WORD OF THE MONTH
Body Language
Sitting in a chair for an hour is tough. Heck, even 15 minutes is pushing it for some. To cope with the stillness, we scratch our head, look at our nails or maybe tap our foot, without even knowing we're doing it. That's okay if you're in the dentist's waiting room but not in a job interview. Fidgeting was one of five body language behaviors that human resource managers cited in a CareerBuilder survey as a turnoff in a job candidate. Closely related to fidgeting is playing with something on the table.
What are some of the other issues to be aware of? Far and away, eye contact. Make sure you look each person you are talking to in the eye during the interview (without staring of course.) Failing to make eye contact was the biggest error recruiters mentioned, followed by failure to smile. Eye contact is a key way we establish trust with one another.
Also, you've probably been told at some point in your life to stand up straight and sit up straight. This is really good advice to keep following, particularly when you show up to impress hiring managers as a third of those who were surveyed mentioned bad posture as a problem area with candidates.
If you think one of these issues may have interfered with getting a job in the past, participating in mock interviews can help you practice so you remember to smile, make eye contact regularly, avoid fidgeting and offer a firm handshake. And keep it in perspective at least you didn't act out a Star Trek role or answer a phone call for an interview with a competitor. Yes, those things actually happened, according to survey respondents.
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