Master Your Mannerisms

Many people discount the importance of body language during a job interview because they’ve been trained to place more emphasis on spoken words. To become more adept at using positive body language, we suggest you heighten your awareness of nonverbal signals and learn to trust your “gut” instinct.  Here are some key focus areas.  Bad Posture:  Leaning back is lazy or arrogant, leaning forward is aggressive and slouching is just lazy. Instead, experts say to aim for a neutral position, sitting tall as if a string were connecting your head to the ceiling.  Don’t break eye contact.  Keep your arms open and by your side, not in your pockets or behind your back.  Crossed arms lets out a signal that your defensive or resistant, so just stay relaxed.  Excessive nodding.  Only give a nod or two, don’t look like a bobblehead.  Don’t fidget.  You will look too nervous and it will distract the employer.  Make sure your tone matches your facial expressions, you don’t want to give mixed messages.  Look them directly in the eye, don’t wander.  Show them that your confident and don’t look away.  However, be sure to take a break in between questions, staring at someone can get creepy.  And don’t forget to smile!!