10 Body Language Mistakes That Sabotage Most Interviews

Question how much of what you say is actually interpreted through body language and tone of voice? Well, if we are to believe Albert Mehrabian, almost all of it. Professor Albert Mehrabian has stated that only 7% of a message is conveyed verbally, through words. The other 93% is split between tone of voice (38%) and body language (55%). In fact, its widely known as the 7-38-55 rule. Now, you may take or leave that kind of statistic, as it clearly cannot be true in all cases. And furthermore, it cannot include the written word. If it did, authors would not sell books, and we would never sign contracts! But even so, its true that tone of voice and body language can betray our real feelings. And in a job interview, its important to take control of your body language as much as possible. After all, even though you may say all the right things, your body can be telling the interviewer a completely different story. Here then are 10 body language mistakes to avoid. Keep them in mind before your next interview, and keep them under control when youre in the hot seat. (See also: 16 Ways to Improve Your Body Language) 1. Dont Make a Feeble First Impression Its been said that employers can spot the right candidate within 30 seconds, and thats all about body language. Be confident, but not arrogant. Walk in with a smile, without fiddling with anything youre wearing, and give a firm handshake. Firm, by the way, means just that; enough pressure to say you mean business, but not the Vulcan death grip that so many men (and some women) try and impose. Also, a floppy dead fish handshake is just as bad, if not worse. And if youre sweating from nerves (or something else), wipe your hands before entering the room. That sweaty palm will not do you any favors. 2. Stop Touching Your Face! Did you see the movie Contagion by Steven Soderbergh? A doctor played by Kate Winslet states that the average person touches their face between 2,000 and 3,000 times every day! Youve probably touched it a few times while reading this article. Now, while you cant stop yourself from doing this all the time, you must stop during the interview. Were all guilty of touching our nose, our lips, and our forehead, but these all imply that were either nervous or dishonest. Perhaps we associate nose touching and dishonesty with Pinocchio. Also, youre then going to

shake hands again at the end of the interview. Any germophobics (think Donald Trump or Howie Mandell) will not be pleased that youve had your hands on your mouth and nose for the last half hour. 3. Dont Do the Leg Wobble Look around you today and see how often you spot the leg wobble. It comes in many forms. Some people will be seated at a table and will jiggle one leg up and down beneath it. Some will cross their legs and jiggle one foot. And some will have both legs going at once. It can be due to nervous energy, restless leg syndrome, or just bad habit. But whether you do it a little or a lot, do not do it in an interview. The message youre sending is loud and clear Im anxious, and I cant wait to get out of here. And a potential employer does not want to know that you cant wait to be out of his or her presence. 4. Its a Clich Because Its True: Dont Cross Your Arms Youve heard it before, and youll hear it again and theres a good reason. When you cross your arms, you are saying that you are closed off, closed minded, defensive, or just plain bored. It doesnt matter if you find it the most comfortable way to hold your arms; this is an interview, and its not a good idea to practice the most widely known negative piece of body language in front of a potential employer. 5. Dont Sit Up Too Straight, but Dont Slouch Either Have you ever been sat opposite someone who sat up so straight that you just couldnt relax around them? Its a strange feeling. Theyre not really doing anything wrong; in fact, theyre displaying good posture, but at the same time it just seems like theyre being stiff and prudish. You dont want to seem this way in front of the interviewer, and you also dont want to make them feel uncomfortable around you, either. After all, who wants to work with someone who makes them feel awkward? So relax. Sit up straight, but not so straight it looks like youre craning your neck to the ceiling. And of course, dont be so relaxed that you slouch. This looks messy, disrespectful, and lazy. 6. Props Are for Magicians and Comedians You may very well have your hands full when you enter the room. This can be unavoidable, especially when going from one interview to another. If you can, go to the interview with everything you need in one suitcase or bag. When youre called to the interview, rise gracefully and pick it up from the side of your chair, then sit it down beside you when you sit for the interview. If youre playing a balancing act with pens, organizers, your cell phone, resumes, and other

paraphernalia, you look ill-at-ease, clumsy, and unprepared. And if you start dropping things, you make it even worse. 7. Eye Contact Is Good; Staring Is Not It can be difficult to remember every point in a list, and some people will jot down memory aids and take them literally. One such point is maintain eye contact. Before you know it, youre staring down the interviewer with a gaze that could put a statue to shame. As with all things in life, do this in moderation. You dont want to have your eyes wandering the room looking for an exit, but you also dont want to fix a laser-like stare into the interviewer's soul. Janine Driver, a body language expert with the nickname the lyin tamer, suggests that 60% eye contact is ideal, looking at the upper triangle of the other persons face (this goes from the left to right eyebrow, crossing the bridge of the nose). If theres more than one person in the room, make eye contact with each person. And dont stare at the mouth or forehead. In fact, dont stare, period. Remember to blink, please! 8. Watch Those Hands If youre following rule number four and rule number two, you may be wondering what on earth to do with your hands. This can be especially true if youre someone who uses his or her hands a lot when talking, to express enthusiasm or to convey a point. Well, thats fine. After all, if it helps you elaborate upon what youre saying, and its also a part of who you actually are, then dont mess with a good thing. But be careful. Mark Bowden, author of the book Winning Body Language, suggests keeping your hands and arms in the truth plane. Ideally, this is an area that fans out 180 degrees from your navel, stopping below the collarbone. Keeping gestures within this place keeps your hands away from your face, as noted earlier, and shows that you are calm, centered, and controlled. So, by all means use your hands, but dont go mad. 9. Dont Be a Nodding Dog People often believe that nodding in agreement at everything the interviewer says will stand them in good stead. Thats not actually the case. While its all well and good to nod in agreement when you do genuinely agree with something, you need to avoid the nodding dog syndrome. Nodding in agreement with everything, regardless of the message, makes you look somewhat sycophantic, perhaps even spineless. Even worse, if youre not paying attention and then get asked a question related to the issue you were nodding about, you could look like a real idiot. Why on earth were you agreeing with something that you had no idea about? Keep the nodding under control. Of course, on the other end of the spectrum, shaking your head should be kept to a bare minimum. No one wants to be sat opposite someone so disagreeable, and its also a sign of trying to dominate others.

10. Dont Keep Your Distance or Get in Their Faces In most interviews, youll be sat on one side of a desk with the interviewer sat on the other. This is standard practice, but with body language you can change this dynamic with both good and bad outcomes. For a start, if you purposefully shift your chair away from the desk, perhaps crossing your legs, then you're putting more distance between you and your potential employer. This is a suggestion of distrust or nervousness. Similarly, if you bring the chair up too close to the desk and start leaning over, you are being intimidating and also showing that you have something to hide. So stay at a comfortable distance from the desk, showing enough of your upper body to indicate that you have nothing to hide. If theres no desk, follow the same rules. Dont get so close that your breath is in their face, but dont back off so far that youre clearly trying to avoid them. Of course, as with all lists, remember not to be so focused on this advice that you forget the main reason youre in the room. Practice before the interview; dont jot this down on the palm of your hand and become a body language robot. Be relaxed, be natural, and for the most part, be yourself.