for improving your body language during a job interview. Although mastering this advice certainly can’t make up for a lack of experience or a competitive hiring process, every little component of the application matters in today’s market. Body language, to be sure, is no exception.
Good luck in your search.
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