Nonverbal communication is critically important for career advancement. Learn how you can impress your employer and display confidence, professionalism, and enthusiasm during your interview.
Have you recently been invited for an interview at a great company? Did you answer all the questions correctly but still got a “no?” The reason for your rejection could be your body language.
Studies have found that nonverbal communication may account for between 60% to 65% of all communication. It’s also been suggested that nonverbal expression has 65% to 93% more impact than the actual words spoken.
This means that when attending an interview, “how you speak” is equally important as “what you say.”
If you want to learn how you can send the right nonverbal cues, here are a few expert tips and tricks that will help you land the job.
Maintain good eye contact
Eye contact is a powerful tool for communicating your level of involvement, interest, and warmth.
Don’t make the mistake of avoiding the gaze of the interviewer and looking down.
By looking at the interviewer’s eyes, you’re asserting your confidence and trustworthiness. To avoid staring at them, alternate between the left eye, the right eye, and the mouth every three seconds. Merely glancing at your interviewer for one second and turning your look away is known as an eye dart. It’s a sign of anxiety and insecurity.
If it’s a panel interview, make sure you maintain eye contact with everybody. However, make sure you focus your attention on the person who’s asking you the question.
Practice a confident handshake
Although the majority of people understand the importance of a proper handshake, many of them get it wrong. It’s the initial nonverbal cue that starts a conversation.
If it’s too firm, you’ll seem dominant. If it’s too weak, you’ll look like you lack confidence.
Instead, what you want to do is match the interviewer’s grip. A good handshake is one with full palm to palm contact. Apply the two-second rule, smile politely, maintain eye contact, and repeat their name.
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Practice appropriate facial expressions
Your face can convey countless emotions without you even saying a word. A smile signifies happiness and approval. A frown signals disapproval.
According to one study, the most trustworthy facial expression is a slight raise of the eyebrows and a subtle smile.
If you want to show that you’re paying attention, smile slightly, nod from time to time, and maintain eye contact.
Regardless if you want to convey wisdom, intelligence, or seriousness, make sure you practice in front of a mirror until it looks natural.
Use the right gestures
Gesturing is another type of nonverbal communication that’s critical for professional success.
One study by Holler and Beatie found that gestures increase the value of your message by 60%. They analyzed a range of TED talks and found that the most popular videos are those where the presenters used effective hand gestures.
If you’re twisting a ring or playing with the button of your shirt, you’re going to appear anxious and nervous. The interviewer will be less inclined to have confidence in your skills and abilities.
Limit your hand gestures, and avoid finger-pointing, fidgeting, tapping, or wringing hands. These are all distracting mannerisms.
One major tip is to try and slow down your breathing. This will slow down your heart rate and make you less nervous. Practice punctuating your words with a natural and purposeful movement until you master it. For example, a palm up signifies that what you’re saying is honest and trustworthy. Touching your hearts means what you’re saying is genuine. Steepling is a sign of confidence.
If you want to learn more, take a look at this list of 20 hand gestures that can help you convey your words with more effect.
Additional Reading: How to Pick Out (or Be) an Awesome Employee
Keep an authoritative posture
A very natural posture for people is to slouch in the chair or fold their arms. By doing this, you’re signaling to your interviewer that you’re defensively nervous.
Instead, you should open up your body and lean slightly forward from the waist. Use the arms on the chair and imagine a string pulling your head and spine toward the ceiling. Your feet are firmly on the ground, arms and hands are relaxed but not crossed. This will let your interviewer know that you’re interested, confident, and authoritative.
If you’re standing up, stand with your feet slightly apart. A good distance between feet is 4 to 6 inches for women and more than 8 inches for men.
Use an appropriate tone of voice
When on an interview, it’s important to pay attention to things like your tone of voice, pacing, pausing, volume, and articulation.
If your pitch is too high, your interviewer might think you’re less empathic and aggressive. Or, if you have a shaky tone of voice, you might be regarded as lacking confidence.
Here are a few tips that can help you make a positive impression:
- Don’t speak in a monotone voice. Show a little personality through your voice.
- Keep a good pace of speaking. Don’t be too slow or too fast.
- Avoid long or frequent pauses as they don’t send a good impression.
- Don’t speak too loudly.
Additional Reading: How a Temporary Employment Agency Can Help you Transition into Your Dream Job
Mirror the interviewer
Mirroring the interviewer is an effective nonverbal communication technique. However, it should be done subtly. Make sure you wait ten seconds before you do it yourself.
The technique involves mirroring hand gestures and movements. It can also include mirroring your interviewer’s tone of voice, vocabulary, and jargon.
People trust those who are similar to themselves so this makes the interviewer feel at ease. You’re also more likely to build rapport with them. It’s definitely worth learning the technique.
Final Word
By putting these body language tips into practice, you’ll leave a good impression on your next interview. Initiate a conversation with a firm handshake and commit your full attention to what the interviewer is saying. Keep an appropriate tone of voice and sit properly. Remember: how others perceive you can significantly impact your success in the workplace.
